Category: Uncategorized

I was woken up from a deep sleep by raccoons trying to scratch through Lieutenant Dan to get to my food. I scared them off and considered hanging my food but was too lazy. They kept coming back of course. At most campgrounds raccoons can become a real problem. People leave trash and food behind and it attracts them and they are some brave little shits. 
I stayed up for about 2 hours playing on my phone and yelling at the raccoons every ten minutes or so. I contemplated leaving and starting to walk but it was so dark and I was still tired. They finally stopped coming around at 430ish and I laid back down to get the extra 2 hours of sleep that I missed.

I woke up again at around 7 am. Way too late for a day that is forecasted to reach 100 degrees. I tried packing up as fast as possible. While I was packing, I got to meet some really nice people. A woman saw my sign and came up to talk about it. She offered some money, water, and good advice about the towns I was heading to. She had a really pretty name but I can’t remember it. It was like Marisol or Millsboro or something. 

Another guy pulled up in a truck and offered for me to stop by his house for a shower and breakfast. I knew that I was going to be in a hotel tonight so I passed but it was a great offer. I also saw the guy from last night. He came to give me directions. Again. All of the nice people put me in a better mood. I was ready for whatever. 

I had about 5 miles of gravel road before I could reach paved road. And then about 6 miles of paved back road until I reached my first town with a gas station. My plan was to get to the town as soon as possible so that I could beat the heat. 
It was hard but I made it. And didn’t even get a flat tire. A miracle! It was about noon when I got there. There was a weird gas station where you could order tacos and sit down at tables inside and eat. They weren’t good tacos. Just the white people mom kit tacos. I ordered 4 of them. 

Ate the tacos with the rest of the working class of Garva, KS. I called the newspaper of McPherson. The town that I was heading to for the night. They arranged to meet with me when I got there. It’s always a successful day when I get a news story. Awareness is everything. 
The 6 miles from Garva to McPherson were really tough. It was hot as hell and on a busy highway with trucks that don’t care about scum of the earth pedestrians. I tried playing chicken with a few but it was a fight I couldn’t win. I always budged first. I mooned one of them haha. 

I finally got to a hotel and the rate was good so I booked the room. I almost passed out when I got there. I had to get up though. I had to do laundry, eat, and do an interview before going to bed early to get ready for another day of walking in 100 degrees temperatures. Yay.

Got a late start this morning. It was actually cold and foggy when I woke up. I had an inspiring idea and decided to go with it. I created the Overdose Happens group on Facebook. I was glad to see that people responded well to it. I was touched actually. I have a lot of ideas on how to continue this work even after the walk. I’m excited about it. 
I got started walking and everything went really well. Basically just hours of great walking. At times I felt like I was walking across America in the frontier days and I imagined buffalo roaming the hills instead of all the cattle that I saw. I was on paved roads all day and that was great. No issues with the tires.
I was about 20 miles or so into my day and I came across a sign that said there was a wildlife refuge with a lake that had camping. It was 2 miles on gravel roads and then another mile to get to the campgrounds. It wasn’t my plan for the day but it sounded too good to pass up. Supposedly it is 2000 acres of land with buffalo on it. 
I turned onto the gravel road and within half a mile my innertube popped. Ugh. There were some wicked hills and I didn’t feel like patching it when I was so close to “home”. I just fought through it. I didn’t see one dang buffalo. It was hot. I was starting to think I made the wrong choice. 
I finally got to the campground and damn near passed out when I sat down. There was a large Hispanic family at the campsite next to me and a few other people fishing around the lake. I sat down and cooled off and caught my breath. 

While I was setting my tent up, a guy came over and asked if I wanted food. I couldn’t refuse. It smelled so good. They all sorts of Mexican awesomeness. I pigged out and talked to them in Spanglish about my walk. 

Once everyone left, the sun started to set and it was just me out here. There are some people in a cabin about a mile or so away that have some serious fireworks. They’ve been shooting them off for hours. A man and his dog pulled up and he got out and came over to talk. He had mental health issues. Real nice guy just hard to talk to when your patience is slim. All I wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep. I was nice though and actually ended up highly enjoying our conversation. 

