Peanut butter and peach butter sandwiches.

This summer, before I left Ohio, my mom and I took on the arduous task of making and canning around 20 pints of peach butter. Peach butter is a lot like peach jam or jelly, but better. It is an old recipe handed down from my mother's mother's mother. The entire process takes an entire day, but you end up with the most beautiful golden-brown preserves on Earth when you're done.
I recently moved from Canton, Ohio to Corvallis Oregon to pursue graduate school. I didn't bring a lot of things with me... just a chair, some clothing, and my snowboard... and a jar of peach butter.

When I originally imagined myself driving across the country, I envisioned a trip much like that of Hunter S. Thompson or Jack Kerouac novels (minus the heavy drug use and fornication). I envisioned a solo trip fueled by Red Bull, coffee, and my iPod.
Then, I talked to my mom. I knew I needed and wanted a travel companion. I knew she wanted to go. I knew I would enjoy her company. I knew we would share a million new memories before I left her and moved across the country. So, my mom and I drove over 3,000 miles from Canton, Ohio to the Pacific Ocean. We had the best time. I love my mom.


Day 1: Canton, Ohio - Newton, Iowa
11.5 hours of driving.

This was bad. The last time I drove almost 12 hours, I ended up at the Atlantic Ocean. This time, we were in the middle of corn fields. I have never seen that much corn in all of my life. And I'm from Ohio. We stopped somewhere in Indiana and had a peanut butter and peach butter sandwich for lunch.


Note: If you ever plan on driving due west at sunset, wear the darkest sunglasses possible.


Day 2: Newton, Iowa - Chamberlain, South Dakota
8 hours of driving.

We decided to drive north out of Des Moines in order to see part of Minnesota. We had a peanut butter and peach butter sandwich in Blue Earth, MN for lunch. Chamberlain is an old western town situated on the Missouri River. I loved it.


Day 3: Chamberlain, South Dakota - Sheridan, Wyoming
8.5 hours of driving.

Due to the time change, we were wide awake at 7am. The sunrise in South Dakota was the most beautiful I have ever seen. We drove through the Badlands and Black Hills and had a peanut butter and peach butter sandwich at the Crazy Horse Monument.


Day 4: Sheridan, Wyoming - Idaho Falls, Idaho.
8 hours of driving.
YELLOWSTONE! Bison! It was so wonderful. We had a peanut butter and peach butter sandwich at Yellowstone Lake. Unfortunately, we didn't spend a lot of time in Yellowstone, but someday I hope to return. Idaho Falls was terrible.

Day 5: Idaho Falls - Burns, Oregon
This was, by far, the most boring day of travel. Idaho is boring. The eastern part of Oregon is boring. In order to break up the boredom, we stopped at a Subway for lunch.
It was the county fair in Burns the night we arrived. After dinner at the Meat Hook Restaurant, we saw all of the prize-winning farm animals. My favorite were the sheep.

Day 6: Burns, Oregon - Corvallis, Oregon.
5 hours of driving.
Our final leg of the trip was extremely exciting and overwhelming. I was having such an amazing time driving and discovering new places, but was extremely excited to arrive in my new city and settle down, too.
There is nothing much to look at until you arrive in Bend. The landscape changes dramatically from large, flat deserts to snow-covered mountains.
As you can tell from the map, I'm not too far (only 1 hour) from Newport. On Day 7, we took the drive out and stuck our feet in the Pacific. It was freezing, windy, and spitting rain. We had a peanut butter and peach butter sandwich for lunch at Beverly Beach.

I really like it here.

I have been in Corvallis, Oregon for about a week now. I really like it here.

It has been a difficult transition, but not as difficult as living in China. It's nice that people speak English in Oregon. It's nice that grocery stores have bread here. It's nice that I can pick up my cell phone and call my friends and family here. I made the mistake of comparing this move to my move to China. That was a dumb idea. They are nothing alike.
I live with a really awesome married couple and their two dogs, Jackson and Felicity. Last night was the first time I met other graduate students. Everyone is so interesting and interested in the world around them. It's refreshing to hear such passion.
Oddly enough, there are 3 other students from Ohio.

I am so excited about my future here.