Wyoming and Colorado

Wyoming was less than an experience and I didn't even hoop there. I figure I'll need to get to Yellowstone and hoop with Ol Faithful sometime.

Just fields, then when I got to Cheyenne a huge lightning storm attacked me.

In Boulder, CO I stayed with my friend Kat's mom who was hilarious and we talked for hours and hours about life, travel, jobs, languages, and more. I secretly teared up, being so happy to talk to someone so special. What a spirit she was, with stories and dreams still to live. I could tell where Kat gets her stunning personality and stellar listening skills.

A comfy bed did me some good and I found places to hoop in Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.

I did not like Denver. I did not feel safe. Lots of homeless lots of gross. Man on bike...
"You want to work your hips? I'll give you something to work your hips on!" Disgusting.

Garden of the Gods I got rained on hard. Seven Falls was fun and I climbed lots of stairs.

I got home to Santa Fe and ran in circles around our living room, waking G&G up and we went food shopping at Walmart at midnight. Went back to Colorado with them for a weekend for Gerard's best friend's wedding in Ft. Collins. I danced all night. It was a beautiful time and I felt blessed to have these two in my life. They lift me up so high.

South Dakota: Rush No More

The Enchanted Highway led me South into South Dakota and I grew very tired from my blissful sleep in the back of my car. As I drove through pastures green I started crying in weariness. There's nothing in Northwest SD. Pulled over for a nap that made me more tired. Cried and cried until Sturgis, SD where I found the nearest Super8 in all its motorcyclist glory and passed out for 12 hours.

It was the day. When I was 4 or 5 years old, I had a dream that my Bubby was driving and as I looked through the windshield from the backseat, I saw Mt. Rushmore up ahead. I knew that this day when I finally made it to Mt. Rushmore, I would be with her again.
I loved it there. All the silly tourists with their awkward pictures and the old white guys with their asian wives. In my own world, I hooped and walked. A cute little asian girl told me "that was like the cupid shuffle! Left left...right right...around and around..." Hilarious.

It was at Crazy Horse, my next stop, that I committed to a billboard I saw. Rush No More. I've been so stressed that I'm not traveling the country correctly. There was really no reason to get home, except for to get home. Rush No More was a motto to take it as I wanted to take it. I did not have to do things in an order. Being on my own, I could make every choice. To eat here, see there, listen there. No rush. Just be.
I was sure to hoop with Crazy Horse, as it may be many more years until it is complete and it will be cool to see the difference.

Keystone, SD is a place I certainly want to return to. Though touristy everything, those things are freakin sweet! I wish I would have stopped some more places - movie sets, funlands, and more. I also want to explore the Badlands when I am in the right mindset.

My lowest moment of the whole trip...

I decided to see one monument of the Black Hills before exiting the state. Jewel Cave National Monument seemed on the way so I put it in my navigation and drove. Siri took me onto a dirt road and I thought...well...it's gotta be, if it's a natural cave thing...
I followed the rocky dirt road for a few miles and it got more and more narrow. Shit...ok...Rush No More...
The area looked like it had been ripped apart by a bad storm or a fire. Weird dead trees...hey look a cow...hey look lots of cows...hey look...

A fricking red gate. In my narrow road. To my left...a ditch of cows. To my right...a wall of rock. Forward...cow and red gate. Behind...rocky road that scraped the bottom of my car. Stuck in the middle of nowhere. No phone service. Gonna die and get eaten by cows.

I did an Austin Powers thing and did maybe 48 tiny turns, scraping my car on the rock as to not fall in the ditch of hungry-looking black cows. My poor Prius.

I didn't die...just incase you wondered.

North Dakota

I drove into Fargo and was again disappointed by the similarity to any old town (this one - Haddonfield) in New Jersey.
Where's my frozen tundra of the North?

I got out to stretch in a Walgreen's parking lot while I decided if I could hoop before dark. While reaching for the sky, a little blonde girl, maybe 7, approached me. "This is for you," she said, and pulled out a long-stemmed red rose from behind her back. For me? Why? I thanked her and waved in gratitude to Mom in the minivan. Spirit. It's still on the dash of my car.

It was dark and I just wanted a drink, so I stopped in BWW for a Captian & diet. Asked the bartender what there was to see or do in Fargo, and he said "nothing." Another waitress did advise me to drive thru North Dakota to go West rather than thru South Dakota to get to Keystone (Mt. Rushmore).

I slept in my car (terribly).

I stopped in Bismarck with the Capitol, New Salem with a big cow, and down the Enchanted Highway. Hooped with some live cows while flies invaded my car.
I'm so sick of large steel animals and objects. No more modern art, please.