He had just come out to walk his dog so when I said that I needed to turn in he wished me well and left. I have a great spot all to myself right by a pretty lake. The fireworks should stop soon I assume. Or not. I don’t really care. I grew up with 5000 kids in my house. I can tune out anything. 
The next 3 days are supposed to be in the 100s. Shit is going to get interesting. I have to force myself to get started early tomorrow. 

I woke up late and ate breakfast at the hotel. I ate a lot hoping that I could get some good miles in today. It was supposed to be cloudy and cool all day. I wanted to take advantage of it because the rest of the week will be in the 100s. 
I packed up and went to check out and the ladies at the counter said that my room has been paid for. I was so shocked. Before I could get myself together to ask who it was, they told me that Cathy came back to the hotel while I was finishing up my laundry and paid for my room. Unreal. 

As I was up there getting that incredible news, a family who was in town for a family reunion all came up to look at the stroller and ask questions about the walk. I had the stage so I told them all about it and also about how important it was to educate themselves and their beautiful family about the drug epidemic on our hands. 
I got out of there and it was nasty out. It looked like it was going to be light rain all day. I wasn’t complaining though. It reminded of my very first day except for 40 degrees warmer. I prefer the warmer. 

I was on gravel roads once I got to the other side of Herington. The sharp rocks punctured my innertube within a couple of hours. I patched it up and pulled out my phone to see if there was a better road to take. There was. I had to walk 4 miles to get to it but there was one road going east to west that was paved. Woohoo!

I got there and life was a lot better. I had to wrap a tarp around Lieutenant Dan because it was pretty wet out. I didn’t really mind though. It was better than being in the 100s. 

After about 20 miles or so I came up on a town called Tampa. There was a baseball field and it had a picnic pavilion. I decided to go see if they had water and power to charge my phone. It’s always good to take advantage of resources when you can. I was still 40 miles from the next town. 

I get there and everything is turned on. It was about 53o and I was originally planning on walking some more but this area was too good to pass up. I called the sheriff to see if I could get permission to camp there and they were ok with it. I set my tent up and got ready to cook dinner. A car pulls up and then another and then a few more. I didn’t know what was going on..
They came up and asked if it was ok if they used the pavillion for their family. They offered to include me in. We shared the space. They were nice. Must have been a crew of about 20 people. They all were in town for a wedding. They had some good food and we all ate and the kids played on the playground. I talked about the walk and they talked about their family and the wedding. It was nice to have company. 
They all left and I came in to my tent to catch up on the blogs. As I have been typing, 2 people on opposite sides of Tampa, Kansas are having a firework battle. So I got to catch a pretty decent fireworks show without even expecting it. I may not be able to see any tomorrow on the 4th so I’ll take what I can get now.
Ok grand finale is coming.. night!

I took this day off mainly due to weather. I figured that I’d run some errands and get some rest in as well. 

I was getting ready and was about to start walking a mile into town to do laundry and go to the store. Before I got out, I received message from a TAM mama who wanted to come say hello. She came to meet me and offered to drive me into town so that I didn’t have to walk. She also bought me lunch and gave a goodie bag. Cathy was lovely. I really enjoyed getting to know her. She lost her son to the same thing that killed my sister. It’s just such a tragedy. It feels good to be around people who understand the loss though. As far as healing goes. 
Anyways, we had a great time in the small town of Herington. I stayed in town after we ate to finish laundry and I walked back to the hotel. When I got back I was talking to Phil King who is running across America right now for suicide awareness. He convinced me to get on Tinder. I blame everything on him lol… 

So I get on tinder just to see what the big deal is… whoa. No more details on that one.. haha

I slept well that night.

