Day 56, May 29, 2012

So I woke up on day 56 inside the air conditioned trailer. It was pretty awesome. I woke up and laid there for a bit. Then remembered he said sleep as long as I wanted. So I was gonna enjoy this treat. So I rolled over and went back to sleep. It was great.
     I woke up and got up around 10. I took my time getting up and packing. I went outside and the guys were there getting ready to open. They invited me in to eat before I left. Even though they were not open yet they let me in. I ordered the same thing as the night before (enchiladas). They brought me chips and salsa and a soda. When the food came out they gave me 4 enchiladas. So cool.
      Before I left I got a picture with them in the kitchen. I tried to pay again but they wouldn't let me. It was rad! I went outside and right as I came out I had 2 twitter followers that met me there. They had sent me a tweet in the morning saying they were on their way. They drove about an hour! They brought me snacks and food. We talked about 20 minutes and then they said they didn't want to keep me. So I started walking.
       As I walked through Delhi a man that walked by me said he saw me a couple days ago in Tellulah. He gave me $2 and said good luck! Pretty cool old man.
      I walked about 10 minutes after that and a car pulled over. They got out and said "Nick!?!". It was some people from Jackson area who drove about an hour too! They brought me a bunch of stuff to pick through. I ended up taking a drink, mesquito nets, blister band aids, and liquid band aids. We visited for a few minutes and they also said they didn't want to keep me. So I headed out.
        I walked towards Rayville. My feet were hurting pretty bad and I could feel my blisters acting up. I really had a bad feeling about my feet and thought it might be a safe bet to limit the day of walking. So I ended up walking til maybe 3pm. I came to a church about 5 miles west of Delhi. I walked up and there was a courtyard in the middle of the church. It was a good spot where there was an outlet. I wanted to let my feet get some air and hoped that would help heal them. So I spent the rest of the day there recovering.
       It was hot so I also used the hose to keep the wet towel cold and soaked and over my head. Not a lot of action on this day but it would serve me well to recover.
      I made my bed on the grass behind some bushes and went to bed that night around10:30.

   

Day 55, May 28, 2012

 I woke up on day 55. My first thought was that I hoped my feet felt better. They did. They were still pretty sore and a little tender. But nothing like yesterday. I got up and looked around. I was in the wide open and was pretty surprised I hadn't been approached by anyone yet. It was around 8am.
         I packed my things up and went over to the church where I found an outlet. I plugged in while I got ready. I used some superglue that I picked up the night before when I left the KFC/taco bell at a general store on the way to the church. I used the superglue to seal my blister up. I let my feet air out while the glue dried. Then I bandaged them up also. I brushed my teeth, filled my waters at a spicket there, and then took off.
          It was pretty warm that day and I had 20 miles ahead of me to the next town. It was getting hot fast, so I used a little towel I had and poured water over it. Then I placed it on my head and put my hat over it. Definitely cools me down a little.
         My feet were feeling decent, not great. I trekked about 5 miles where I pulled off to take a break. I sat under a shade tree and drank some water. It was really warming up now so I re-soaked the towel and took off again. I walked another 5 miles and again took a small break where I drank water and wet the towel. The towel was drying fast with the heat and was I trying to keep it wet without using too much water.
        It was around 2:30 so I sat right next to the highway again for a midday break. I was in the shade and it was still brutally hot. I laid there and napped for about an hour.
         I woke up at around 3:30 and had about 7 miles to go. I hadn't eaten at all yet and was feeling weak. Just then a car pulled over and gave me some fresh mozzarella sticks from sonic, 2 sodas, and some Oreo snacks. I was so thankful and pretty much inhaled them right when they drove away. It was so good.
        Just as the sun was setting I was approaching Delhi, LA. The first thing I came to after an entire day of NOTHING was a Mexican restaurant. Since I was still very hungry I stopped there to order something a la carte and fill up on chips and salsa. I planned to sleep across the street where there was a closed down building. So I ordered 2 enchiladas for $2.95 and ate a bunch of chips.
       I had someone on twitter that wanted to have me on his radio show that night so I asked the waiter if they had a phone I might be able to use. I told him it was for a radio show and he looked at me and my cart like I was on crack. Then I showed him videos and told him what I'm doing and then he came around. He let me use the phone.
        So I did the radio show and answered their interesting questions about my journey. I noticed the waiter was close by and I think he was listening. After the radio show I told him thanks and got up to pay. He wouldn't let me. I insisted and he said my money won't work there! I said thanks and walked out. That was nice!
        I walke across the street and found a spot behind a dumpster that was hidden. I made my bed and laid down. About 10 minutes later a truck pulled up full of guys. At first I was confused, then I noticed it was all the Mexican waiters in the truck. They were just closing and saw me walk over by the dumpster and lay down. The waiter I had said "hey! Come over behind the restaurant. I have a place you can sleep that has air conditioning". I thought to myself, no way. So I jumped up and walked back across the street. It was still in the country and those two places were all that was around.
      When I walked over there he said to stay in the trailer. I was so happy to have air conditioning as it was very hot outside and I was already soaked in the 10 minutes I was out there. A guy went in to turn on a swamp cooler. The guy said they would be there early in the morning and that they will see me then. He said to sleep as long as I want! It was awesome! I was really happy!
       The trailer was old and was pretty stripped inside. But to me it was nice! I left my cart outside but brought a few things in with me incase someone came bye and saw it. I was tired so I laid down on a plywood bed that had a bunch of blankets on it. It was soft from what I was used to. I stretched out and was very thrilled.
         My twitter began to blow up with people who heard me on the radio. It was cool and my support was growing by the minute! I ended up going to sleep in cool temperature around 11pm. It was a good ending to a long hot day of walking.

