Muir was a good student and a creative thinker. By the time he was in his early 20s, he had won prizes at the state fair for some of his inventions. One of his more unusual creations, for example, was a device that would tip him out of bed each day. Before he finished college, Muir had the urge to travel. He left school to wander through the northern United States and Canada, and he made money along the way
by working at odd jobs.