Day 147

The walk from Fort Garland to Blanca was very pleasant. I had a sidewalk for a while and then a nice wide shoulder. Traffic hadn’t built up yet so I was able to enjoy the morning. I saw a sign for a restaurant in Blanca and figured I’d stop in for breakfast. Never know who you may run into… 
Just before the restaurant were a couple selling peaches on the sidewalk out of their truck. They asked about the walk and the girl was like wow. She has 14 years clean after a long fight with meth. She was happy that she made it and knew a lot of people who had overdosed since she cleaned up. We talked for a few minutes and they gave me a few bucks to pay for my breakfast. 
Blanca is a pretty town. I don’t really know how it’s still there but it is. There is a beautiful view of Blanca peak which is the 4th highest mountain peak in the Rockies. Maybe that’s what keeps the town alive. That and the breakfast at the restaurant. Yum!
From Blanca to Alamosa I had a choice to take a dirt road or the highway. Always pick the dirt road. I started on it and was so happy to finally not have trucks whizzing by every 2 seconds. About a half a mile into it, the road was looking rough. It basically just stopped and turned into desert. It was cool just walking through the desert but not with Lieutenant Dan. His wheels were not up to the challenge. I had no choice but to turn around. That was a bummer.
I fought back to the highway and as I turned onto it a man named Micheal came running over and hugged me and gave me 59 cents. It was all he had. He was nomading around the country in his red truck. We talked about the cause and he knew all about it. Cool guy but very high strung. I knew he was a meth user. He told me that he knows his limits and he stays away from heroin. Ok I guess… 
Walked for a few hours taking in the beauty of the San Luis Valley in Colorado. I came to an intersection for a break and a woman pulled over to take pictures and ask about the walk. She was intrigued and said she would share it with everyone. She was on a journey of her own. After some relationship issues back in Portland Oregon she decided to pull a “fuck it” and leave to drive back to the D.C. area where she is from. She wanted to take in the beautiful country in the meantime. I’m glad we crossed paths. 
It wasn’t much longer until I saw the clouds forming up. I knew I could’ve gone a little farther but the view of the mountains all around me had me choose a spot to set up my tent. I set up and left the doors open so I could see the pretty views. I watched the storm clouds brew up and it was beautiful yet daunting knowing that I was about to be tossed around a bit. 
The bad stuff missed me but it was still pretty intense for a few minutes. I got out and the sun was setting on one side and a rainbow was following the storm on the other side. Beauty all around. As I was taking in the scenery, a car pulls up with a pretty girl and a car full of stuff. Including a guy holding a drum in the front seat. 
They asked what I was up to and I did the same to them. We all hung out and shared the sunset together and took pictures. They were awesome and said they would help spread the word about overdose for me. 
I have an easy 13 mile day tomorrow to Alamosa. I am hoping that a night in a hotel will get me going for a while. I have the biggest mountain of my whole trip just ahead of me and want to make sure I make it as easily as possible.