Ellie's immediate reply is- "I knew how to ride a horse, and drive shift, and I could steal real good, so-" and then she realizes how childish that sounds.

Ellie scrubs at her face again. "He taught me most of the... stuff I know. How to survive outside of QZs. He got me across the country."

Well, from Boston to Utah, which, from Ellie's skewed perspective (she walked) and her limited understanding of geography, is about the same.