one hundred

In all the hubbub of the TRECC, last week’s conference, my exploration of the NC Triangle, and the close of the semester, one Road Trip milestone was brushed past rather unnoticed.

I recently explored College campus #100! The gloriously-titled Slippery Rock University, no less! And in just under 8 months of Exploring College Ministry.

[I later realized I had left a campus out – The University of Louisiana at Monroe! Bummer! AND THEN after the trip was all finished, I realized I’d also forgotten to add New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary – which came even earlier than ULM. So that kinda throws everything off count-wise… I’ve added those in below, without changing the numbers here. I’ll change the numbers on the official Itinerary, though.]

In case you’re curious, here is the list to 100, complete with my top-of-mind recollections. No pictures, no web sites – just what I remember right off the bat. It’s mostly pretty random stuff. Many of these quick-thoughts will make sense to everybody, but others may only mean somethin’ to those familiar with the campus. But I figure that’s okay – more fun for those in the know.

The first 48 recollections below were copied (with a few edits) from a post last semester, and it’s encouraging that I’ve already surpassed that campus total this semester…

The trip to Chicago

• Evangel College. (Campus number one. Took a nap.)

New Student Orientations & further Chicagoland exploration

• Trinity International University / Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Gotta love a school named TEDS.)
• Wheaton College (Hangin’ in the Stupe. Lots.)
• Moody Bible Institute (That big plaza is pretty cool in the middle of busy Chicago.)
• North Park University (It’s quite Swedish, you know.)
• Judson College University (Campus flood, plus a name-change. With fireworks.)

trecc #9: one last hour

Sure, I had options.

I could have driven straight through, from Portland to North Carolina, and arrived in a few days, easy.

I could have left Portland earlier, giving myself a couple of weeks or more to explore and drive a little bit each day.

I could even have flown, buying a ticket from PDX to Raleigh (and back), then moving on from there to whatever my next adventure proved to be.

Instead, I took a TRECC. I drove 3400 miles in my trip across the country, through 14 states, on 12 campuses, with 14 ministry “explorations” in those 8 days. Plus 9 blogs in this lil’ Blog Event, which actually take a lot more time to prep than you might guess. [If you’re new, click here to see what this TRECC thing is.]

This Terribly Random Excursion Cross-Country finally ended at 9:20am this morning – just in time, 10 minutes before the close of registration and the start of the College Metro conference. (I was aimin’ for 9am, but I knew there was that built-in “registration” buffer. Hooray for buffers on year-long road trips…)

After stopping for sleep & shower (both of which were FANTASTIC) just north of the Virginia/North Carolina border last night, I

trecc #8: opportunity cost

This last big TRECC stretch represents yet another common type of day during this year-long road trip. See if you can guess what it might be, just by reading the setup.

[New? You’re coming in on the very end of the very unique portion of a very unique trip. You can catch up on the TRECC (Terribly Random Excursion Cross-Country) right here.]

I ended up in Grove City, Pennsylvania, last night (Monday night), sleeping in my car for the second night in a row. Only this time there were some particular “outside disturbances,” so what was already going to be a short night’s sleep ended up being even shorter – with lots of wake-ups throughout the half-night. So I got perhaps 4 hours of true sleep – and even that was car-sleep, not bed-sleep.

The night before (Sunday night), as you may remember, I had the itch to drive for a while. So that ended up being a short night’s sleep, too – about 5 hours or so. None of this would have been a problem back in college, mind you. But nowadays, my body doesn’t handle sleep-lack nearly as well.

At 9am, I went a’searching for someplace to brush my teeth, etc., having been told chapel started at 9:30. Only before I found a bathroom, I found out chapel was already underway.

So there I sat, around 9:15am in the chapel of Grove City College, feeling about as disgusting as possible. Dirty mouth, dirty clothes, absolutely exhausted, and several states and hundreds of miles between me and my goal. This is the dark side of any road trip, that’s for sure!

And all this “misery” set up a particular kind of day

trecc #7: full circle sabbath

Today was a Sabbath.

Yes, I’m still TRECCing across the U.S. – through 5 states today, in fact. I even got to wander Notre Dame’s campus, which is obviously a treat. One more day of the TRECC to go.

But like I’ve tried to do most weeks of this trip, I chose to take today “off,” to have a Sabbath instead of my usual super-busy day.

Some of you may be thinking, “How do you really relax and ‘take the day off’ when you’re driving?” But you might be surprised – there are plenty of ways to take-it-easier-than-usual when I’m on the road.

Others of you may be thinking, “Isn’t every day on the road a do-nothing sort of today?” You, too, might be surprised. I’m pretty good at staying busy, even when interstating.

