Ketchum, Idaho 8/11/09- 8/14/09

I arrived in Twin Falls, Idaho at 6:00 a.m. this flight will cost $484. I then took a taxi from Twin Falls to Ketchum. This cost me $40. I will be staying at the Clarion Inn. It cost $240 for three nights and is within walking distance of many of the place I want to visit. For food I am going to get eat at the local McDonald's for about 6 dollars per meal.
8/11/09
My first activity is visiting the Ernest Hemingway Memorial where a large sculpted head sits with engraved writings. It is a rainy day and it sets a somber tone for the day. It is hard for me to enjoy this place because I had just been around the world celebrating all of Ernest Hemingway's life and its joyous occasions. Although since having explored one extreme of Hemingway's life, why not explore the other. Hemingway had a troubled end which led to him committing suicide. He survived plane crashes, big game hunting, and a lifestyle of rebellious partying. Perhaps the only thing that was strong enough to kill Hemingway was himself.
8/12/09
In my second day in Ketchum I visited Sawtooth National Forest. Hemingway loved the outdoors and did all of his life. He enjoyed hunting and fishing and any competitive match. At this forest there was much vegetation and wildlife. It inspired me to think about Hemingway throughout his life and all of the crazy things that happened to such an extraordinary man.
8/13/09
My final stop before heading home was to Ernest Hemingway's grave site. This is also five minutes from the hotel. This grave site represents the death of one of the greatest American writers of all time, as well as the end of my trip. I was exhausted from the many travels I had taken in the last month and was ready to head home to sleep in my own bed. As my reflection shone back at me through the polished rock of Hemingway's gravestone. It helped me reflect on what I had really learned. All I came to find was that Ernest Hemingway was a nearly average sized man who had more impact on the world than one thousand men combined. All the places I had went to Ernest Hemingway left footprints the size of the Grand Canyon, not just on the places, but on the people and culture as well. Every place had a memorial to commemorate his life accomplishments or to acknowledge his feats in life. All the man did was fish, hunt, drink, and write stories, and yet he still left a trail across the entire planet that all I could do was follow. Even 100 years after his death we still read his stories and talk about his life like it was yesterday. Ernest Hemingway was a remarkable man in every sense of the word.