     

Day 54 / May 27, 2012

When I woke up on day 54 I was drained. I was still drenched in sweat and had a pounding headache. I slept maybe 2-3 hours. I was so tired my eyes felt bruised. But the sun was out an it was really hot. So when I started sweating heavily from that I couldn't sleep.
        I stood up and my feet were beat up. It was very painful To stand up. I sat back down and just sat there totally blank for a while. I was extremely beat and drained both physically and mentally. It was a very tough morning. But giving up is not an option, so I had no choice but to get up and figure something out.
      I packed up and walked back to the KFC/Taco Bell. The short walk to get there was painful. The blister on my heel was really hurting. I sat down inside and came to the decision a day of rest was best. So I would stay there for the day to recover.
       I sat there and checked my twitter. The sheriff (Drew) from Brandon and his fiancé had said they wanted to come stop by for a visit. They were on their way past me to pick up Ashlee's (fiancé) son in Munroe LA. So they came and met me there. They surprised me with a new pack of t shirts, a mesquito repelling device, and they brought their lap top to put new music on my iPod. I was so thankful! And it was awesome! I was most excited about the mesquito repelling device! If that thing works good it's going to vastly improve my sleeping quality!
       We sat there and visited while they put some new songs on my iPod. I was so excited to see them and the stuff they brought was amazing! They stayed about an hour then had to go pick her son up. It was an awesome visit and company on an off day is nice to have.
         A little later, Amy and her husband (who I met in Collins MS) had sent me a tweet to let me know they were driving 2 hours just to come see me! It was really cool! So after a while they showed up. They sat and visited me for dinner there. They brought their niece also to meet me. She was so thrilled and said she loves to help people too and was grateful for what I am doing. It was a great visit and they brought me some first aid supplies and their niece gave me $14! Again, a surprise that was great!
      After they left I stayed there and just let my feet rest. It was late by now, maybe 8. Just before I was ready to leave a man walked in and bought a single item. His clothes were raggedy and he had to use change to make his purchase. So I walked up to him, in pain, and gave him a snack bar with $5 and a $5 McDonalds gift card. He was so happy and such a nice guy. He just kept laughing and smiling. It was awesome!
      I left there and walked west near the end of town where there was a church. The walk was painful still but for sure less than before. When I got to the church it was not a good place to stay as far as being out of sight. It was very open and people walked by down the road a lot within sight of where I would stay. And it was a rough part of town and pretty ghetto. So I went back behind the building next door. It looked closed down. There was a fence that devided the property to a house behind it. It was chain linked and where I stayed was in sight if the people in the house looked out. But there was a shadow and I laid down in the dark. Right when I laid down a guy sprinted right by me towards the church and past it to the street. I was about 10 feet from him but I honestly don't think he saw me. Where I was it was really dark and he came at an angle where there was a tree and to see me he would have had to turn his head. So I still decided to stay there. I was so beat I just needed to close my eyes. So I got comfortable.
        I turned on the mesquito repeller and set it next to me. The mesquitos were very heavy there so I was still getting bit. I think maybe it had to warm up. So I kind of tossed and turned a while and the bugs got lighter but didn't really ever completely go away. Even after I sprayed a heavy coat of repellant on myself too. I still didn't get to bed until about12:30. I knew I would be tired again the next day. But hoped my feet would at least feel better.

