On my way!

Ah! I can't believe the day has come when I'm on my way down to Colorado Springs! The few days before I left went way too quickly, and I was definitely hit with the sense that I was going to miss Minnesota. I can't wait to experience these next four months and I wouldn't trade this opportunity for staying in Minnesota, but there are plenty of reasons why I love home and will miss the many people that make it so wonderful!

I'm driving out to Colorado with my co-intern, Aaron Nawrot. He's an architecture graduate from Philadelphia University, but calls Buffalo, NY, home. Most of our other co-interns are getting to the Springs today or tomorrow, but we're road-tripping for a little R&R and adventure before we start at EMI. So, Aaron got to experience Minnesota on Sunday and Monday, then yesterday we headed out to where we are now, Rapid City.Oh yeah, and we're cruisin' in a convertible. Awesome.

enjoying the wind before the storms rolled in. good thing driving in Southern MN gives you ample warning when rain is ahead!

In Rapid City we are actually staying in the Black Hills--in a home completely off the grid (and no cell phone reception)! A friend of ours, Dave Greenlund, connected us with his friend, Jeff, who lives in this place in the Hills. It's built into the ground with a living roof, solar powered water systems and electricity systems! It's pretty sweet. And it's SO QUIET and beautiful there. Here's a picture, but check out my flickr link for more:

Jeff's a handy guy, but his craft is concrete work, so the walls are a concrete-type mix with logs and old glass bottles, and then there is a saw-dust-filled cavity in the middle for insulation. 

We are heading to Mount Rushmore today, then we'll probably hang out in God's beautiful creation more--swimming in the lake nearby or playing banana grams outside the house before it gets dark. Since there isn't much electricity out there, it gets very dark very fast!

Tomorrow we are heading to Laramie, WY, to visit Aaron's friend, and then we will stay with my friend, Dave, in Boulder, CO. We should arrive in Colorado Springs on Friday!