I’m in New York right now, in a brief lag between my summer trips. When I was hiking in the Adirondacks or biking through Berlin, it was easy to forget that all this fun was made possible by The Great Unknown. I have no idea what my life will look like in six months, but who can worry about that while swimming in the Black Sea? In my parents’ house, packing and unpacking, watching reality TV and eating fresh fruit from Costco, all I can think about is the West.

And tomorrow I head there with my friend Cody, the Truman Capote to my Harper Lee. Our first stop is Jordan’s parents’ house in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Her dad was the first person to sell waterbeds east of the Mississippi; he was also the last. And back in the day, he was fierce ultramarathoner. On Friday morning, he and I are going for a run. And then Truman and I will drive to Chicago.