Sabbath has always been about trusting God, right? It’s trusting Him enough to rest my body AND mind (which I need), even though there are a million other things I could be doing. And on this ridiculously “unbalanced,” extreme trip I’m on this year, I’ve come to appreciate a Sabbath all the more – even though I have to force myself to really stick with the relaxing, each and every time.

So in keeping with that theme, this post is short. While I could certainly write at length, I’ve got to take the day semi-off here, too.

But one note, before I close.

I was startled by how significant it was, personally, to drive back through Chicago today. As my first – and longest – stop on this trip, that city means a bunch to me. To see that skyline – and even to see the specific locations I had saved on my GPS pop back up… this really made me happy. What an amazing trip I’ve had! (And I feel like I’m so much BETTER at it than I was back then!)

But something else brought me full-circle, too.

Just a moment ago, I wandered the campus at a little school called Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. I will attend Chapel here in the morning, then move on to North Carolina.

I’ve been on this campus before, though – during a winter weekend in 1998. I visited Grove City with my dad and my buddy Jake, because this was one of the four colleges to which I applied.

I still remembered the chapel building here; I didn’t remember how classically beautiful the entire campus is. I remember snow and visiting a dorm and watching the Super Bowl and wondering if this is what God had for my future.

He didn’t. Well, He didn’t have this for my undergraduate college experience. But to come back here on one of the crazier adventures imaginable, all because I caught the Collegiate Ministry bug (and call) at the college I did wind up at – Texas A&M… Well, it’s a full-circle sort of experience. Or at least it feels that way at 3 in the morning.

I’ve been pushin’ hard to see as much as I could, and I’ve had some pretty late nights recently. But the conference starts soon. And my Sabbath is still in effect. So, goodnight.

If you have a cool band and want the coolest band-name ever, call it “Full Circle Sabbath.”

TRECC stats

• Today’s T-shirt: Simpson University
  
• Today’s states: 5 – Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania
• Miles driven today: 777
• Campuses visited today: 2 – Notre Dame University & Grove City College
• Total TRECC states: 11
• Total Trip states: 37
• Total TRECC miles: about 2,823 miles
• Total TRECC campuses: 8
• Total Trip campuses: 99
• Time left until start of College Metro in Wake Forest, NC: 1 days, 5 1/2 hours as of 3:30am Eastern Time

Written from the campus of Grove City College, Grove City, PA

trecc #6: surreal stew

I could write pages and pages and pages tonight. I won’t, but I could. It has been one of the most eventful and interesting days of my life – but more than that, it’s been surreal in its combinations.

[In case you’re new, I’m blogging a little differently than usual as I TRECC from Portland to North Carolina. You can see what I’ve been up to – and what TRECC stands for – at the TRECC Itinerary.]

This trip’s biggest days are not like steak – one great big, solid slab of food that richly satisfies. Instead, most of the most memorable days are like stew – real satisfying, but with a multitude of complimenting or even contrasting flavors.

Today was like that, only like stew with the most varying ingredients you can imagine. You might remember I had a pumpkin-lamb enchilada in the Bay Area a while back. Today was kinda like that, only with peanut butter added, and then the whole think dunked in a bowl of gravy and apple jacks. Today was a stew like that. Only scrumptious.

It was awfully “extreme” and diverse, is the point.

trecc #5: locality abounds

As I’ve journeyed from Portland to, presently, Minneapolis, I’ve obviously covered a lot of country. And like so much of this trip, it’s been an opportunity to enjoy locality – the “localness” of various cool places all across the U.S.

While I’m not hanging out for long in any one place during this TRECC, there has still been some great locality to enjoy this week.

[If you’re new, this is a special week on the blog. Catch up at the TRECC Itinerary.]

The accents, for instance. I just about freaked the first time I heard somebody really talk like that. You know, the Great Plains accent that we sometimes hear on movies – films about yous guys up here, don’tcha know.

The first version of this accent I got to hear belonged to a lady at the info desk at Montana Tech in Butte. I asked her where the bookstore was, but once she opened her mouth I had to force myself to pay attention to her information. I was enthralled by the accent, to say the least.

Later that day, elsewhere in town, I even got a “You betcha!”

Meanwhile, my own accent continues to betray me this week. And along with that comes the first-name problem

trecc #4: a getting the job done day

I’m enjoying this week of more detailed updates. Yes, they’re a little more tedious to write (and read), and neither you guys nor I would survive for long like this. But these posts provide a good, lasting insight into the realities of this year-long road trip. [You can catch up on the TRECC at the TRECC Itinerary.]

