“ "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.[1]

Receipts from his trip to Ohio in search of Julie show that he specifically orders his fast-food hamburgers without pickles

The Ohio trip was an 800+ mile car trip that Chris took from his home in Ruckersville, Virginia to Cleveland, Ohio. Chris took the trip on 24 February 2009, under the false pretense that Julie had been kidnapped and he needed to rescue her. 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.

Lead up

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 isn't comfortable traveling long distances, especially by himself.[2] 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."[3]

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 win over their emotional support. Julie replied by saying she was beginning to suspect Chris didn't want to see her. Chris stated his mother was paranoid for his safety, and she suspected Julie might be a police officer posing as an underaged girl.[4] 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 Rocky might be up for it.[5]

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 Ohio and rescue her.[5] 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 parent's wishes. Members of the chat persuaded Chris to be proactive, and convinced him it wasn't a To Catch a Predator sting. Chris stated he was going to talk to his mother and put his foot down.[6]

The next day (which happened to be his 27th birthday) Chris went to his Aunt Corrina's funeral, where he said the spirits of his ancestors wished him a safe trip to Ohio.[7] 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."[8]

The trip

Chris left at 5:30 the next morning without informing his parents. He left a note for them to read when they woke up, along with a map of his planned trip.[9] After Chris's parents saw the note they called the police and filed a missing persons report.[9] According to Bob, Chris had never driven over fifty miles out of town before. Bob and Barb worried that Chris would get killed.

Chris traveled onto Interstate 81; it can then be assumed that he took Interstate 70 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which then became the Ohio Turnpike at the state line. At one point of his journey, Chris accidentally locked himself out of his car. Workers at a nearby toll booth got AAA Road Assistance to help him get back into the car.

Chris had taken $50 ($40 of which he had got the previous day for his birthday) with him. He found out this would not be enough cash when he was faced with $11 tolls (according to Bob, Chris had never been on a toll road before), starting in Breezewood, Pennsylvania. At around 4:30 that afternoon he stopped in Streetsboro, Ohio to spend money on food and gas. He purchased $11.68 worth of gas from Sheetz, and got a small hamburger with mayonnaise and a Lemonberry Slushie from Sonic.[11] According to Chris, the slushie was made with real fruit, and had two lemon wedges in it.[12]

He arrived at the outskirts of Cleveland on the 26th where he then called his parents. Upon arriving at the address he was given, Chris found a run-down old house with an elderly woman residing in it. Neither the woman, nor anyone else he asked in the neighborhood, had heard of Julie or Max.[8] Chris turned around and headed back to Ruckersville. He arrived back home at 3:00 in the morning.

Aftermath

Despite being duped by trolls, Chris saw the trip as a positive experience. In an email to Clyde Cash,[8] Chris stated,

I traveled an 800+ Mile Round Trip to Cleveland, Ohio, only to find at the address you gave me led me to a run-down old red house with an elderly woman residing in it, but not you nor Julie; no one in that neighborhood even heard of Julie nor Max. Go ahead, Laugh it up, but I want to THANK YOU very much for the Traveling Expierence; I actually did have a GREAT TIME on the road, and enjoyed the sights and views. :)

Chris's parents did not share the same positive opinion of the trip, and told him if he travels at all after the trip to Cleveland, he would not be allowed back into his home, and will be left homeless or even worse.[13]

In the Father Call, Chris mentions the Ohio trip in a conversation about him continually falling for fake women, and Matthew angrily questions to Chris how it's possible for him to drive eight hundred miles for a fake girlfriend, yet he can't do the same for Kacey, who lived much closer to Chris in Washington D.C..