After I posted the blog last night, the fireflies came out and so did the stars. It was beautiful. I was a little scared from time to time because I was in a very vulnerable spot. To animals and to people. Everyone little noise made me nervous. I finally took a deep breath and got over my stupid little fear and went to sleep. 
Woke up right at sunrise and had a flat tire to change before getting started. The gravel out here has really sharp rocks. I opted to take the hwy 56 so that I could stay on the pavement. There weren’t that many cars. There were some hills but it was worth it to be on the smooth asphalt. 
I saw a sign that said there were old wagon ruts from the Sante Fe Trail from the 1800s. Ever since Franklin, Missouri I have been more or less following the old Sante Fe Trail route. That is what I’ll be on all the way into Colorado. It’s fun to see all of the history from the wagon days. One of my favorite periods in American history. 
The rest of the day went very well. I was moving way faster without Domino. I was able to reach the post office in Herington right before it closed. I picked up some packages that were waiting there for me. I was very excited to get them. 
From there I headed backwards a mile to get to a hotel. I had walked 26 miles at that point and was ready to get off my feet. There was a No Vacancy sign posted on the door. My heart skipped a beat. I walked in and kindly asked if anything had opened up and someone had just cancelled! Whew!!!! I checked in and ordered pizza and that was that. 

I slept great! I woke up around 7 and forced myself to get up because I had a long day of walking ahead of me. I packed up and then left everything at Melissa’s as I found it and headed for the trail. Melissa had told me that hwy 56 had really bad hills and she recommended that I take the trail. She said it was well maintained going west. 

The trail would add on 3 miles. I looked up the elevation profile of hwy 56 and she was right. It looked like hell. I took the flatter but longer option. I was glad that I did. Before I even left town a woman saw me and asked if I needed water. I didn’t because I topped off with the garden hose spigot at Melissa’s. The lady asked if I needed ice. Well yes I do!

I went in and filled my Yeti thermos, that I love, with ice water. It’ll last for 2 maybe even 3 days. She also gave me some candy as we talked about the cause. I went on my way and the trail was great! I was loving life. It’s always nice in the mornings. Oh, I had to change a flat but that didn’t take long and didn’t bother me. 

After a couple of hours of walking and listening to the morning show that I’ve followed for a few days I came to an intersection and took a break in the shade. As I was loading up on pop tarts and granola bars, a man in an old truck pulls up and talked to me. He was nice but I think he was a little past his prime. It took him about seven tries to finish a sentence and it was killing me to listen to him struggle. I was being polite of course and would wait for him to get around to it. Sometimes I’d figure out what he was getting at and would finish his words for him and he’d nod his head and move on to the next. He almost killed himself to talk about cows, the gate, the railroad, and his high blood pressure medicine. He seemed happy to share all of this with me so I listened. He finally eeked out a goodbye and got back in his truck and went his way while I went mine. I love crossing paths with people out in the middle of nowhere. 

After that I didn’t see another person for hours. The views from the trail were stunning! I was in the Flint Hills area of Kansas. Absolutely beautiful!  At one point I had about 60 cows all running along side me. I saw a mama and a baby deer. A few other animals as well. It was just hours of being alone with Kansas. 

After 21 miles I came to the town of Council Grove. My plan was to grab dinner here and keep going a little farther. I’m trying to get to the next town tomorrow so that I can pick up some packages from the post office on Saturday morning. They are only opened until 10 am and they’ll be closed after that until Tuesday because of the 4th of July. It’s vital that I make it there tomorrow. From council Grove it’s 25 miles so I figured I’d go a few extra today and make tomorrow a little easier. 

Council Grove was freaking awesome. They had tons of history about the Sante Fe Trail. An old wagon, an old jail, the Madonna of the trail monument, and many other fascinating things lined the street. I walked through and saw a restaurant/museum. I looked it up on my phone and I had to check it out. It’s a man and woman who own it and live in it and when you walk in its like you stepped into a time machine. 

The man was the only one there. His wife was out for supplies. He showed me around and gave story after story about the town and the trail. He served me buffalo roast, sweet potatoes, butter beans and Indian bread. Followed by ice cream. He never stopped telling stories. He was a fascinating individual. I enjoyed this place very much. I highly recommend going if you are near Council Grove. 

I charged my phone and filled up on water while before I left. I headed back for the trail but it was not walkable at all. I guess on this side of town, it got neglected. It was almost overgrown so much that you couldn’t even see where it was. I got on 56 again and looked at my map and it looked like the trail has a road right next to it. I took that. Just an old gravel road that may as well be the trail. No one was on it and the trail was literally 20 feet over. I knew that I could just camp on the trail since no one seemed to care about it. 

