Day 134

I wanted to leave Kyle’s house around 430 am but didn’t until around 630. It was one of the best night’s sleep that I had on my entire trip. I needed the rest but I regretted not starting sooner because the sun was already up. 
I walked through town and really liked the main street. Lamar was pretty cool. The only restaurant opened was McDonald’s so I went in for breakfast. I talked to a truck driver the whole time. His brother is currently incarcerated because of his addiction to heroin. He got emotional when he heard about my cause. Great way to start the day! 
I was pretty sluggish in the morning but wanted to get as far as possible before the heat hit. I had a 20 mile goal today and really wanted to make it. I was enjoying the scenery and the traffic was being kind to me. I was still a little upset that I had heard the feelings of a woman two nights ago but was starting to get over it. I kept trying to figure out where things went wrong. But it was all just a misunderstanding and there was nothing else that I could do about it. 
I passed a rattlesnake. Yeah. I think it was dead but I wasn’t sure. I just waited for a break in traffic and then went way around it. I didn’t get bitten so I guess that was the right thing to do. When I was about 30 feet past it, I just had to know so I threw a rock at it to see if it moved. It didn’t. It must’ve been dead. That’s what you’re not supposed to do to rattlesnakes. In case you didn’t know. 
I passed mile marker 421 and was curious to see if the 420 one would be there. I assumed that it wouldn’t. I was right. It had been stolen. Welcome to Colorado. 
Shortly after, I was met by some wonderful people. Carol has been following my walk for a long time and always comments and shares my posts on facebook. Her, her husband, their daughter Chelsea, and son Jay came to walk with me. Jay was present only in spirit. He left the world 6 months ago and I was so honored to walk with him and his family. Oh!!! And the 2 dogs!!! Can’t forget them!!!!! They were all troopers as they picked the worst possible time of the day to walk with me as it was around 100 degrees. 
We walked into the huge town of Hasty. Just kidding, it’s not huge. It had a post office and a “convenience” store. That’s all. We grabbed cold drinks from the store and sat outside and talked for a while. Just as everyone was thinking of saying “are you ready to go” but not wanting to be the first one to say it, Chelsea locked the keys in their truck haha. 
I wasn’t very worried about it. There was a cowboy on the case and he looked like he was the man for the job. When it started to look like he wasn’t going to get it, I remembered that I had AAA. I called them and they said it would be 90 minutes. 
That’s when I called the mayor of Las Animas, Jim, who had arranged a place for me to stay for the night. I wanted to let him know that I’d be delayed. He said that he had the tool for getting into a car and that he’d be right over. Sure enough, he got it. I called AAA off and we all went on to Fort Lyon. 
Fort Lyon is a really cool place. It has been many things. A mental hospital, a prison, a VA hospital, and many other things. It is currently a rehab transitional housing program for homeless people with substance abuse disorder. The perfect place for me to stumble upon. 
We arrive and I say bye to Carol and family. I can’t wait to see them again. I know I will one day. We became friends in just a few hours. I get into the facility and was so tired that I didn’t feel much like socializing. I took a shower and ate a dinner that Chris, the guy who works there that showed me my room, gave me. 
I was down before the sun was. I noticed a thunderstorm brewing outside and I was very thankful to be indoors, falling asleep to it. 

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…