Eastward Bound: Day 5

On my fifth day of driving east, I woke up in Ohio.

The road is surrounded by trees.

I woke up almost as tired as I fell asleep. The constant driving was starting to get to me. I threw my stuff in my car and got driving. I had plans to meet a couple friends from the Kent State student affairs grad program.

I made it to Kent, Ohio on time to get lunch with my friend Lauren. We are both alums of the ACUHO-I STARS program – an annual program for undergraduates interested in going into Student Affairs. We ate at a restaurant called Wild Goats Café. It was absolutely fantastic. I got a hummus wrap, and the hummus tasted like garbanzo beans, and it made me feel better about the homemade hummus that I have made in the past.

After lunch with Lauren, I went to Starbucks and waited for Michelle, who I met at ACPA through Lauren. This Starbucks was super cool. It was two stories and it was in what seemed like it was an old house that (Michelle said) had been a local coffee shop for awhile). It was really good to see some people I know. This is part of what I love about Student Affairs – I can go almost anywhere in the country and I know someone near there.

New York state border!

From Ohio I pressed on. My driving this day was very goal-oriented. I was at the point of tiredness where I just wanted to arrive already. Not that I was not still enjoying myself – I was. But I was also exhausted. I made it into New York and stopped at a rest stop to get food and call my buddy Austin, who I knew from my LifeGroup in Stillwater. He lives in Rochester, which I was passing close to. We made plans to get ice cream and chat around 10.

I ate a burrito from a place called Moe’s. It was a very delicious vegetarian burrito. It was refreshing to know that I can enjoy things that do not have meat in them. And to know that there is a decent burrito place on the East Coast.

Austin and his ice cream

New York has lots of trees. Lots and lots of trees. With corn in super random places. I drove into Rochester, got slightly lost looking for a gas station with a restroom, then found Austin’s place. I chatted with his family for awhile, then we went to get ice cream at a place called Friendly’s. In his typical ridiculous style, he got a huge ice cream sundae type thing, with a number of different flavors that did not seem to mix. I got a Fribble, which was essentially a milkshake.

After taking him back, I kept making the wrong turn to get out of his neighborhood. I felt really awkward driving in circles for awhile. Then I figured out my way out. I followed my phones directions to the nearest Motel 6. It was just off a highway, but still a bit in the middle of nowhere. By far, this was the most ambivalent I have been about a Motel 6. It seemed like it was in a bad neighborhood, but I needed the sleep. I took all the valuables from my car into my room and fell asleep faster than I had in days.