Chicago, Wisconsin, Minnesota

Chicago

When I finally got into downtown Chicago without dying (traffic was a bit much for me), I realized I had done no research on the city. I paid too much for parking and walked 2 miles to Millennium Park and hooped all around with the big blob mirror thing and stuff. While I was setting up a shot, a long-haired young man came up to me and interrupted. In my annoyance with how much I just walked carrying a heavy tripod and hoop, I replied in an snappy voice, "I'm recording!" He apologized and continued saying that he was an artist and he was having a rooftop party "next Friday night" for lots of local artists and he asked if I would come and share my art. (my hooping/video). While of course I could not, I was really flattered that he called what I was doing "art." I like it.

Milwaukee

The only reason I turned to go to Milwaukee instead of just driving on thru Madison was because remember Rugrats? Angelica says, "She moved to Milwaukee. Everybody walks there."

I again found parking and then decided to find a local to tell me where to hoop. I walked annoyed and hot again. Found a guy that looked of respectability and asked him "What's something that's very Milwaukee?" He replied, "Getting drunk." Thanks but no thanks.

I hooped with a statue of the Fonz from Happy Days.

Madison

Is it weird? I knew that Madison was a young hipster town, but omg was it. Is it weird that I'm intimidated by young hipster kids? I walked thru the cute streets and the college town, down to a lake/river/inlet/something where tonnns of hipsters (I mean...the neon sunglasses, the short-shorts, the we're so cool personality) were partying it up. I hooped real quick, and while a girl walked by and said "good job" with a really nice smile, and a boy said "you look beautiful," I still felt like I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Like in high school when I thought I wasn't cool enough for anybody. Then as I was walking back to the car, I saw two buskers. One young man with a guitar and a nice voice, and one guy bucket/rock drumming. You better believe I hooped with them.

I stayed in a hotel in Eau Claire, Wisconsin where I cried about my life.
The next morning I took advantage of their beautiful outdoor swimming pool for a good workout.

Minnesota

I wasn't happy with my trip. The lack of planning (which is usually how I like to travel) was making me feel like I wasn't traveling "right." I kept trying to remember that it's about the journey, not the monuments or museums you see, or time you spent in a particular place.
Something magical made me feel better.

I stopped in Woodbury, Minnesota because of the namesake (I'm from Woodbury Heights, NJ) and decided to have a full lunch to feel better at the Potbelly which is delicious. I sat inside because there was a handsome young man singing and playing guitar and harmonica. He sang with soul and feeling, mostly with his eyes closed. I was moved by his "coffeeshop" performance. I clapped alone after each song, gently harmonized with him, and gave him a dollar after. He smiled at me as he packed up and said, "Thank you. I really appreciate you clapping along."

Because of this 9-minute human being interaction, my trip is perfect. Not because I visited this many cities or historical markers, but because two lives were changed in the support of the arts and the soul. I cried on my walk out to the car. This is it. This is life. There's no right answer.

I didn't care about St. Louis and Minneapolis. Same cathedral different city. Hoop and begone.

Kentucky, Indiana with Andie, Michigan, Deidre

After waking up 4 lousy hours later in my car, I kept driving. The rest of the drive in West Virginia and then Kentucky was thrilling. Rolling hills and beautiful sky. Beautiful grass and castles and great neighborhoods.

I hooped in Lexington where I found that humans aren't that bad. A woman left her place in line at Starbucks to come open the door for me (I was carrying my hoop and tripod/camera). I scooped down to Lincoln's birthplace and peed outside because right before I entered the little bathroom cabin, I saw a lizard crawl inside. I hooped in the little house that was supposedly still made of logs from the Lincoln's neighbors and then I hooped by the creek that Lincoln almost drowned in as a little boy. Is it true Lincoln is so strongly affiliated with Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois? Boy moved around.

I drove north thru Louisville, which was cute but I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos. Hooped with the giant Louisville Slugger and some Michaelangelo's David remake.
Drove into Indiana and made it to Andie's dog-sitting house before dark. The 5 dogs were ridiculously neurotic and barked at anything that happened. Andie does well with them though. We went to her high school/church's festival and ate pizza and drank beer with some of her friends and parents. While things aren't the same with her and I pretty much cried myself to sleep - it's just nice to see that she's alive and well. Maybe someday it'll be okay. I liked that there were still pictures of us in her house. The next morning she took me to the Indy 500 track to hoop and we went to breakfast with her parents.