That’s what I did. I found a spot a few miles down and set up and now I’m 22 miles from Herington. I should definitely make it tomorrow. Then Saturday I can get my packages and resupply on food before going to the rest of the country…

Woke up in a tent between a police station and a gas station. I went into the gas station bathroom to change my shirt, socks, and undies. I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and a protein shake and took off to walk through town to get back onto the trail. 

On googlemaps I saw that there was a place called “Tightwad Bank.” I really wanted to get a picture of the sign so I walked a couple of blocks out of the way to get there. When I got there, there was no sign of anything ever being there under such a name. Funny thing is that I noticed a town called “Tightwad” back in Missouri and I think it’s a paper town. Google paper town of you haven’t heard of it. Anyways, I’m on the hunt for a real Tightwad Bank if there is one. If not, then it’s pretty cool that I stumbled upon someone’s creation of a place called “Tightwad”. Hahaha

I got on the trail and only made it a couple of miles before saying screw it and I went to highway 56. It was actually way better. There weren’t that many cars and it was still early enough to not be blazing hot yet. There were some pretty big hills though. I’m entering the Flint Hills area and I was warned about it. Highway 56 is actually part of the American Discovery Trail. I’m assuming that they will make the Flint Hills trail a part of it when it is finished but right now there is a lot of work to be done to make this trail walkable. 
On the highway it was smooth sailing and up and down hills. I let Domino ride down the hills and made her walk up them. I got sad when she was taking her last steps. We came upon a bridge that I decided to stay under for shade. This is where Mark would be meeting me to pick up Domino. Domino needs a vacation. She is going to go back home and be normal for a few weeks or more until it cools down some. 
I didn’t want her to go and I know that I could’ve gotten her all the way across. She just wasn’t enjoying it though. She doesn’t do well in the heat at all. There’s no glory in this for her. She’s only doing it because I am and all she knows is to follow me if she wants to eat and be loved on every now and again. She did great. I am so proud of her and can’t wait to get her back out here. 

I am also glad to not have to worry about her for a while. Every single decision that I made, I had to factor her into the equation. She limited where I could go and she added a lot of weight for all her supplies. There are a lot of good things about going solo for a while. I’ll still miss her though! 

Mark arrived and his daughter was just waking up after a long road trip to come out to get Dom. It was so nice of them to come out to help me. They were taking Domino back to meet with Amber, who would be taking Domino down to Georgia to my Aunt’s house. 

I said my goodbyes to Domino and the whole scene was surreal. Mark had a natural business man sense of urgency and seemed to be rushing things although that’s not what he was doing. I wanted to talk to his daughter some but she was just waking up. And I was crying on the inside about domino. Just chaos inside my head. I also had to make sure that Mark and Amber were able to sort things out. 
Everything was fine when he drove away. I took a moment to shake the chaos away and breathe. I shifted things around in my stroller and got ready to do what I do… walk. 

I had a pretty big hill to climb and then another that was even higher. When I got to the top of the highest one I turned around to look back. There have been a few moments like this on my walk. I turn around and see way beyond the landscape. I see where I came from. I see memories from miles away. I saw domino riding off to Georgia. I turned back around and walked farther and farther away from everything  I know.

It took a few moments to feel again, but once my emotions came back I felt relieved actually. Don’t tell domino. It was nice to only have to worry about me. I’m easy to take care of. Very low maintenance. I was happy. I needed this change of pace. I feel like I just started again. 

I passed by some horses and they wanted to play. I stopped and walked over to the fence and they came right up to me. I pet them and thanked them for letting me know that everything is going to be alright. 

I came into the town of Allen. There was a restaurant on map and I figured I’d grab dinner and scope out a place to camp. Well the restaurant was only opened 10-2. The town had that restaurant, a post office the size of a snickers bar, an old hotel turned into a private residence, and maybe 3 or 4 other buildings. It was an old railroad town. When they took the railroad away, the town went down with it. 

The map showed that they had a ballpark though. I can usually find a pavillion or at least somewhere to charge my phone. I was thinking that I may even be able to camp in one of the dugouts or something if they had some cover. 
I walked over and some kids were playing on the playground and a woman was watching them from the picnic area. I wanted that spot but wasn’t to just go crashing their party. I walked around them and they said hello and I cut across the lawn when I saw a water fountain. The woman asked if I needed some amenities and I told her that I needed water and a place to charge my phone. I also asked if she knew if I could camp on the park property or not. 