On the one hand, the Portland-to-North Carolina TRECC is a very unique portion of the Road Trip. Obviously. But the individual days during this week really aren’t that different from many of my days this year. Plenty of time is spent like these days: making long drives (like yesterday), locating ministries to visit, planning my route, or otherwise just “getting the job done.”

Today was one of those days.

The day started with packing up my stuff (a lot of days start like that) and heading over to North Dakota State U, which I had seen only briefly the night before. This time I got to see more of the campus – after a night of ridiculous snowfall. There was at least one big snowman hangin’ out on campus.

I took pictures and explored the campus, but the biggest portion of my time there was spent

trecc #3: pursuing Fargo

The main fact that governed this day’s itinerary was one ambitious goal: making it to the Fargo, ND, area in time to attend a college ministry.

[This is a week-long series logging my random drive from Portland to North Carolina, including a pretty in-depth look at each crazy day. You can get the whole picture at the TRECC Itinerary.]

I certainly would be cutting it very close on time. I was starting not very far east of Bozeman, Montana, heading to the far side of North Dakota – over 700 miles. I got driving about 8:30am (after a pretty great night’s sleep in the Pathfinder, actually).

There would be a time zone change on the way, meaning I would lose an hour in the middle of North Dakota.

Further complicating matters, I didn’t know which school I would end up at – or what ministries (if any) might be active tonight. In case you’re wondering, there are three major-ish schools in the area: North Dakota State (in Fargo), Concordia University (in Moorhead, Montana), and Moorhead State (also in Moorhead).

Finally, there was added value in making it to Fargo ahead of time. It turns out a few days on the road doesn’t help the hygiene, so I was hoping to check in to a motel before visiting a campus. If possible. You know, to keep from further encouraging the hobo-prejudice I occasionally encounter…

First step: Identify a ministry.

It took a little bit of searching, but

trecc #2: a full dose of montana

“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof…”

Montana is the 3rd state in a row that I hadn’t visited before this trip – Washington and Idaho were the others, and North Dakota will be a new state for me, too. Pretty exciting.

[In case you’re new, this is part of a week-long series as I drive from Portland to North Carolina, including a little more in-depth-than-normal look at my daily activities. You can find out more at the TRECC Itinerary.]

As for this Montana in which I (still) find myself, I guess the fact that I’m still here means it’s been less like speed-dating than like one of those weird day-long dates on “The Bachelor.” But as it turns out, I would give Montana a rose. It’s a pretty neat state; what it lacks in coolness, it makes up for in quirkiness, accents, and high speed limits.

I really did get a good taste of this state today, hitting 2 campuses I’d planned on seeing – UM in Missoula and MSU in Bozeman – and another in between that I just stumbled upon – Montana Tech in Butte. As far as just “enjoyable campuses” go, I think Montana Tech may have been my favorite. It was gorgeous, its little town was really cool, it had buildings dealing with petroleum and mining, and their mascot is the Oredigger.

But the others were cool, too. UM’s student center looks like a stinkin’ mall, with foliage and a glass elevator in the middle. Oh – and it was Pride week, celebrating Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered people. I’ve seen a lot of Pride Weeks – or ads for upcoming ones – all year long.

As I went through the day, I was a little groggy at times after sleeping

trecc #1: portland to missoula

The first half-day of this TRECC (Terribly Random Excursion Cross-Country) already included two moments of interstate awkwardness. But believe you me, there have been plenty of others on this trip.

1. When I stopped to get gas in Oregon, the scruffy fellow who appeared at my window as I opened the car door caught me a little off-guard. Did you know that you generally aren’t allowed to pump your own gas in Oregon? It’s true – but I momentarily forgot the rule. (The only other time I filled up in Oregon was my first day there, like 3 weeks ago.) Apparently this law provides jobs, which I guess I understand, but it still feels a little silly when the guy just takes your credit card and then pays at the pump. But the full-serve treatment doesn’t seem to cost any more than gas costs in neighborings states, so I guess the challenge next time will just be seeing how much I can get done during my stop. Could I rearrange my car? Write a letter? Take a nap?
2. As soon as I hit Montana, the speed limits went to 75mph. Only I was in the mountains, so it was way curvy. I didn’t understand why I was allowed to go so stinkin’ fast, when I obviously needed to brake quite often. It wasn’t until I was a good 20 miles in that I remembered that Montana didn’t even have speed limits again until recently – and even now, I think “safe and sane” is more their style. It’s great – but you just gotta pay attention.

I crossed into the Mountain Time Zone and was in a total of four states within the first 11 hours of driving – not particularly normal outside of the little-bitty states of the East Coast.

And that should give you some clue