In the summer of 2018, three adventurous young men take a trip through the East and Mid-West in an attempt to find freedom from their military academy.
June 10th:
A quick drive down to Boone, NC and some swimming and cliff jumping made for a great first day.

Jake just had to bring out the USNA flag for the pics. Looking back, I'm happy he did.

Admiring the views after a nice hike to the falls.

June 11th:
The infamous day that Andre crashed Martha the Minivan. But no fret, we were able to repair her back to her former glory with a few zipties.

Another example to say that you don't need to stop the car to capture a view in the moment. This was taken when Andre was driving quickly down the road and minutes before he tore the front bumper off.

Sneaking out under the stars is crucial when camping in a dark area. We were spooked by any sound we encountered but happy we ventured out into the unknown.

July  12th:
We reached St. Louis in good time and explored the city, not realizing that we were checking a new national park off of our lists. This is where the street photography began.

The iconic Gateway Arch

Some experimentation with contrast under the arch in the visitor center.

A family enjoyed the views from the top.

Some enjoyed the nice weather in the fountain in front of the Capital building.

Just below the Arch, there is a giant stairway. These girls were running ahead of their mothers when I snapped this.

We also did some exploring of abandoned facilities.

If you didn't pose like a dog in front of this statue then did you really visit St. Louis?

July 13th
We took our talents to Chicago in a long morning drive and arrived in mid-afternoon for a tour from Jake's old friend Rob.

This is where I was criticized for my street photography the most, but the art exhibits were just too interesting not to document.

The Bean. A must visit.

This mirrored under-bridge combined with the afternoon light provided for an incredible scene.

In the evening, we took a metro ride to watch the White Sox.

Tickets were incredibly cheap because the White Sox were not good.

Rob carried a lot of swag with him.

July 14th:
We capped the trip off with the long drive back to Arlington. We cut through West Virginia to do so and got one last good look at the stars.

The light streak at the bottom was a boat passing in the night.

And just as quickly as the trip began, it was over as the boys had to return back home to prepare for the rest of their summer trainings. Shipping across the country to experience the Navy in other ways, their journey was not soon forgotten.

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