The Island Awaits You

Sunday was my last day at Plain Congregational Church. I did lunch with the associate pastor Jon and his wife Kara. Usually, every Thursday I meet Jon at Panera and banter over a cup of coffee. Kara cuts my hair, so I see them both quite a bit. Later that night was my last weekly appearance with FCGS (Fellowship of Christian Graduate Students). Only about eight or nine people were there; the other seven or so were out of town, so I didn’t get to see them. This is a group I’ve been in for the past year, but I didn’t know about it my first year here.

Satisfied with my farewells, I proceeded to clean house a little more. If I actually cleaned house as much as I blog about it, I’d be done by now. In the meantime, I also (finally) started composing again… but there’s not much occasion for that until I move.

Monday was spent at Kelley’s Island. Last summer, I went to Put-In Bay with Tammy Griffin, Sarah Farmer, and Josh Kalichman. This summer it was just the K-man and me, and we decided to go to the Kelley’s Island instead, which neighbors Put-In Bay. It’s larger, but less commercial. Think of it as Site B, Isla Sorna.

iLove my iPod. As soon as the ferry began its voyage from the mainland, I started The Medallion Calls from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The K-Man and I were standing on the top level, looking out at sea to the island ahead. It was almost a transcendental experience. Moments later, we realized we were actually facing the stern, and the ferry was turning around. We immediately went down the stairs and around to the front, just as the music reflected the part where Captain Jack Sparrow, too, realized that things were going wrong and jumped down to the deck to hurl buckets of water out of the boat. It was unexpectedly perfect.

Put-In Bay, Kelley’s Island, and Cedar Point are all within eyesight of each other. Having been to all three, it was especially interesting for me. I could see the other two sites from a very new angle, and realize I’ve fully experienced the entire area. It’s like in the Final Fantasy games, when you’re nearing the end of the story, and you are just about done with the entire world map. You come full circle to the beginning, or something. You see how everything fits together geographically closely, yet chronologically far apart.

Anyway, we were on the island from 2:00 to 10:30 P.M. There was a surprising amount of things to see there, if you’re into exploring. We are. I’d rather go on a hike with the sole purpose of knowing what’s out there than spend all day in shops, shows, restaurants, etc. We explored most of the eastern half of the island on foot, then rented a golf cart for a few hours. If we hadn’t, it would have simply been impossible to see everything.

We took a crapload of scenic pictures. While Put-In Bay has a giant tower atop which you have in incredible view, Kelley’s Island has a ginormous old limestone quarry. That was one of the coolest parts: a vast stretch of rocky wasteland, when the K-man and I were the only living beings in sight. While crossing the eerily quiet terrain, a Nazgul on its winged mount flew by. We hid in a bush until it left.

There were a few other cinematic moments, such as when we were in the wooded hiking trails. Josh thought it would be a good idea to leave the beaten trail of the labyrinth and climb over a steep hill to see if we could find the north shore. When we got to the top, the woods were thicker, but we kept going. I said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” and then we realized we were walking through what can only be described as a snail graveyard.

The whole time we were using a map the K-Man printed from the internet. It was oversimplified, and somewhat cryptic. It looks like one of those maps in the strategy guide to Final Fantasy X, when you look at it and can’t figure it out, then get pissed off that you bought a strategy guide that has crappy maps. We rubbed the map in some dirt and crumpled it up, giving it that rustic look. Then we frayed the edges and drew in a few Xs for treasure.

Between Put-In Bay and Kelley’s Island, I would have to say Kelley’s was more fun. Put-In Bay is great if you want to minimize your exploration and adventure, and just want a commercial and historical look at the islands. You can go up the memorial tower, and spend most of the evening immersed in a Jimmy Buffett culture. But Kelley’s Island has a lot more interesting houses to see, and a lot more nooks and crannies to discover. Somehow, the K-Man and I discovered all of them… I guess we were time-efficient. If you ever do go to either of the main islands, don’t be too shy to shell out the extra rupees for a golf cart—it’s worth it.

I am certainly going to miss being close to a large body of water. Home is where the heart is, but it’s too… landlocked.