She didn’t know but she said that she lives next door and that I could camp in her yard. Awesome! That may not sound like much but it’s a huge huge favor to someone like me. I talked to the kids for a while about not taking medicine unless their parents give it to them because they could take too much and get sick or even die. The woman appreciated that I used the word medicine instead of drugs. 

They asked all sorts of fun questions about the walk. I loved talking to them. They all had to go though. The woman, Melissa, told me to hang out for a while and she’d be back to come show me where I could set up. When she came back, she offered a shower and to take me to dinner. I was reluctant to accept at first because I didn’t want to seem to want too much. I was honestly happy as hell to just have permission to camp somewhere. 

It didn’t take much arm twisting for me to finally accept the offer and I showered and then we rode to Emporia for BBQ! Emporia was awesome. It is the founding city of Veterans Day. They started that holiday. They had an amazing Veteran’s Memorial and one of the best Main Streets in America. This was a lot better than sleeping in a dugout.

We ate some amazing food and Melissa got the check. We went back and I said goodbye and thanked her because I knew I would be crashing soon. I laid down and started this very blog post and only made it a few paragraphs in before falling alseep. It’s now the next night and I had to catch up.. 

So now to post tonight’s blog….

I woke up and could see out my tent and the sun was rising over the lake. It was so beautiful that I couldn’t close my eyes even though I wanted to sleep more. I sat up and just watched the free show.

I checked the weather and I’m glad I did. It looked like some serious rain was coming very soon. I rolled everything up and moved over to a covered picnic pavillion nearby. I waited out the storm there. I organized my stuff a little and ate breakfast. It was 930 when I left.

Once the storm passed, it was getting hot quickly. I was doing ok but domino hated every second. She was running from shady spot to shady spot and freaking out about it. I could tell she was miserable but I knew she was going to go home and recover so I kept going. I made sure we both had enough water of course but I kept moving at my pace instead of domino’s.

I couldn’t push her either because this trail effing sucks. It was rocky and overgrown. Tick heaven. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I probably pulled 40 ticks off of both me and Domino today.

After pushing through this bullshit trail, that I went out of my way to get to, for a while I found a good spot to rest. I was sitting in the shade in Lieutenant Dan and looked down and noticed that the tire was flat. Well no wonder it had been so hard to push all day.

I repaired the innertube and it seemed to be holding up so I put the wheel on and let it sit for a few minutes. I called the Osage City Police Department to let them know that I was coming through and to see if they had a place or me to set up my tent. The woman who answered was very nice and extremely helpful. That lifted my spirits a lot.

I tried pushing through the trail for another couple of hours before finally saying eff it. I walked half a mile south to get onto a busy road with no shoulder. I had about 3 miles left to go. It was going to be an interesting hour.

It was pretty hectic but most people were being nice as they passed. There are always a couple of a holes and a couple of idiots and that’s just part of it I guess… it was still better than that stupid trail.

It was blazing hot at this point. Domino was in the stroller under a makeshift canopy for shade. I was rocking my straw hat and that was it. No sunscreen, no nothing. I didn’t care. I just wanted to get to my destination asap. I walked quickly and had no choice but to keep a constant eye on traffic.

Some of the scenery was beautiful but I had no time to take pictures. I passed a couple of fireworks stores that I wished I would’ve gone into. It would be fun to have a few for the 4th. I’m sure I’ll find somewhere else though.

I made it into town and went to the police station to say hello and thank them for helping out. The officer that I spoke with was very nice. I set up my tent in the shade and walked across the street with Domino to Sonic. We both had a good last meal together and I had enough ice cream for the two of us.

We just laid around after that. I was doing phone stuff and planning out tomorrow. I am right next to a convenient store so I popped in there a few times for snacks and drinks and facilities. I had to move my tent twice to keep under the shade. I was just laying there with the windows opened to lay in the shade with a nice breeze.

I was laying there and I get a fb message saying that they stopped using a very powerful and dangerous drug all because of what I was doing for my sister. I don’t want to say the persons name or the drug that he was using out of respect for privacy.