     

Day 53 / May 26, 2012

       

 I woke up in day 53 in Louisiana. I was maybe 10 miles west of the Mississippi river. During the night the roof of the church was dripping water down and onto where I was sleeping. So I had to move all the way hugged up against the wall so I wouldn't get wet.
        I got up and my feet for some reason were hurting bad. I sat back down and pulled my socks off. It seemed as if the last stretch of walking yesterday did some damage and I had a couple bad blisters. One on my right heel, and the other on my left ring toe. The one on my heel was a blister inside an old blister. It was nasty.
          So I took some time to put some bandages on the blisters. I packed up after that and went to fill my water jugs at a hose there. Even though my feet were bandaged they still hurt bad when I walked.
        I took off down the highway around 9. It was about 17 miles to Tullulah. As I started walking my feet were in a lot of pain. So much that I was grimacing. There was nothing until Tullulah and I knew I had a tough day ahead to make it there.
         After a while of walking through the pain it felt a little better but still painful. I walked about 10 miles through it. It hurt bad but I needed to get to Tullulah. So I pushed through the pain and used different methods to keep me from thinking about it. That helped a little.
        At the 10 mile mark I pulled off. I needed a break from the heat and my feet needed to rest. It was about 2. So I was under a tree about 5 feet off the road. I laid my jacket down on the weeds and laid on it. I ended up falling asleep there for an hour. I would wake up here and there when a big rig would pass right behind my head. But besides that it was a good rest.
        I got up at about 3:30 to keep going. When I stood up the pain of the blisters was worse than before. It hurt so bad I could barely support my weight just standing up. It sucked. So I started walking slow and it HURT! After walking about 10 minutes of 6 inch steps I finally was warming up and getting through the pain. I picked up the pace and continued.
          I finally was approaching Tallulah, LA. A truck passed by me and waved. Then about 5 minutes later he came back. He brought me a HUGE plate of BBQ dinner from a family event they were having. It was a big plate. He brought me a grape soda too. Up to this point all I ate all day was a small bag of funyons that another guy pulled off and gave to me around noon or so. So I sat down and ate it all! It was chicken, corn, potato salad, and bread. It was really good. I knew my feet would have to warm up again after the break, but I was so hungry I didn't care.
        So after warming up again and walking like I was 95 for a while, I arrived to the town. It was small and pretty cool. I walked to a KFC/taco bell where I wanted to stop and charge up and cool off in the AC. I sat there a while and then went across the way to a church. Again walking was brutal. I got to the church and the only good spot I found to sleep was next to some bushes. It was exposed to the street but it was dark so I was hidden still. I made my bed there around 10.
         It was still very hot and very humid. I sprayed bug spray heavily on myself. But the mesquitos were very thick still. So thick I had to crawl all the way in my sleeping bag. It was so hot in there and I was dripping sweat. I was so sweaty it was literally as if a hose of sweat ran over me for a few minutes. My shirt was completely soaked along with the rest of me. I would open my sleeping bag once in a while to let cool air in, and the mesquitos would be biting right away. It was miserable. I didn't sleep at all and it was now 3am. It was basically reapeating that process over and over and never was cool enough to fall asleep.
          Eventually I got a towel I was given in MS and put it over my face so at least my head wasn't over heating in my sleeping bag. I left my mouth exposed to breath in cool air, but the mesquitos would continue to bite around my mouth. I slept for maybe 30 minutes when I woke up to sprinklers blasting on me. They were on a timer and set for 4am as that's when I woke up. I grabbed my stuff quickly and went across the street to some office building. I just dropped behind a tree. My feet were KILLING me! And I was dripping sweat off my face and my shirt was stuck to me as it was still drenched. My sleeping bag was also completely wet inside now from collecting my sweat.
         I spent the rest of the early morning before the sunrise tossing and turning still battling the mesquitos. I would constantly be adjusting the towel over my head too as it would keep sliding off. It was a terrible night and my body hurt all over.