I drove north again. Up to St. Joseph, Michigan. Beautiful views. I was trying to rest my voice so I wasn't talking or singing. Then I turned to my first sight of Lake Michigan and my mouth just dropped and said "damn." Pretty parks pretty town.

I drove west. Made it to Deidre's in the dark. We laughed, caught up, and she made me delicious dinner. It's amazing how she knows me. And it's always without judgment or holding back. She's one of those. Amazing women of the world. It's cool to have friends all over the country and world.

Maryland and West Virginia Take 2

While I already have these two states under my belt, or my hoop, I wanted to get even better shots.

I started out the trip "behind schedule," (a recurring theme has been that I'm behind schedule, though there is no schedule) because I let myself sleep late, which is because I was out having fun with Lexie and Gabe.
Dad and Anna made me breakfast and packed me lunch and I cried as I got back on the rainy road.
The sky cleared up right about the time I saw a "Washington National Monument" sign, and D.C. was much behind me. Somehow it called me and I wound up hiking some of the Appalachian Trail in my Nike sporty flip-flops and black cotton dress. It felt so good that I had worked for one of my hooping shots. Made the day so special.

My goal was to make it to Kentucky that day and get a hotel, but that didn't happen (deviating from the non-plan again).

It was getting dark as I got to Charleston, West Virginia. I decided to stop at The Empty Glass, a bar with a reputation, for a drink before I found a hotel. It was a little sketchy but the bouncer made me feel alright, saying he'll walk me to my car later and make sure everything's okay.

I had one drink and talked to the bartender who broke the ice by shining some sort of flashy light in my eyes. He poured me a 2nd drink as I shook my hands in the air and said "no!" but it was bought by an obese gentleman to my left. I guess that was his breaking the ice. We discussed Cake Boss. It took a while for him to get the hint...I had a long talk with a lady named April, 41, who's on her 3rd husband and leaves his old butt at home while she goes to The Empty Glass, the best bar in town. She told me once she went out in a blonde wig and bright green dress and named herself Loretta. "Loretta had a lot of fun." Bartender Terry's babymama girlfriend showed up later and complimented me by saying I look 23 but hold myself 27. Nice.

Bouncer man walked me to my car. When I asked what his story was, he said he had none. When I demanded that he tell me or I would not leave, he said he works out and trains people, and he likes to see that everybody's alright.

Then I drove to a hotel parking lot and slept in the back of my car. The End.

New Jersey

"Life is big adventures, small moments, and the perfect cup of coffee."
- Caribou Coffee sign.

I spent almost 3 weeks in the NJ/NY/PA area. While I had hoped that I would go down to Dad's Wildwood trailer and do nothing for 3 weeks, I wound up driving all over the place every day. I got to see everyone, which was great, but I do wish I had scheduled in some "nothing" time.

Still, it was a beautiful 3 weeks. Big adventures included gay pride in NYC with my brothers and Wildwood trips. I had life-altering conversations and enjoyable moments with so many friends and family members (Dawn and family, Colin, Brittany...) down the shore and at Aunt Lesley's 4th of July BBQ. I also had the perfect cup of coffee down the shore made by Jessica (Warchal-King), sitting with PopPop, Jessica, and her husband Justin.

I spent the most time with Lexie. We discussed a trip up the West coast for next year - Summer 2014. Lexie immediately started asking questions and wanted to plan to the day. That boggled me as I have hardly ever travelled that way. Even in Peru it was like "hmm...let's go to this bus station and see if it can take us to ______." So, maybe I'll learn a thing about planning and she'll learn a thing about going with the flow.

I'm thankful for a place to call "home" even though I don't really consider myself having a home. It seems like this is going to be a thing, too...

The East Coast Blues

Booo the East Coast.

Georgia

I left the Stuks' at around 10:00 and headed to "The Big Chicken" - a Kentucky Fried Chicken that has been a 56-foot-tall landmark in the life of Marietta, Georgia. It was impossible to get both me and the chicken head in the shot so i improvised. Some weirdo who introduced himself as "J.R." drove up and started taking pictures of me and wouldn't stop talking to me. His accomplice was a scary obese lady with few teeth and a cackle that still drills into my soul. I was so scared they were going to steal my camera or do something weird, so I quickly did the thing and left.

I hooped at Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park and played in the fountain.
Small children kept running into me.

South Carolina

Booooooo.

I had no fun. Just many hours on the highway in the pouring rain and traffic. I spent the hours listening to more music and practicing Spanish with my "Spanish for Dummies" CD. I hooped in some stupid little park in Greenville, SC.