I was so happy to hear that though. He said that he heard about my walk somehow and he thought, “if he can do that for his sister than I can do this for myself.”

Wow! This is exactly what I hoped that someone would do. He said that I saved his life. I gave all credit to Brittany. This made my day, my week, my month, my year! I can’t wait to go visit this person when I’m done walking. Maybe his story will help someone else and so on and so on. That’s what it’s all about right there!!!! Not a bad way to end the day..

I’ll talk more about how I feel about Domino leaving in tomorrow’s post…

I took yesterday off. I just couldn’t get going and my knee was sore. I went to Walmart and got some stuff that I needed. I also made some repairs to Lieutenant Dan that needed to be done.

I woke up and was on the road before 4 am today. It was dark out but I had street lights so I could see just fine. I was on the sidewalk to get through town and I went by a bank that had sprinklers turn on right as I went by. Great start to the day…

It didn’t get me that bad. I went through town and came to the Flint Hills Rail Trail. It was pitch freaking black. The morning air was full of fog and I couldn’t see 2 feet in front of me. Luckily, I took the day off yesterday and was productive and bought a bad ass flashlight. I turned it on high and I could see pretty well. The fog was thick but I could see far enough ahead to be safe. No cars were there because it was a trail. There were a few animals though. I like to be able to see them ahead of time so that I have time to process what to do. I suppose there was also the possibility of children of the corn popping up on me.. or a farmer with a shotgun… these were some of the things that were crossing my mind.

It got pretty scary at some points. I mean, it was DARK. Not long after I get on the trail, the trail that I went 3 days out of my way to get to, there was a sign that sad “bridge out”. I went ahead anyways and when I got close enough to see. It was fine to cross. It looked as if they had just poured concrete on it. The trail must be under construction. Great.. I was hoping this would be my only hiccup on it… nope.

I got to a spot that was impossible to get through with the stroller. The trail just ended. I checked my map and it looked like I could do a detour but it would be out of the way. I thought about trying to blast through it and quickly made the choice to just go around. It was too dark for trailblazing..

I was on some gravel road and all I could see was corn on both sides of me. I kept waiting for something to pop out and kill me but thankfully that never happened. It started to get a little lighter out and visibility was increasing by the minute. I turned my lights off but still couldn’t see far ahead through the thick fog.

I heard a woman shout, “on your left!”

It startled me. Partly because I was on edge thinking that Michael Myers was going to be standing in the corn and because it was so early that I didn’t really expect anyone to be out on the road. Especially on a bicycle. I think she was just as startled by me though. She came up slowly and asked what in the world was happening.

I could tell she was nice. She was also cool. She had an awesome retro 50’s bicycle and was just out cruising at 6 am. Being different. I can dig that.

She asked if she could help in anyway. I asked her for directions since I was on a detour and didn’t really know where I was at. She was very helpful.

There were two ways I could’ve gone. I could’ve stayed on the gravel road and had cars and no shade all day or I could risk getting back on the trail and seeing if it was clear for the rest of the way. I chose the trail. I got back to it and it was perfect and looking hopeful. All of the chaos I went through to get there was worth it. I was able to really enjoy the morning. Domino was having a blast too. I was letting her chase every animal that we passed. She loves chasing rabbits and squirrels. Sometimes she gets close enough to actually catch them but she gets scared and backs off. She just likes the chase. I let her do it knowing that she will be leaving soon. I figured I’d let her have some good fun while she’s still here.

I went on for quite a while and had a good radio station and no one in sight. It was perfect. And then of course… just as the sun was burning off the fog and the temps started to rise, the trail had a bridge that had vanished. Just a big hole with a Creek in the middle of it. Great.

I weighed out my options: turn around, try to somehow fight my way through it, or stand there and cry like a baby and hope something happens. It didn’t take long to decide. I figured I’d just go through it. It had to be possible. I found a sketchy way down and just went for it. I hadn’t even planned out the other side yet. I figured if I got down one side then I could get up the other one somehow. Of course, I still had to get across the creek.

I threw myself down the hill through all sorts of poisonous plants, trying to use Lieutenant Dan as a bushwacker. I somehow made it down without breaking something. I then set my mind to getting across the creek. One step at a time..