  
       

Day 52 / May 25, 2012

When I woke up on day 52, it was possibly the last day I would be in Mississippi. I was exited to head towards the Mississippi river. I packed up quickly. I had a few mesquito bites that were pretty big on my forehead. They might have been spiders or something else also. They seemed more swollen than normal.
         I headed back to the gas station across the street before I was going to head west as I needed to grab some asswipe out of the restroom. I also brushed my teeth in there before I left.
I headed back down the 80 walking west towards Vicksburg MS. The traffic was definitely more busy than the day before. Closer to the city I figured it would be heavier. I had to weave in and out of both lanes and keep a close eye for the cars coming. There was no shoulder to walk on. And with my cart I couldnt go off the road for a long distance.
         A man drove by and was yelling at me to get off the road. He looked pretty pissed and I gave him a thumbs up. I was out of his way but he just seemed angry. About 10 minutes later a cop showed up and said he had got a call. He talked to me a while and was pretty inspired by what I was doing. He asked how I would cross the Mississippi? I didn't know this, but the bridges allowed no pedestrians. My gps said it allowed for a walking pedestrian but it wasn't right. I told him I didn't know then, and wasn't aware it was prohibited. He said he could talk to the department about an escort. He said when I got to the welcome center before the bridge to have them call the department and they would figure something out to escort me across. I was pumped! He also followed my twitter right away.
         I kept walking and about a mile later a car pulled off and a little girl in the back seat handed me $3 out of the window. That was cool! Another mile or so up a teenage boy pulled off and gave me a bag of candy and $5. Another ways up a car pulled off and a couple gave me a bag of chicken from a gas station and $3. It all happened back to back and was pretty awesome!
So I finally got to Vicksburg. It was hot so I stopped right away at a Wendy's and ordered a couple dollar menu stuff. I stayed there for about an hour. A lady who was in there gave me $8 when she was leaving. And then a guy that came in walked up and gave me $6 and said he saw me earlier down the highway. Again I was blown away!
         I left there and walked along the frontage road next to the 20. As I got into town I was walking next to the road when...BAM!!! Even with my headphones in it was loud. I turned my head and right next to me, about 3 feet to my right, 3 cars slammed into each other in a wreck. I walked back to see if they were ok. All 3 cars were fine. They were all teenage kids. The kid in the middle car was in shock. He was ok but was shaking and very nervous. I stayed with him and the other kids to keep them calm. I told the kid in 5 years he won't even remember this, and not to worry. When the cops came I took off.
         I walked a few more miles and I came to a calm quiet stretch of road. Another car pulled over and a young kid gave me $10. I walked up a hill that was pretty and thick of green trees. As I got to the top I came over and suddenly saw a bunch of American flags lined up, and behind that was the wide Mississippi river. It was very cool. I had goosebumps and a smile ear to ear. I really was happy and felt accomplished. It was a powerful moment.
         I enjoyed that for a while and took a break. After that I walked along the road towards the bridges. I got to the welcome center and it was really pretty there. An awesome view. I walked to the door and they were closed! They closed at 5 and it was 5:40. I was bummed! I saw a few people on the side of it and asked if they would be able to contact the authorities. The lady I ran into was very nice and actually knew people that worked in the department and with the city. She called them and was very convincing to them on the phone that I needed an escort right away. She was awesome!
So a cop showed up 5 minutes later. He asked if I wanted a ride across and I said no way! I told him I would walk 2 states up to cross rather than get into a car. So he started calling around to set it up. He was there 5 minutes then said he had to go to a fight and would be back. So I sat down to wait. It was getting closer to sundown and I started to think it might not happen that night.
         He came back about a half hour later. He said they were tied up but he had an idea. I asked him how the fight was, and he said it was 3 lesbians fighting over a love affair.
          I sat there a while and then he pulled up to where I was sitting. He said that the Louisianna cops were coming across to escort me. He had to go again and said they would be there shortly. So I sat again and waited.
         I sat there a while and nobody came. I was starting to think again it might not go down. Just when I was losing hope the same cop pulled up again. He said that they contacted the people who are in charge of the old highway 80 bridge and that they were waiting for me to open the gate to walk across. That bridge runs next to the bridge where the 20 crosses. The old bridge was closed to the public and was only a historic monument now. They don't open it at all but for my situation the cop said they pulled some strings. So awesome!
         I walked over there and there were a few cop SUVs and a cop car, and about 10 people. They were all dressed up and looked sharp except one guy holding a clip board. When I walked up he called me over to fill paper work out. He smelled really badly of Booze and looked ragged. I was confused. The cop asked for my license to run my background. I filled out the paperwork and it was a pretty serious process.
         When everything was good they went over a list of random things they had to say before going onto the bridge. The random guy was slurring his words and was hammered. It was out of place but I was pretty amused and curious by it. So it was all set.
         They opened a huge locked gate and me and the random guy walked out through it. He was walking across next to me while a cop SUV followed us. There was nothing on there except us. It was so cool! I asked the dude if he was off duty? He said he was a maintinence man for the bridge. He was off hours ago and was partying hard, but got called back to walk me across. He said he was very hammered. It was pretty funny.
         So we walked across and the sun set as we crossed. It was awesome! It was a great feeling and I was very thankful to have the privilege to be on that bridge. There was a lot of history there. We walked about 2 miles until we made it to the other end. When we reached the end it was another huge gate. The cops said they had contacted the next few towns and they knew I was coming through. They said good luck and closed the gate on me. They took off back across and gave the guy who walked with me a ride back.
        After the gate closed I felt like it was a different world. It was really country and quiet. The sun was just about set and I headed on as I still had a ways to go.
         It was really pretty and the walk was nice! There were no cars on the highway and it was basically like a dead end area and nothing around. It was soon dark and I had a couple more miles. I got to a church randomly that was in the middle of nowhere with nothing around. I was really tired and walked maybe 18 miles. I walked right to the side of the church behind an AC unit to make my bed out of sight. I laid down and was out right away.