North Carolina

Charlotte looked SOOOOOOO fun and I almost stayed longer but it was getting late and I'd probably not make it to Richmond. Friendly security guards and young hip people skipped around the North Carolina Music Factory - a gathering of bars, comedy clubs, a volleyball court, and more bars. Gotta go back there sometime. It's something very not-Kathleen to not do what I want in that moment, but I got back on the road hoping it was what destiny wanted.

It was getting dark. I paused at a diner in High Point (Lexie's alma mater) to plug in my phone (the navigation really sucks the juice out). As I sat there a moment while it charged, an old man approached me and asked how to put his phone on silent. I showed him and then he proceeded to tell me his life story. It was obvious he needed someone desperately to talk to, so I put on my listening ears. He lost his wife 12 years ago and then fell in love with another old lady in the church choir who was divorced 28 years and "never once committed adultery," who decided not to date him anymore. Though I knew I was doing an important duty as random listener, I was relieved when he said he was leaving. I don't plan on getting old.

Virginia

I got to Jessica's Dad's house in Richmond (which I previously visited as Jessica's Grandma's house back in 2009) past midnight. Jessica is one of my best friends in the world. I met her in college and we clicked pretty quickly. We've spent years singing and playing piano and dreaming together. She's a creative and linguistic genius. Jess's Dad invited me in and had bought some burgers and floats. He charmed me with his stories of music-making. I slept in Jessica's old bed, missing her. In the morning Jess's funny funny Dad took me down Monument Ave and I hooped with a monument of Jefferson Davis.

I also stopped at Stonewall Jackson's shrine and then in Fredericksburg and walked around admiring the old-fashioned buildings and atmosphere.

Maryland

Traffic on Rt 95 was SO BAD that I just skipped Washington DC and I will unfortunately have to go back to hoop in front of those so-important buildings. I went to visit Cami in Silver Spring and she was cute as ever with her short hair cut, sweet boyfriend, and tattooed leg. Cami and I were really close in middle school and some of high school. I always think of the time we sat up in her attic and read The Giving Tree and we cried in each other's arms. I feel like there's a silent sadness between us, because we lost touch. Still her giggle fills my soul with sunshine.

My Maryland and Delaware hooping shots are lame, but I figure they're close enough to New Jersey that I can revisit. Anyway...now I'm home in my spot on the couch in Woodbury Heights. Happy to be with Daddy and Anna.

The South

I'm a sleepybear.

Tennessee
I did a good job getting a hotel just a few blocks away from Beale Street in Memphis. I got there and took a nap, then took my hoop and camera down to Beale where I was enchanted by the sounds of the blues coming from every corner and every bar and club. Older black men gettin down and feelin the soul of this beautiful Memphis air. Everyone drinks outside on the street and most look like a bachelor party or a hot date is goin down.
Some man jumped in my video shot and asked to try two people in the hoop, which I humored until it wasn't all that amusing anymore. People of course stared and cheered and I got a few good clips.
I took my camera back to the room and changed my clothes so I could feel more clothed. After assurance that we were in the safest part of Memphis, I took a walk back downtown to explore and enjoy. My first encounter was with a large white weirdo man...the conversation went...

Le Weirdo: You're so gorrrrrgeous!
Le Me: Thank you.
Le Weirdo: Can I have your feet?
Le Me: What? No.
Le Weirdo: I'm good at massaging...here...
Le Me: No that's weird.
Le Weirdo: But I'm in love with you. Can I buy you a drink?
Le Me: You don't have to.
Le Weirdo: but I want to *hands me two 5 dollar bills* Marry me! I got moooooney.
I shook my head and he laughed and walked out of the place.

The next encounter was a very nice guy who asked me to dance so we did for half a song. He reminded me of Michael in his body, face, hispanic-ness, and speech. A cop from California. We talked about ourselves for a bit until he took his friends home as the DD.

I watched the big black men up on stage. They have something else to them. The rhinestones on their clothes and the way they take a saxophone or guitar solo...there's so much to them that makes your soul sing too. Nothin' like the blues.

I walked home thinking, "Well, Memphis, I'm impressed."

I woke up late (oops) and ran out to get to Graceland, where the line was much too long and I wasn't thrilled about paying $33 or more to go see the Mansion when they wouldn't let me take my hoop or tripod anyway. Boo.

Mississippi

It was hard, but I finally found a place to hoop which turned out to be the birthplace of Elvis. That was it for Mississippi. Except for the guy who kept calling me a Yankee in the rest stop. Thought I should explore more but I was trying to make good time which I didn't today.

