Having lived in Los Angeles, California, for most of my life, my norms were the busy highways, the concrete high rises, the bustling urban lifestyles and the suffocating population densities. I yearned to escape my lifestyle and to search for solitude in any rural suburbia. So in 2009, I ventured into the open arms of Minnesota, taking refuge in its natural and man-made splendor, even if it was just for a short while. I became awestruck by its clear blue skies, the many wondrous lakes and lush greenery and marveled at its long stretches of walkways and city parks which were clean and near empty of urban life. I had the wide open roads all to myself. Yep, just me and my Dodge Caliber rental, along with my old reliable Garmin Nuvi guiding me from one destination to the next. There was so much profound beauty to explore. That adventure left a lasting impression, so I returned again in 2012, this time expanding my stay outward from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to the city of Rochester best known for its Mayo Clinic, up to the city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, down to Madison to see the State Capitol, over to Milwaukee, Illinois, down to Chicago, down further to St. Louis, Missouri, then circling back up into Cedar Rapids, Iowa, further up to Bemidji, North Dakota, home of Paul Bunyan, Babe and the Chippewa Indians, down and over to Duluth and finally back again to the Twin Cities. Below are some photos I elected to show which evoke the kind of yearning I forever long to have.
 |
Baby geese drinking water by a lake [Minnesota]
When I was a kid around Christmas time, there were no presents from Santa (ever) but I did get my hands on those beautiful postcards from the free catalogs mailed to our home. I would pull out or cut up those snow-capped cottages and wildlife overlooking a lake. Those memories were still buried inside until my visits to the Midwest which allowed me to recreate my childhood wish fulfillment, leaving me feeling utterly complete afterwards.
 |
Silver Lake Park [Minnesota]
I arrived to Silver Lake Park minutes before sunset. As I parked my car, I contemplated about heading back to the motel and calling it a day or making use of whatever daylight I had left and walk over to the lake. The latter decision proved worthwhile for I got to see the most spectacular sunset I had ever seen. It was like stepping back in time and into an impressionist painting, so captivating to see and yet so fleeting to hold on to knowing that at any moment then the sun would disappear and that I might never see these scenes again. Thoughts and imagery of the works of J.M.W. Turner, Vermeer, Guillaumin and Kinkade spiraled dizzily in my head as I tried frantically and desperately to snap the photos and drank up from that world as fast as I could.
|
 |
Two Harbors Breakwater Lighthouse, Duluth [Minnesota]
I spent some time strolling back and forth along that bridge leading to the light house. The water was relatively calm. There was a small seal wading nearby at one point and subsequently made its way up to the pavement only to return to the water after realizing that I was ruining its moment. A man can be seen jogging in the distance giving us a sense of scale in this scene.
|
|
 |
| A park in Minneapolis [Minnesota] |
This little bird was found sitting on a bed of wild grass, too young to fly and only a mere foot from me. As I was stepping back to examine a wildflower, I turned momentarily to look down the ground and saw two tiny eyes staring up at me. To this day, I'm still thankful that I did not accidentally step on it. This baby was such a good sport, letting me pick it up and placing it wherever long enough for me to fire off about 50 takes until its parents returned with a juicy looking caterpillar and waiting for me to get lost so they could feed their baby. Reluctantly, I placed the little one on the nearby branch where its parents immediately descended and put the wriggling caterpillar into its mouth.
 |
| Veterans Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
This deer could be seen walking casually through the city park showing no signs of intimidation even though there were people in the vicinity.
 |
| State line [Wisconsin] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It was a divine experience driving on the open road and seeing all those cumulus clouds hovering over my head. They seemed so low I could almost reach out and grab them.
 |
| A park in Minneapolis [Minnesota] |
The city parks like the one above were found all across the region. This spot would be my ideal place to kick back under that shady tree and get lost in my journal.
 |
Mansion [Illinois]
|
There were plenty of unpretentious high-end residential areas situated on various parcels of land. Each of the homes in this area were architecturally unique and built with lavishness. I felt like being at a resort except that there were no entrance fees, gates and signage to keep unwanted people like myself away.
