Ohio trip

""There was this one time where I actually thought [a troll] was a woman, and I actually drove a whole, a whole, a whole day's worth back and forth, almost 24 hours, from my house to Cleveland, Ohio, where it turned out that was, that was, that was a bad lead."

- Christian Weston Chandler, Father Call



The Ohio trip was an 800+ mile car trip that Chris took from his home in Ruckersville, Virginia to Cleveland, Ohio. Chris set out for Ohio on Thursday, 26 February 2009, under the false pretense that Julie had been kidnapped and he needed to rescue her, and returned home early the following morning. The trip marks quite possibly the most physical effort Chris ever made in pursuit of the Love Quest, consuming nearly 24 hours of time, far from home and the supervision of his family.

Leadup
During a Mumble chat on 10 February 2009, Julie first asked Chris if he would come visit her in Ohio. He responded by asking that she come to his house, saying he wasn't comfortable traveling long distances, especially by himself. Over the next ten days, Chris would change his mind and agree to visit, before backing out again, and then agreeing he would start setting aside money for an eventual trip within the next couple of months, though he might bring his mom along. Julie tried to dissuade him from bringing his mom saying "I was thinking that when you get here...you know."

During another chat on 22 February, Chris stated that he would "feel at unease if I made the trip without the emotional support of my family". He wanted to have Julie talk to his parents in order to gain their support. Julie replied by saying she was beginning to suspect Chris didn't want to see her. Chris stated that his mother was paranoid for his safety and suspected Julie might be a police officer posing as an underaged girl. The next day, Chris reiterated that Barb was still against him going to Ohio. Chris started looking within his church congregation for a different escort for the trip, and suggested that Rocky (who has family in Ohio and visits the state on occasion) might be up for it.

Things took a quick turn later that day when Max informed Chris that Julie had been taken ransom by himself and Clyde Cash. He stated that he would give Chris five days to come to 2229 East 46th St., Cleveland, Ohio and rescue her. Unsure on what to do Chris turned to fans in a Mumble chat for advice. He stated that he still felt insecure about going there against his parents' wishes. Members of the chat persuaded Chris to be assertive and convinced him that it wasn't a To Catch a Predator-style sting, as police posing as minors always explicitly tell suspects that they are underage. Chris said he was going to talk to his mother and put his foot down.

The next day (which happened to be his 27th birthday) Chris went to his Aunt Corrina's funeral. He discussed his plans with family members and claims they all encouraged him to go to Ohio. He also claims that the spirits of his maternal ancestors wished him a safe trip to Ohio. That night Chris sent the following email to Clyde Cash:

"I have NOT failed you, sir, as a matter of fact, I am coming to Cleaveland [sic] tomorrow; I am preparing for my journey, my mind is set, and I have the support of God, my relatives and my friends. So quit trying to scare me, because it is NOT working; tomorrow morning, I am coming to Cleaveland [sic], Ohio for Julie."

Chris did not in fact leave for Ohio the next day, as he had not yet received all of his birthday money. Instead he filled up his gas tank and prepared for the trip. He packed six sets of clothes as well as his PSP and Nintendo DS.

The trip
Chris left at 5:30 on the morning of 26 February without informing his parents. He left a note for them to read when they woke up, along with a map of his planned trip. After Chris's parents saw the note they called the police and filed a missing persons report. According to Bob, Chris had never driven over fifty miles out of town before. Bob and Barb worried that Chris would get himself killed.

Chris got on Interstate 81 heading north; it can then be assumed that he took U.S. Route 522 and Interstate 70 to Breezewood, Pennsylvania, where he got on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which becomes the Ohio Turnpike at the Ohio state line. At the tollbooth on the Ohio state line, Chris accidentally locked himself out of his car. Somebody at the tollbooth had AAA Roadside Assistance and called them to help Chris get back into his car.

Chris had taken only $50 with him, $40 of which he had gotten the previous day for his birthday. He realized this might not be enough for the trip when he was faced with an $11 toll on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (according to Bob, Chris had never been on a toll road before). Around 4:30 in the afternoon Chris stopped in Streetsboro, Ohio to buy food and gas. He purchased 6.385 gallons of gas from Sheetz for $11.68 and got a small hamburger with mayonnaise and no pickles, and a lemonberry slushie from Sonic for $2.70. According to Chris, the slushie was made with real fruit and had two lemon wedges in it.

He arrived at the outskirts of Cleveland soon after, where he called his parents. Upon reaching 2229 East 46th St., Chris found a run-down old house with an elderly black woman residing in it. Neither she nor anyone else he asked in the neighborhood had heard of Julie or Max Milvana. Chris then tried visiting an address on nearby East 40th Street (probably a church) which the woman said she received mail for; he found no sign of Julie at this address either but remarked at the "Jewish church" next door. Chris then turned around and headed back towards Ruckersville. He arrived home at 3:00 the following morning.

Julie's purported residence at 2229 East 46th St. is actually one of the Andrew and James Dall Houses, local landmarks once inhabited by two of Cleveland's most prominent builders.

Aftermath
Despite being duped by trolls, Chris saw the trip as a positive experience. In an email to Clyde Cash, Chris stated:

Chris's parents did not share the same positive opinion of the trip, and told him if he traveled at all after the trip to Cleveland, he would not be allowed back into his home, and would be left homeless or even worse.

During his call with Kacey's father Matthew, Chris mentioned the Ohio trip in a conversation about him continually falling for fake women. Matthew angrily questioned how it was possible for Chris to drive eight hundred miles for a fake girlfriend, yet he couldn't do the same for Kacey, who lived much closer to Chris in Washington, D.C.

In CCWC's Final Warning to the Second CWC, the trip is mentioned again. Chris states he had "experienced some of the good things in life" such as traveling to Ohio, playing the lottery and having a few drinks.