     
       

Day 51 / May 24, 2012

 I woke up on day 51 in Edwards MS. I was behind a church sleeping up against a small fenced area around a drainage. It was about 8:30 and it was already getting hot. When I woke up there were a few mesquito bites on my face and I also felt my eye not opening all the way again. I felt my eye lid and it was also bitten. But it was not swelled shut like before and didn't seem bad.
       I got up and packed up. I looked around the church for a charger and a water spicket but the church didn't have any. It was pretty old. So I headed out and figured I would try and find somewhere to fill up before I was out of Edwards. I came to a church ahead about a half mile. It was bigger and newer. I went up and there was an outlet there. I plugged in and then also found a water spicket around the back of it. I filled my water jugs but the water was really green. Even after I ran it for 5 minutes it was still pretty green. I filled them up anyways and figured if I passed another place I could refill them.
         So I headed out again. I walked towards the end of town and right before the open road there was one last church. I found a spicket and poured my bottles out to refill them. But again, the water was still green. At that point I just hoped that was just the way the towns water was, and that it was still ok to drink. So I filled them all again and walked west,
       As soon as I got out of town the country side was beautiful. The highway was old looking and the whole walk was really pretty. I was taking tons of pictures, so many that my pace was pretty slow. It seemed like every 5 minutes I saw something more beautiful and snapped another picture.
       There were hardly any cars and it was peaceful. I would walk stop and go slowly for the next 5 miles. I came to a bridge and just as I approached it a man pulled off and gave me a country style lunch. Complete stranger. It was potatoes, Mac and cheese, peas, and a biscuit. It was the bomb diggity. I pulled off and sat up on the rail of the bridge and ate it. Really peaceful.
       After that I continued. My knees felt good and all around I was feeling ok. I walked about another 3 miles when I decided to take a break. I was at another bridge and pulled off right after it under some shade trees. It was real quiet and nice there. I had a blister starting on my left foot ring toe, and on my right heel. Not bad but I could feel them slowly coming on. So I patched them up a little and then also taped my shoe soles for a fresh coat. I sat there about an hour. Then before I left I hiked down under the bridge where I took an amazing peaceful dump by the creek. It was epic.
           I walked a few more miles when the 80 came back right next to the 20. So I stopped there at a gas station to get a drink. It was hot and something sweet sounded good. So I bought a fanta and sat inside there on a bench to drink it. When I was there I heard a lady at the register didn't have enough to pay for her drink and snack. She looked ragged and possibly homeless, so I hurried to grab a bar in my backpack. I ran up and gave it to her. It was the same as the bars I've been giving out to  homeless and has a $5 McDonald gift card and $5 cash with it. She was so thankful.
         I sat there a while and charged my electronics. After a while the sun started to set. There was a church across the way so I headed over there. It was a really good spot to stay. I made a bed and laid down. It was a nice easy day and everything went well. I fell asleep around 11.

