About

Meet Gretchen and Marissa, two Michigan State University post-grads, thrust out full force into a world where their talents have gone under the employment radar, virtually undetected, for longer than they would like to admit.

Here is Gretchen on her graduation day, with a masters of public relations:

Her most recent achievements and noteworthy accomplishments include her degrees from MSU – an accredited university, an elephant tusk dagger collection (recently appraised at well over 750 dollars) and the fastest female rollerblade mile time at Rollerama II skating rink in Brighton, Michigan.

Here is Marissa, someday around graduation. Her dad forgot batteries for the camera that day, so no documentation exists.

Taken immediately after showing her horse, ‘Pewter’, (who was crowned Grand Supreme) at the MSU Pavilion’s Winter Classic Horse Show.

Her accolades and hobbies include eating half of her body weight in grilled hot dogs at age 8 during the ‘Dog Dash’ at the Allegan County Fair, successfully turning 3 feral cats back into domestic home types, and whittling soap bars into busts of past presidents.

Nevertheless, after academia, these two found themselves at, as Bone Thugs would have it, a ‘Crossroad’.  Low on cash, Gretchen found work part time making corn husk dollies, which she sold outside of a QD convenience store, Wednesday through Saturday evenings. During the day she pondered what exactly she wanted to do with her life, while picking husks outside.

Marissa’s experience was on a similar caliber. She too graduated, and was insistent on not moving home. After a bout of frostbite from camping in the Saugatuck dunes shortly after Christmas, Marissa ultimately ended up back with her parents, in her old room which they had since converted into a gym.

Simultaniously, both girls decided there had to be something more. More to see than crumbling post industrial wasteland! More to do than channel surfing! Greener grasses between their toes! Sand and water as far as the eye could see! Tastier food! Brighter stars!

Thus, a road trip was assembled. Cities to see? Still undecided. Duration of trip? It’s anyone’s guess. Number of squabbles? That is still to be seen. Many questions, little answers. Equipped with one large green van, lots of granola, charged batteries and ample playlists, these two set out, Monday August 30th, into America’s unknown. The great U.S. of A.

Because, as an old man bypassing me in Estes Park on the Taylor Peak Trail once told me, “If you’re ambitious, you’re just at the beginning”. And these two are just that. I wouldn’t deem them to be degenerate deadbeats, I would consider them: Road Scholars

– Forward was written and soon to-be narrated in our audio section by William Shatner.