Moving is weird. Picking up and moving everything you own is kind of a strange concept. Moving without packing up everything is an even stranger idea, I own very little. I now live in Maryland, western Maryland. I’m closer to West Virginia and the Amish of Pennsylvania than I am DC and Baltimore.

            I left Michigan more or less on a whim. When I left Oregon I had anticipated going back by the end of July to spend my summer running the trails, biking, swimming at the reservoir and sipping on the craft brews of the best coast. Instead, I packed up my little suitcase, stole some of my Mum’s shoes and booked it east toward Wisp Mountain and Deep Creek Lake, now, owning even less than I did before. Most of my ‘stuff’ is safely stored in the basement of my friend in Southern Oregon. I spent nearly $200 at Target yesterday getting ‘stuff’ I need—like hair gel, workout shorts and underwear. All ‘stuff’ I have…in Oregon. 

Now, the lake is in my back yard, Wisp is just a short ride away and I’m waiting tables at a place called Black Bear Tavern with teen moms, long haired former raft guides, and old men that tell me I have a cute butt. But when I retire my apron at the end of the night I go home to a view. On my days off I’m able to head to Ohiopyle, PA and hit the river, go across the lake to the State Park. I can ride my bike and take photos of my newest obsession—barns and silos, little churches and road signs.

            Moving is weird, but it’s also exciting. It’s fun to get to know a new area, new people and stretch who I am. I’m able to expand my perspective on a new place in this country and explore. And to me exploration is what it’s all about.