     

Day 50 / May 23, 2012

On day 50 I woke up right behind a dumpster that was behind a Starbucks in Clinton MS. I surprisingly slept pretty well there and the bugs were not too heavy that night. When I woke up it was around 9 and I took my time packing up and getting ready.
        I headed down the road back towards highway 80. I stopped at a walgreens to pick up some glucosamine and new gel inserts for my shoes. I still have a stash of money from people pulling over along the trip, so I used about $30 to get that stuff. I sat outside on the curb to put the gel inserts in. When I was done I got on the 80 and walked west.
        I walked about 4 miles west when I passed an intersection that was an exit for the interstate 20. The 20 was right next to the 80 that I walked on. As I passed it there were signs on the 80 that said it was a dead end. My gps showed that it went through but it didn't look like it did. So I tried looking up an alternative route but there was nothing unless I wanted to walk an extra 5 miles. And there was no way I wanted to.
        At this point I wasn't 100% sure if it was legal or not to walk along the interstate in Mississippi. I know some states you can. But I doubted it was legal here. But I got on it anyways and figured I would walk just to the next exit. So I got on and was walking along a very wide shoulder along the 20. It was maybe 4 miles to the exit where I would get off. I hoped I wouldn't see any cops and risk getting a ticket or having to be escorted off.
         About 2 miles in a big red truck pulled off behind me and honked. I turned around and went back. He handed me a cold water and then a wad of cash. There were a lot of bills and a 20 on the outside. I thought it was a bunch of $1 bills inside a $20. He said to pull off at the next exit and get some food. I was really thankful and happy! He warned me that the next town (Edwards) was not a good place and to pass right through if I can. I hear that everywhere and am always warned for what's ahead. And it's never what people make it seem. So I wasn't too worried. When he drove off I pounded the cold water. Then I looked through the wad and it was $98!!! I was shocked!
           I got to the next exit and got off. The 80 continued from there and I was back on track. I walked a few miles and it was about 2pm when I usually like to take a break to avoid walking during the hotter part of the day. I sat under a shade tree and relaxed. About 5 minutes into the break a truck stopped next to me and asked if I wanted left over rice from a combination plate. I was so hungry by then and didn't eat all day yet so I said yes. They gave it to me and drove off. I devoured that rice in about a minute. It was very good.
         I started walking again around 4. As I started walking an old man pulled next to me and handed me a coke and a box of cookie bars. He asked where I was going and I said I was walking to CA. He thought I was insane and I don't think he believed that I walked this far already. He took off laughing. I pounded the cold coke and put the cookie bars in my cart.
         I finally got to Edwards. There was a gas station there with an outlet outside. I sat there and charged up. It was about 6pm. I stayed there a while then headed down the street to a church where I was going to try and sleep. The town was very small and pretty poor looking. Mostly trailer homes near the church I went to. The church was actually a good spot. I went behind it and was well hidden from any houses around. I made my bed there and fell asleep around maybe 11.