I saw a way that seemed possible. I eeked my way over huge rocks one at a time. I got across the water but was still on the rocks. I guess the water was low. That worked in my favor.

I left the stroller on the rocks and walked around trying to plan the next step, getting up the other bank. It wasn’t looking very promising. I was in too deep now. Literally. I had no choice but to man up and use some muscle.

I cleared a path the best I could and took some of the heavier items out of Lieutenant Dan and set them on top of the hill. I was drenched in sweat at this point. I went back to get a much lighter Lieutenant Dan and bounced over rocks to get to the bottom of my bank.

I gave it everything I had and it wasn’t easy, but I made it. I threw everything back in Dan and put hand sanitizer all over my legs and hands. Hoping that would kill any poison oak or ivy. We’ll see about that. I’ve already got a million bug bites on my feet and legs. I think one of the crappy hotels I stayed in had bed bugs.

Anyways, back on the trail. It was hot now. I was proud of myself for making it across. I took a little break when I found some shade. I had made it pretty far already but still had a long way to go. This trail was starting to make me anxious. I didn’t trust it anymore but I was basically stuck on it at this point.

It was a mile or so ahead and I saw more signs and some construction workers ahead. They were working on a bridge. I was wishing hard that it was crossable and that the workers weren’t going to be assholes. They helped me carry Dan across. They were all nice. Huge relief.

A while later I breaked again and this time it was officially hot. Domino was overheated and I was pouring sweat. I still had over 3 hours to go. I could’ve found shade and just stopped but if I pushed through, there was a campground with amenities ahead. I went for it. Nothing else to do. I wasn’t going to just lay there.

Domino was miserable from then on out. I tried what I could to cool her down but it just wasn’t happening. I knew right then and there that letting her go home was the best decision. I am going to miss her so much and I know she’ll miss me. But it’s best for her to go hang out back in georgia with real people who live in actual houses.

I don’t know how I did it but I made it to the damn campground. I almost passed out in the park office when I was checking in. I had to sit down and drink some water. The campsite was a good 2 miles out of my way but it was worth it. I headed straight for the shower room and gave domino and I a cold shower. Life was a little better after that. I set up my tent, made food, and even did some laundry.

I met some nice people while running my errands and talked for a while. I’m surprised I didn’t fall asleep standing up. I was really tired. I went back and my tent was covered in ants. Ugh!!!!!!

I moved everything and shook everything off and set my tent up in a spot that is not meant for camping but I didn’t care. It was perfect. Right on the water for a breeze and no ants. I set up my tent, AGAIN, and that was that.

It was worth it all. A great breeze and a lovely view. I am currently watching the sunset and I’m about to sleep so good. Remind me to post pictures tomorrow. I am too lazy right now…. night!!!

I left Drake’s at 6 am. That was way later than I wanted to but I was glad that I even got up that early after staying up so late last night. I tried to be as quiet as possible. After I had already left, I wished I had done his dishes. It would’ve been a nice gesture but I was already gone before I thought about it.

I went to grab some breakfast from the Casey’s and was met by the morning work crowd. A few guys were interested in my walk and gave me some money to show their support. I grab a sausage biscuit and a protein shake and went on my way. Wellsville was a tiny little town but it had been a great stop for me. I hope I get a chance to make it back there.

I finally got a chance to get on some backroads today. The sun was up and was hot already and it wasn’t even 7 am yet. But the road was flat and traffic was very light. People would slow down and wave as they passed by. I passed a few people out in their yards and they were all nice to me. One house had 2 dogs who came running out at me to sniff domino. Domino was a little overwhelmed by them so I shooed them off and told Domino to get in the stroller. It’s her safe zone.

Just as I got the situation under control, a woman came running out to get a picture. She was really nice and the dogs behaved when she was out there. She told me that she had seen my story somewhere and that her daughter was struggling with substance abuse. I tried to encourage hope and strength.

A few minutes later, a truck drives by and then stops and backed up about 100 yards. He gave me and Domino some biscuits from Red Lobster. Turned out that he was the woman’s son from earlier. I love those biscuits and was looking forward to eating them later.

