McJeffrey
Posted on September 8th, 2013 by JeanMcJeffrey
noun
1. Icon of MySpace
2. Gentle Giant
3. Friend
In 2003, Tom Anderson co-founded MySpace. Tom was every new member’s first MySpace friend. Our second friend may very well have been Jeff McCullough, a.k.a. McJeffrey.
Jeff’s blog posts were the highly anticipated, Top 100 Reasons To Love MySpace. The “reasons” were us, his MySpace friends. We’d climb the list, or fall a few spots, but the worst feeling was missing the cut altogether. I’m not sure the formula he used to calculate his favorites, but just stopping by his page to say hello was enough for reentry.
In 2009, after a post which Jeff had spent four hours compiling was eaten by MySpace, Jeff opened a Facebook account. Many of his friends had already made the switch, and it wasn’t long before Jeff posted his Top 100 Reasons To Love Facebook.
In January of 2013, Jeff announced the adventure of a lifetime. He planned to travel cross country to meet those of us whom he had only known through the computer. On April 25th he gave his 30-day notice at work. By May 18th, he had posted his travel route. Prior to departing Sacramento, he spent ten days visiting with friends and family. Then he was off to Portland, Oregon – Seattle, Washington – Boise, Idaho – Las Vegas, New Mexico – Phoenix, Arizona, and finally to my hometown, Bullhead City, Arizona!
A few days prior to his arrival, Jeff sent me a Facebook message with his “digits”. I quickly texted him so he would have mine. My husband, Tom, used his comps to secure Jeff a river view room at the Riverside Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. Jeff’s Greyhound bus pulled into Bullhead City Thursday night, and Jeff boarded the (free) water taxi to cross the Colorado River and debark at his hotel. After checking in, he texted us that he had arrived. We let him enjoy a solo evening to which he expressed much gratitude.
Friday morning, after taking the kids to school, we met Jeff at the hotel gift shop. Tom was first to spot this giant of a man. At 6’6″, Jeff towers over most. He shook Tom’s hand, and gave me a bear hug. Then we were on our way to breakfast at D’Place in Fort Mohave.
We learned more about Jeff and his journey over omelets and egg sandwiches. Then Tom took Jeff 4-wheeling on quads to the river. Poor guy took a tumble, something Tom still feels awful about.
In the early evening, while our babysitter watched the girls, we took Jeff to the Avi Resort & Casino. We hoped beginner’s luck would be on our side, and made our way to the empty craps table. Although we had a few good rolls, we all left the table empty handed. We were a little luckier with video poker, especially our guest who hit four 2’s for $50.00. Tom secured Jeff a comped room at this resort as well. After returning to our home briefly to retrieve his bag, Jeff settled in for the evening.
Saturday morning we prepared toast, bacon, and fresh eggs for Jeff and ourselves. We then posed with Jeff for our obligatory photo before Tom drove Jeff to his next stop in Henderson Nevada.
To follow Jeff on his journey, send him a friend request at Facebook.
• What one question would you ask Jeff?
• Would you ever quit your job, and leave the comforts of your home to travel cross-country on a journey such as this?
Tags: adventure, Arizona, Bullhead City, facebook, friends, greyhound, Jeff McCullough, laughlin, McJeffrey, MySpace, Nevada, travel