Wilmette Harbor | The Island north of Chicago.

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There is not a day that goes by here that I am thankful for the decisions that I have made in the past year. I am serious. I miss so many things back home that I could probably write for days about it in a post but as far as the things that I am experiencing and seeing right now in the present time I LOVE. 

It was bright and sunny here on Sunday and I worked all morning long on design stuff. I was very successful in solving a problem I was facing with a certain project and then decided to cook some paper in the oven to age it for a advance type book I am making and that turned out pretty saweet as well so needless to say I was feeling good before I even decided to sit on my bike and "go for a ride". I have started to look at the map now, every time I venture off on my bike. I look for new areas of Chicago and the surrounding areas that I have yet to see or explore. This time I sought out parks and forest stuff along a river. At last!!, there it was a bike route that went right along a river called "North Shore Channel Trail" This trail traveled north along the Chicago River. Along the way you go through like 5 different parks in what is called "The Park District" It was pretty saweeeet. One park was called sculpture park and through out the park there were all kinds of different sculptures just strung along the area. Some were really cool and some were really dumb haha I guess not all art is awesome haha.

So anyways I just kept on going north until I ended up in the Wilmette Harbor. If you live in the Chicago area make it a point to travel to this spot. It was seriously one of the most beautiful things I have been to since I have moved here. It was a little chilly ( this still boggles my mind by the way ... we are well into summer time and it is like 50 outside ) but man it was soooo worth it. The bike ride ended up being about 15 miles there and 15 back but man I would do it again in a heart beat. Seagulls everywhere and just a beautiful area. I have overheard people talking junk about Wilmette before but I dont understand how with things like that in the area haha. Maybe they are talking about the really weird building / church thing that is up there. Seriously there was a cult looking building just hanging out all by its self. That was a little strange but oh well it didn't get in the way of enjoyment haha.

I sat on the rock in the harbor and watched the sun set in the distance. It was so nice to just be away from everything and just sitting and watching nature and the environment do its thing! Its strange because it was really satisfying to be all alone out there. These rocks went wayyyy out into the ocean and it kinda made you feel like you were out in the ocean just hanging out. It made me think about sailing and just cruising the oceans. I doubt I will ever really do something like that but man it would be a fun adventure thats for sure. After hanging out for a bit I realized that I had been to this beach before but the last time I was there it look completely different. The last time I was there the beaches were COVERED in ICE!! like cliffs of ice that you could walk on. Plus I was there at night last time. Regardless it was awesome to see it now looking sunny and awesome!

After hanging for a bit and waiting for the sun to disappear I started the ride back home. I traveled through lincoin park on the way back and through all the other "city areas" on my way back and it was just such a strange thing to go from exposure to nature at its finest to city life in like an hours time. Overall the TRIP was AMAZING! and you can check out some of the stuff I saw in the pictures above! This bike ride really got me pumped up for my summer travel plans. I will be getting on train and going from Chicago to RIverside California and hanging out with my best friends in TFDS and then flying to Columbia for a couple days to get my motorcycle all updated and running good. Then driving that bad boy back to Chciago. Excited about everything going on right now and you should be as well. Make Life what you want it to be. REALLY!! to many people say they want certain things but forfeit that idea when they decide it is not reachable. EVERYTHING is reachable! you may have to work hard to get it but none the less it is possible to get what you want out of life! WORK HARD for it! and make your self happy! give yourself what you deserve! 

Brandon

The stand off with the deer on the Des Plaines trail.

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Sooo lately I have really been in a thoughtful mood and have been really thinking about what direction I wanna go in my life, better yet what I want out of my life in general.

So I decided that I should probably take a day to ride my bike a rediciously long distance and give myself time to think. Here in Chicago there are a ton of bike trails and I decided to check out the "Des Plaines" trail. It is west in the Oak Park area(beautiful area with Frank Loyd Wright houses and etc, check out one of my earlier post about that) so I got on my bike and just started going!

I ended up at a nature preserve where the trail was. I then found out that the trail was not paved :/ but I was determined to go on it anyways considering I have a road bike and not a mountain bike. I was suprised to find out that the trail moves along the edge of a river! I followed it way north and ended up near the Ohare airport! A bit of a distance from where I started.

I sat down to rest near the end of my travel and as I sat there a deer just casually walked up to me from behind. He had came from the woods and was just looking for a snack I assume. He snifted me and looked at me and all the while I am siting here in fear and astonishment.!

Growing up I use to go hunting with my father and would watch men shoot deer left and right and I would even ask to gut the deer at times. (some of the best times hanging with my dad in my life) So for me to see this animal just walk up to me not afraid of anything and just hanging out was a very sureal thing, but soo refreshing to be a part of!

I guess what I am trying to say is that the bike ride was a success and I have a clear idea as of right now on what I wanna do next in my life and well I guess I am going to work towards it I ended up riding 30 plus miles that day and it was so worth it.

Get a bike, ride your bike, love your life.

The Most Beautiful Bike Ride.

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Sooo, I have pretty much been non stop for the past two weeks. Just got done with this first quarter offically and it feels so good and rewarding. School here is way tough, the teachers are amazing and really pushing me to produce my best work! I think it is working. Also living in this city and be creative has started to give me a new perspective on life altogether!

I have been thinking about my career path alot latley and being a professor is starting to sound like something I may wanna do one day. But we will see where the world takes me from here.

I decided since I was done with school I needed to go be active for once and not sit in front of a computer. I got my bike an started riding! I prob rode about 7 miles or more, but found some amazing stuff along the way! Chicago is pretty bike friendly and they have all kinds of awesome "trails" that you can ride on here along the lake and inner city areas! So I stumbled across this and just rode it down south and it was beautiful! Attached to this post are some photos I toke along the way! I hope you are all doing great!

Rock the boat.
Brandon

p.s look for more post coming soon, I have been doing so much stuff and not had to time to update this so I think I am going to play catch upu along my break!. Keep checking back.