Jim Travels The World

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13 Things to Know About Hawai'i

11/19/2015

1.Shaka is a real thing, bruh 2.The Hawaiian people have an unabashed love of crazy-long words and apostrophes. Sometimes, apostrophes at the beginning of a word. What's it doing there at the beginning? I have no idea. Hawaiian spelling bees are cutthroat affairs 3.Disproportionate number of blonde people (*Not pictured, because I didn't want to be a creeper. Just take my word for it.) 4.While LOST tours aren't really a thing anymore, we found a few filming locations (the show was filmed almost entirely on Oahu) Byodo-In Temple, Kahaluu. Where Jin and Sun were married. #LostNerdgasm 5.Fire twirling is serious business 6.There is a bit of hang-loose island time, but it's still 'Murrica, so not quite as island timey as some places. 7.You hear a lot of passive-aggressive comments about haoles (Caucasian foreigners) and there's a subtle undercurrent of resistance against tourism and white invasion. Homemad

8 More Things to Know About Michigan

9/10/2015

Continuing my hard-hitting journalism series of Michigan travel listicles, I recently travelled back to the mitten to gain new knowledge. Having fully immersed myself in Michiganity for 9 straight days, I'm prepared to announce that I have learned all there is to know about it, and I now present to you, 8 more things to know about Michigan: Lots of different meals come in casserole form Nothing but humongous trees exist between towns. In Michigan, if it's not towns, it's trees. Or, sometimes, it's lakes. Everyone tailgates - merging is high stakes and everyone is out to kill you. Excessive morning dew means people don't do much lawn watering DO NOT crush cans before recycling them You're just as likely to encounter a Packers fan as a Lions fan Doesn't matter if you know the difference between effect and affect . If you don't have any friends, buy a cottage at the lake

Northern California is the best California, Part 2

6/04/2014

Catch up on the first part of the adventure here . 5.21.14 Drive through windy roads for what feels like forever, stuck behind a houseboat clogging the road. Beautiful views of green valleys and peaks, but taking twisty turns on tiny mountain roads behind A FRIGGIN HOUSEBOAT is kinda stressful. Finally made it through dirty and disappointing Eureka (the tv show grossly lied to us) to coastal redwoods and beaches. Drive to Kalamath cliff overlook at crashing waves against rock. it's just like that scene in that one movie. You know the one I'm talking about. Then drive to ladybird Johnson meadow, a forest walk though a bunch of redwoods. The late afternoon light is perfect. you didn't believe me. I'm hurt. Saw a bear sprint across the road, first non-human non-deer animal we've seen. Bummer that I've never witnessed a bear in Colorado, but have seen them every time I come to California. Where y'at, bears? 5.22.14 Continenta

Northern California is the best California, Part 1

6/02/2014

5.17.14 We're off on vacation! No kitty, you can't go. No kitty, that's a bad kitty. We arrive in Reno, the littlest big city in America. Wait, that's not right. Biggest little city? I dunno, neither way makes much sense. Anyway, we're just here to get the rental car to drive to Lake Tahoe. As Reno fades and we drive into California, the surroundings look just like any Colorado mountain town. Feels like home. 5.18.14 Hanging out with Lisa's cousin's family at the lake house, bumming around Tahoe. Great views, and we take a small hike down to the lake. 5.19.14 Drive across the middle of California to get to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Since it's still pre-Memorial Day, we're not sure how much of the park is going to be open. That's just the price you pay to avoid the summer crowds. I much prefer early and late season... always-crowded places like Yosemite and Grand Canyon almost don't feel like national

8 Things I learned about Taos

11/13/2013

Builders in New Mexico use adobe like it grows on trees. The eye of Sauron watches over this window grate If the blue meth made its way up from Albuquerque, it's not in Taos. At least not in any of the convenience stores I went into. Everything here is "historic," which is code for janky. I took a historic poop, because I'm a patriot The skies are cloudless and gigantic Lake Williams, near Taos Valley Ski Area On every street corner is a coffee shop, and each is filled with anti-Monsanto bumper stickers and quinoa no-bake cookies The ratio of people to dogs rivals Telluride, the most doggiest city in America* At least thrice per day, a fire truck or ambulance went screaming down the street. Taos is a tiny little tourist town, I can't imagine what all the fuss is about. Rest

11 Things I Learned About Michigan

9/03/2013

Faygo is a real thing, and not just Juggalos drink it. Dee licious Most houses in neighborhoods have no fences around them. It's like some giant urban planner took a handful of dwellings and tossed them across a field. Also, many of these houses have plastic mailboxes with front and back hatches. Because who has time to walk all the way around to the front of a mailbox? This is America . I want my mail now . These neighborhoods do not have sidewalks The Michigan definition of "condo" is different than the rest of the civilized world. Apparently, a one story house is a condo. The lakes up north have real beaches. I had to see to believe And on these lakes, there are some wicked awesome sunsets Also there are boats and fishermen and stuff. In Grand Haven, there's a surf shop called the Wet Mitten (I know, right?), so apparently people surf on these lakes. I did not witness this. Around the lakes, there's 99% humidity,

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