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Ian Campbell of Brightwaters, NY, and Boris Chesakov of Pittsburgh, Pa, take a break in downtown Casey from their coast to coast trek across the United States. Photo by Sharon Durham
A Journey across America  Share
Two young men traveled through Clark County last week on their way to Los Angeles, Calif. With Interstate 70 running through Clark County, there are perhaps many travelers who have Los Angeles as their destination, but what made the journey of these young men unique was their mode of transportation. They weren't driving a fancy sports car or a trendy SUV, but instead, they were walking. They had made a stop in Marshall on Thursday, spending the night somewhere between Marshall and Casey, and arrived in Casey via old Route 40 in the early afternoon hours on Friday. Ian Campbell and Boris Chesakov were on day 47 out of a planned 150-day journey which began in Connecticut and will end in Los Angeles. Both had just completed their Master's Degrees from Yale University, majoring in Fine Arts. ''Before student loans kick in, we decided to get out and see the country,'' Ian said. ''We hope to walk across in five months and be in LA by Halloween.'' When asked what careers they plan to pursue after the trip, Ian said wryly, ''That is another purpose of the trip. We're trying to figure that out.'' In order to cover approximately 3,000 miles in 150 days, Boris and Ian estimated they would have to walk about 20 miles a day. All went well until Boris injured his foot, slowing down his pace a bit. In fact, on this particular day (Friday) Ian arrived in downtown Casey ahead of Boris but waited for him to arrive so they could re-group and re-stock food items.
As the boys wandered around the grocery store going through their rather lengthy grocery list, they carefully read labels to check the food content and lifted them to gauge the weight. Their purchases included beans, potatoes, fresh sausage, garlic, chili powder, chocolate bars, and pumpernickel bread. Boris thought the bread was a little too soft but it was the best they could do. They commented that the texture of bread seemed to be a regional thing. They preferred ''a hearty bread'' as opposed to the soft, squeezeable kind often sought in the Midwest. Price was also a factor in their purchases, and some purchases were made at one of the discount dollar stores in Casey. There they purchased nuts and a can of mackerel, which they said they would add to their pasta one evening. For dinner that evening, they were looking forward to cooking their fresh sausage. Breakfast every morning consists of oatmeal. After breakfast they walk a few miles and stop for a snack, and then walk a few more miles before stopping for a sandwich for lunch. The day usually ends for them around 6 p.m. when they stop and set up camp. They have found people to be extremely friendly and helpful along the way, they said. They enjoyed talking about an interesting experience they had while stopped in Marshall the day before. They met someone who took them out to see the gypsy grave. ''She put a curse on tornados so they would never hit Marshall,'' Boris said. ''One time a tornado was headed for Marshall, and it got to the gypsy's grave and veered in another direction.'' Ian said he enjoyed seeing the older homes and buildings along the way since he had grown up in Brightwaters, New York, a city on Long Island where, Ian explained, everything is fairly new since Long Island wasn't really developed until after World War II. He didn't travel far from home for his undergraduate degree, completing it at at Hunter College in Manhattan before getting his Master's Degree at Yale in Connecticut. Boris is originally from Russia, but has lived in Pittsburgh, Pa. since the age of 11. He did his undergraduate work at Youngstown State in Youngstown, Ohio, before heading to Yale. After leaving Connecticut at the start of their journey, Boris and Ian stopped by Boris' home in Pittsburgh which is how they happened to get on Route 40. ''We got on it south of Pittsburgh, almost by accident,'' Ian said. Once they get to St. Louis, they intend to pick up Route 66. Boris said keeping their cell phones charged has been one of the biggest problems they have encountered on their trip, and parents and friends have wanted them to stay in touch. Boris said his father gave them a solar panel so they can plug their phones in, however, keeping its battery charged has been difficult with so many overcast days, but they've managed. After restocking their grocery supply, sharing a pint of ice cream, and charging their cell phones, they left Casey,headed west on Route 40, refreshed and re-charged. Sharon Durham is a staff reporter for the Casey Reporter.
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