I turned the radio on and was jamming out while walking on the backroads. It was starting to get hot though. I took a break in some shade to cool down. I ate the biscuits and gave domino a piece of each one. I put sunscreen on before getting started back up because it looked like it was going to be a rough day from here on out. As far as heat goes, it was.

I walked on for a while and a man on a Harley passed by and pulled into his driveway up ahead. He waited for me to arrive and asked about the walk and if I needed anything. I told him that I was ok. I really had to use the bathroom but I didn’t want to ask him to do that haha. His neighbor came running out and she offered a cold water that I couldn’t refuse. She was sweet. She gave me the water and Domino took off after the guy’s cat. I had to raise my voice at her to calm her down. She doesn’t listen once cats get involved. She came back though and I had her sit for a while to calm down and reinforce my superiority.

All the while, I was talking to the lady. She said a prayer for me and then I let Domino have some of the water now that she was back to being well-behaved. I still had to use the bathroom but I didn’t want to go into a person’s house just to do that. I walked on and found a shady spot in some trees next to a railroad track. I decided to take a break there and handle business. A train came by and I held domino close to let her know that it would be ok. It was pretty loud and she was a little scared I could tell. She was fine once I held her close.

It was officially hot by this point. I still had quite a ways to go. I just kept pushing. Nothing else to do. Crying wouldn’t really help. I considered it though. Luckily, a still had a few more nice people to meet. One guy came by on a bicycle and asked about the walk. He went on with his ride and when he came back later, he stopped again to give a donation and take a picture.

Another guy came and gave me and Domino a few bottles of cool water. He said that he had seen a Facebook post from the woman by the train tracks. I drank some and gave domino some and then pushed on.

The wind was now a factor. It was blowing over 20 mph right in my face. It made pushing the stroller really hard. Domino was riding in it because the pavement was too hot for her to walk on and I was too lazy to put her shoes on. I had a tshirt rigged up as a canopy to provide domino with shade and that was acting like a parachute against the wind and made every step that much harder. I just accepted that the rest of the day would suck. I was only about an hour and a half from the town I was heading for. I told myself that this is what I deserve for starting so late this morning.

I was getting hungry, I was hot, I was pissed off, I wanted to scream. I think I did a few times actually. Nothing else to do but to keep going though. I was looking for shade and there was nothing. I figured I’d just push until I got to town or die. Whichever happened first. Times like this make me realize that things would be a little easier without Domino. I’m going to miss her but I don’t want her to have to deal with this heat.

Anyways, I finally found a sliver of shade. Literally. A sliver. There was some electrical box and I laid next to it in the shade and out of the wind. It was amazing. I laid there and I think I even dozed off for a few minutes. Domino liked the spot too and we both napped there. I regained composure and headed for town.

I get into Ottawa and I had to break again. There was a bench under a shade tree. It was perfect except that it was in plain sight and people were coming up to me and Domino wanting pictures and stories and stuff. I had just sat down and was pouring with sweat and just wanted a few minutes to cool down but it just wasn’t in the stars for me. I was definitely famous in this town.

People were honking and waving as they drove by. I heard someone say, “oh that’s the walker guy. I read about him”

Everyone was really nice of course. And I was nice back. Especially when someone had a story to show how they, or someone they know, are affected by addiction.

Ottawa was a much larger town than I thought. It was neat. Main street was lined by store-front displays and one side of the street provided more shade than the other. I crossed the street to get into the shade. I couldn’t walk 100 feet without someone saying hello. It was nice to talk to people as long as I was in the shade haha.

I was originally planning on camping but I was so hot that I opted for a hotel in town. I was so close that I didn’t care about stopping to talk to everyone. It was good. People would take pictures and post it on facebook. That’s how to word gets out! That is the main part of this whole thing. I passed by a dairy queen that was a couple of blocks from the hotel and decided that I’d go back there after checking in and putting my sail boat in the room.

The hotel owner gave me a good rate and I went to dairy queen. Best meal ever. Bacon cheeseburger, fries, butterfinger blizzard, and a whole lot of root beer. I came back to the room and let Domino out to do her business and then took a shower and went right to bed. It was about 5 pm. Tomorrow will be a big day so I figured I’d get an early start.