There are some mornings on the trip where I am all alone and have to hit the road. These are times when my hosts are already off to school or work when I wake up and I don’t get to say a proper goodbye. And even after having to say goodbye to hundreds of great new people, I still like my long goodbyes. The latest of these situations was leaving Bellbrook, OH today. …

The milestones are coming. I remember how big of a deal it was when I made it to Washington, the 10th state. It was also where I first saw the ocean on the trip and was an amazing feeling as I stood at Long Beach, WA and sucked in that fresh ocean air. That was a long time ago. Tonight I will be in Indiana, the 48th state of the trip. …

About time! At the beginning of this trip I wrote up a list of things I hoped to do in the coming year. A lot of them I knew were ridiculous things that probably wouldn’t happen (such as going on a date with a super model), but I had to at least entertain the idea. Well one thing on the list that I had never done was ride a horse. It’s something everyone needs to do. …

The match is 3-3. Jim and I played six games and were split even. We each won a game of cricket, 201, and 301. We needed a tiebreaker. I said first person to hit a 20 can choose what game for the tiebreaker. He missed, I hit. My game of choice: 301. Well I don’t play darts often, in fact hardly at all. I was getting smoked. Jim was within just a few points of zero and I was at a massive 82. …

It’s official, I have gained too much weight. Not only did I feel slow and lethargic while skateboarding, I actually snapped my skateboard! It didn’t take too much to snap it either (it was just a simple fakie kickflip), the only reason could be the weight. That was a little disappointing. But I’ve lost my skateboard game, I can’t do what I used to. Anyways, rather break a skate deck than an ankle. …

I got a late start leaving Columbus this afternoon. Slept in late, watched a movie, ordered pizza, filled up my tank, and visited. Finally, along the road I went, making my way west once again and driving into more sunsets. I’m surrounded by fields of corn and it feels like the beginning of the trip, but it’s the end. Strange! Bellbrook, OH is my latest stop of the trip, a town of about 7,000 people just outside of Dayton. …

I can’t believe it. Am I really in Ohio? If I wanted to I could be back to East Lansing in just four hours. I simply got used to being at least a thousand miles away from home. Ohio just seems to be so blandly American. Don’t take it in a negative way, but aside from sports Ohio is somewhat featureless. At least I’ve always had that opinion. Please don’t be offended; it’s clearly not my fault that I think that. …

Ferris wheel. Stuffed animals. Real animals likes cows, pigs, sheep, and rabbits. Elephant ears. Petting zoo. Games that are impossible to win. The heat of summer. Gravitron. And of course there was Grizzly, the 1100 pound big. The list goes on and on, and there is only one place you can find all of these together, the famous state fairs. Today I made it to the Ohio State Fair, great timing to be in Columbus for a couple days. …

Depending how you count it, Ryan and Graceson make the 100th household of the trip! Congratulations boys. This comes during the week of the 11-month mark since leaving home. Indeed, it has been a long time. Ryan and Graceson have been great hosts. They were very considerate of my interests, made some great bacon and eggs, and have possibly become honorary members of my entourage, since we did watch episode after episode of Entourage (the HBO series). …

So I went to Blue Hole, some people call it Green Hole or Brown Hole. Last week Christian was naming his Webkins when he was adopting them online, he names them things like Pink Nose for the little kitten, Black Nose for the black lab, and the list goes on. Well now I’ve stopped into a couple places here in Morgantown including a café called the Blue Moose and a restaurant called the Black Bear (both of which are fantastic local places, be sure to stop in if you’re in the area). …