Alabama

I found a park dedicated to Civil Rights stuff in Birmingham which made for good hooping and then a street with a big Alabama sign. Funny old black men called out things like "Look at that Hoo-lay-hoop!!!"

Georgia

It seemed I was never going to get to Liz's. Traffic stopped for some runaway police chase thing, and the rest of the highways were just ridiculous traffic cases. I finally made it and I'm sleeping on her comfy couch. This house is beautiful and the whole gigantic basement is furnished and is like a nice apartment for Liz (bedroom, bathroom, two living spaces with couches, piano, pool table, gigantic TV, and the best was when she wowed me by opening what seemed to be a drawer and it was a dishwasher, then another as a fridge and freezer, and it went on and on.)

Sleeptime.

Texarkana

Texarkana is the name of a real town, but I'm just titling to represent this triad of states I've trampled in these 3 days.

Texas

I went through Texas only sometimes happy. I hooped at Cadillac Ranch but stupid people kept standing in my shot after specifically watched me set up. Though the plan was to eat dinner at the big amazing steakhouse in Amarillo, I passed it by realizing I don't deserve it, and I've had that experience already anyway. I kept driving, singing and singing and singing. I sang a lot. Stuff I've studied in years past, random radio, CDs I've made and a CD G&G made me. At dark I decided to stop in Vernon, TX at a Days Inn. I slept well, considering I just watched the remake of the movie "Psycho" and the hotel was set up similarly. Showered and took advantage of included breakfast.

I was off at 8am, so excited to meet AJ. AJ is a dear friend of mine. We met in a chatroom when we were 10 and 11, wrote letters and kept in touch for all of those years, never losing the care and love we had for each other. He lives in Baton Rouge now but his home is Shreveport, LA and he changed his schedule to be with me. Anyway, he was still 6.5 hours away. I stopped and hooped in Dallas, TX at Main Street Garden. A homeless man made me feel good by saying things like "You sure make Dallas look a whole world better," and "When God mad you...sheesh..." Haha.

Louisiana

First thing I noticed was the transition from blah Texas to lush Louisiana was glorious.

Back to AJ time...
In search of a place to hoop, AJ took me down to a place called the Boardwalk which was like an outdoor mall with casinos and fun things surrounding. It was a hot sun and a hotter humidity, but still neat to see and I got to hoop by the river and a little more before we got yelled at by a security woman who took her job much too seriously.

We went to a local seafood-diner-place called Shane's for dinner with his mom where I had fried alligator and seafood gumbo.
We then went to his friend's place and hung out with Jordan, a tall friendly man, and Courtney, a small friendly lady with the cutest Southern accent ever, and I played some piano, had some outside in the GREEN GRASS time, and watched that weird guy cross the Grand Canyon by tightrope. Fun was had and I was so thankful to finally have time face-to-face with AJ. He's just how I imagined and more. What a good life-long friend...in Louisiana...

Arkansas

I drove North and hooped at the line between Arkansas and Louisiana, then continued and hooped at the Arkansas Arts Center. The haiku I wrote stated...

Humid disgusting.
Hooped with funny-looking birds.
Bye bye Little Rock.

I realize that the only reason I've chosen Memphis for this trip is because the song "Life is a Highway" includes "from Mozambique to those Memphis nights" and I want a Memphis night. A safe one. but a fun one.

Of course I try to plan to experience local food and authentic social life, but right now I'm in officially the worst Applebee's to ever exist. West Memphis, AR. Just wanted to pee and use the free WiFi. The hostess acted like she was high and didn't understand a word I said. The bathrooms look as though they have never been fixed or cleaned since the place was built. My waiter's wack. Everybody's looking at me like I'm the opposite of them. (I'm human too, peeps!)

Anyway...Memphis is real soon and I'm going to research for my "Memphis night."

I miss Grace and Gerard and Chris.

Here I go again on my own...

I'm off to see new states, people, and things.

The plan is to get to NJ the South route, come back the North. It'll be good to hoop, spend time with friends and family, and just get the travel bug out.

Life's been busy even though it's summer. Obviously I survived the year of teaching at Catholic School and really fell in love with the mass despite some rude and non-Christian behavior of some adults involved. I continued with some of my piano students into the summer and started taking on learning some things of my own like some drumming under rhythm master Steve, more "advanced" hooping, cleaning, and languages. I need this trip for spiritual cleansing, relaxation, and adventure.

I met a great girl named Regina from Venezuela and Chris from college is living with us for summer.

I've felt really close to Grace and Gerard and feel thankful for friends. They teach me so much. This is some of Gerard's progress on the house. He never stops creating!

So here I go again...