top of page
50statesofmatt
12 min read
Physical State of Matt #16: MICHIGAN
Almost two hundred years before I entered Michigan's Upper Peninsula, this remote patch of wilderness helped prevent a war between two...
50statesofmatt
17 min read
Physical State of Matt #15: OHIO
I am commonly asked what my favorite place so far has been, and the answer always shocks people. I fell in love with Sandusky, Ohio....
50statesofmatt
9 min read
Physical State of Matt #14: WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia has always conjured up images in my mind of the locals from Deliverance , hillbillies from the backwoods of Appalachia...
50statesofmatt
11 min read
Physical State of Matt #13: INDIANA
It’s a tale as old as time. Man goes to Indiana for a car race and a rave breaks out… My drive to Indiana, like the drive to Kentucky,...
50statesofmatt
19 min read
Physical State of Matt #12: TENNESSEE
I hadn’t been to Tennessee since my move out to LA in 1998. On that trip, I hit a chunk of metal in the road and blew my tire 40 minutes...
50statesofmatt
12 min read
Physical State of Matt #11: KENTUCKY
Kentucky is best known for two things - horse racing and bourbon - and I had plans for both. Equipped with my new hat and dress shirt I...
50statesofmatt
9 min read
Emotional State of Matt #12: GEEKY
It’s hardly news to anyone who knows me that I am a geek and have been since long before it was cool. I recently passed another GEEKY...
50statesofmatt
16 min read
Physical State of Matt #10: LOUISIANA
I almost moved to New Orleans when I was nineteen. I was working at The John Thomas Steakhouse (which was sadly claimed by COVID), and I...
50statesofmatt
4 min read
Emotional State of Matt #11: DIVORCED
After a year of separation, rounds of amicable but challenging negotiations, and countless emails back & forth with the lawyer, I signed...
50statesofmatt
8 min read
Emotional State of Matt #10: GRIEVING
Last month, six weeks after marrying Jeff to my mother, I delivered his eulogy. I have spent my time since then staying with my mom and...
50statesofmatt
10 min read
Emotional State of Matt #9: FRIENDLY
Except for a period of crippling pre-teen insecurity, I’ve always been a personable guy. I've even been able to parlay that into a pretty...
50statesofmatt
4 min read
Physical State of Matt #9: ARKANSAS
The drive from Tulsa to Fayetteville was only two hours, so I got there on Saturday. I checked into my Airbnb early and had dinner at the...
50statesofmatt
2 min read
Emotional State of Matt #8: HONORED
A week and a half ago, I married my mom… …to her longtime partner. They wanted a quick and fuss-free ceremony, but a Justice of the Peace...
50statesofmatt
7 min read
Physical State of Matt #8: OKLAHOMA
Armadillo roadkill, an oil refinery, and a billboard for Naloxone were the first things to greet my eyes as I entered Oklahoma. This...
50statesofmatt
6 min read
Physical State of Matt #7: KANSAS
It should tell you everything you need to know about Kansas that their tourism industry is centered around an 85-year old film that...
50statesofmatt
6 min read
Physical State of Matt #6: COLORADO
Continuing my tour of national parks, I planned a roundabout route to Boulder so I could hit two out of the three in Colorado. BLACK...
50statesofmatt
7 min read
Emotional State of Matt #7: OVERWHELMED
As I sat on the kitchen floor crying, picking through every slimy piece of trash one by one, it hit me: I may have taken on too much......
50statesofmatt
14 min read
Physical State of Matt #5: UTAH
If Nevada’s desert beauty dazzled me, Utah’s knocked me out. I didn't have a specific place in mind to stay in Utah, but I did know it...
50statesofmatt
5 min read
Emotional State of Matt #6: HISTORIC
I sat in the back corner of the Choctaw Casino in Idabel, Oklahoma choking down a country-fried steak akin to wet cardboard smothered in...
50statesofmatt
4 min read
Emotional State of Matt #5: CHALLENGED
This past December I got my first tattoo to commemorate the beginning of this trip and the new mindset I have adopted for life. “Yes,...
bottom of page