Milwaukee

In Milwaukee, I stayed with Tess Edmonds' (Olin '11) family, who were extremely hospitable hosts. I happened to arrive in time for a delicious Dutch South-African themed dinner they were putting on for some friends.

Tess and I saw the Mummies of the World exhibition at the Milwaukee Public Museum. The highlight of the show, in my opinion was a 6,500 year old mummy from Peru called the Detmold child (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvU831kZEGg). Just think about how long ago that is!

All that said, my favorite part of my time in Milwaukee was a little walk Tess and I took in a nature preserve bordering the Milwaukee River. The first 20 feet of the trail were exceedingly muddy, which caused us to vacillate for a few moments before decide to tramp ahead barefoot, carrying our sandals. Our adventurousness was repaid with a lovely walk to the river, where we were able to properly wash our muddied sandals and rinse our feet before muddying them again. The enjoyment I took from this little escapade reminded me of the joy of things that don't cost anybody anything, and the freedom of getting your feet dirty. So many activities are energy-intensive and must be supported by huge infrastructures - like say, the electric grid or Internet - but that which is enjoyable can also be simple and free.

In Milwaukee, for the first time in my travels, it finally began to feel like summer, with temperatures peaking in the 80s. My choice of clothing to pack now seems realistic rather than hopelessly optimistic. I'm in Minneapolis now, and the train ride here was the most scenic yet. After the Empire Builder crosses the Mississippi into Minnesota, it follows the river all the way to the Twin Cities while the sun sets in the background. I expect even more from my next travel leg, which crosses North Dakota, Montana, and the Rocky Mountains.