Unforgettable experiences
It's been almost three months since I left Alaska and my entire summer has been spent in and around South Dakota. Every weekend I have done something different and experienced something new, whether it's understanding that the Mall of America parking is ridiculous on Saturdays or finding out correct AP-style on court stories.
Overall, I've come to realize that change is good. It has been an unforgettable summer that rivals my best ones from the past.
My daily work schedule has been laid-back. I've written a by-line story each week and filled the rest of the time touring radio or television stations, learning how to rewrite better leads (a work in progress as you can tell) and compressing stories spanning football to the Corn Palace sign controversy.
St. Cloud, Minn. has proven to be the starting point for each weekend throughout my internship at the AP. I know the road there from Sioux Falls, S.D. very well. Actually, I can probably drive it with my eyes closed - may have a couple times during the late trips.
I went to Des Moines, Iowa, again, to watch a concert (with a friend) and go to the Iowa State Fair. In Minneapolis, Minn. (with a friend) and was able to check out a Twins game, wander the Mall of America and walk around downtown - more than once.
Before starting my internship, I road-tripped all the way to Missoula, Mont. with the Dev-man. The trip took us all the way across South Dakota and through a portion of Wyoming before entering Montana.
I plan to do the trip solo in a week before school starts. By the way, I'm a new student at the University of South Dakota.
Looking at some the numbers, I've been to six new states this summer; went through too many cities to count, but stopped or stayed in more than 20 that I remember distinctly; watched four baseball games; attended a protest; wrote six stories about the West Nile Virus; watched two concerts; seen eight thunderstorms; logged more than five thousand miles on my new-old car - which I've only had since the beginning of July; driven on 12 (?) interstates; spent thousands of dollars; taken hundreds of pictures; seen seven tigers (sticks out I know); and been to a butterfly (buf-fly) house.
The list seems to be endless, but those are some of the things I've done that come to mind. The only thing it seems I didn't do is wander around the adopted town I've been living in. Sioux Falls has been "home" for nearly two months, but I have yet to investigate the area thoroughly.
It doesn't stop here, though. I don't go home (to Alaska) until Nov. 21. I'm not going alone either, which is kind of the story of the summer. I've made so many new friends on this trip, I feel bad for the ones in Alaska. Do you think they will remember me?
From this summer, I can offer this advice: Don't even attempt to plan for the unexpected; it will work out anyways, probably for the better.