Day 139, August 20, 2012

 I woke up around 6:30am. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a pretty sunrise. I rolled over and snapped a picture of it. Then I laid back down and dozed off again.
       I woke up again around 8:30. I laid there until about 9 just stretching out and relaxing. It was such a pretty day. I got up slowly and packed my things up slowly also. I final made my way over to the information center.
       I used the pay phone right outside to call the non emergency police number. I let them know what I was doing and how new Mexico allowed me to walk along the 40. I asked them what route they would allow me to take. They said they would also allow me to walk along the 40. That was a big relief. They made a report of what I had, what I was wearing, my gear ect. In case I was stopped so the police would see it. They just said the same thing New Mexico said; stay to the edge of the shoulder, wear a reflective vest at night, and if there is a frontage option to walk on it.
           I went inside the information center and wanted to get a full charge before leaving. When I was sitting in there a lady offered me coffee. She was really nice and we talked a little while.
          I left there at about 9:45 and hopped on the 40 going west. It was actually a little warm and sunny so I made sure to put sunscreen on. I walked about 7 miles when I was ready for a break and a snack. I sat on a railing on the 40 and rested. I had put some cream on my knees and set the tube on a wood post that held the railing. I had a snack and after 10 more minutes I took off.
         I walked another 7 miles or so when I came to an over pass. I was gonna eat some lunch and have another break there. When I went to grab the cream, I realized I never packed it on my last break! I was a little upset, but I still had another tube and it was basically the only thing I have lost this whole time. So I couldn't be that upset.
         I took a break and ate some raviolis and bread up under the bridge. I rested there for about 20 minutes. I used the other tube of cream and put it on my knees. I'm finding it actually relieved the pain pretty quick. As I sat there I looked ahead and it looked a bit stormy. I was heading right into some pretty dark clouds.
         I started walking and it was a slight downhill slope. Then, sure enough, the rain started to drop. I was wanting to get to the next town of sanders which was another 10 miles or so. So I threw my tarp over my cart and bungeed it tight. It was good enough to keep all my gear dry. Then I threw a pancho on also that I had been given in Texas. I kept walking and the rain kept coming harder and harder.
           I got to a low point where I had walked downhill a ways and then from there it began to climb. As I was walking past that, I suddenly saw a white flash in my peripheral vision to my right. It was something running towards me from across the freeway!!...
      I grabbed my long umbrella from out of my pocket and turned towards it... At first sight it looked really odd.. As I swung the umbrella around in front of me while I turned it jumped back after getting about 10 feet from me.. After it jumped it came back towards me barking. It was a white dog that seemed to have some pit in it. Maybe mixed. It was so sucked in skinny I could see all of its bones. When I lowered the umbrella I called out to it just feeling sad. It came at me in a harmless and playful way. It had enlarged tits and looked like it just had puppies. It got really close then I was worried it might bite or something and for all I know it could have been diseased. I felt so bad for the thing.
       Then a big rig zoomed by and the dog jumped out of the way and under the rail just in time as the truck blew its horn. I wanted to pet the dog but decided not to risk it. I have been attacked by a dog I didn't know too well before and wasn't sure of this dogs behavior right away.
         I grabbed a couple cracker snacks and threw them out. The dog inhaled them so fast it was sad. I've been around tons of dogs my whole life and never seen one eat that fast. It was licking the road for the crumbs so aggressively also. It seemed very jumpy and uncomfortable. It kept running back to where it came out from and by the way it acted I was sure it had puppies down the hillside. The dog looked like it was about to die from starvation. It really hurt me to see that. I sat there awhile while the dog stood on the hillside staring at me. It kept turning its head back. Probably to where the puppies were. And the fact that when I left it didn't follow me even when it was starving and knew I had food, made me even more convinced it had babies to look after.
            I left there and didn't have power on my Internet device. Since it was rainy I couldn't use my solar panel. So I was eager to get to the town ahead.
         As I walked closer to Sanders, the rain fell harder. All I could think about the rest of the walk was the dog starving and staying there to be with the probable litter of pups. I finally got to Sanders and the rain was really falling. It looked like it was gonna storm all night.
         I walked off the exit and went directly to a gas station. It had a laundromat inside of it and some benches. It had gotten cold when it began rating and I had put my jacket on. The pancho didn't cover the sleeves though so they were soaked. I threw my hat and jacket in a dryer and turned it on while my stuff charged.
         As soon as my things were powered up, I messaged my mom to call the animal shelter in Gallup the next morning to let them know about the dog. I gave her the exact location of where it was so they could go out to try and find her then next day, hopefully.
       I sat there at the gas station and got a couple snacks. The rain was still ripping down. I had seen what looked like an abandoned gas station down the road ahead as I walked up to the gas station. So I was gonna head there after my stuff dried.
        I left there around 9. I put my poncho and jacket back on for the sort walk. Right before I left I also refilled my waters at a faucet outside the gas station. I filled 6 jugs which really loaded my cart down with a lot of weight, but the next trek to Holbrook was a good distance. And I couldn't find much on my GPS along the way. I find that there are a lot more things than what my GPS shows. But I still wanted to be safe just in case.
          I walked about 1/2 mile in the pouring rain when I came to the gas station. It was perfect! Covered front. Nothing around. No cars driving by there along the frontage. It was clean (no glass or rocks or dirt). And no leaks. I made my bed between the pumps and the station. I laid there and was really happy and thankful I found a dry spot. And I was also thankful for the rain. I was still around an Indian reservation area and the rain would keep any drunks hunkered down. So I was more comfortable from the storm. Also I just enjoy the sound of rain.
           I laid there a little while watching the rainfall. There was a plant of some sort across the freeway with big towers and silos. And the flood lights there lit the plant up where I could see the rain fall in front of the light as I looked out towards it. It was a cool thing. It's funny how I appreciate little stuff like that. I would never even think about small things like that before and how it makes moments more enjoyable. Pretty weird actually when I think about it in retrospect.
          I fell asleep around 11 that night. I said a prayer before I went to bed that the dog would stay safe one more night. And that if she had puppies that they would hold on and stay warm under their mothers bony starving body that might just put off enough heat to keep them alive. I really hoped they could be rescued. I slept pretty well that night on the concrete there.

 
     

Day 138, August 19, 2012

  I heard something skid! I woke up very alert and saw the back of a golf cart right out from the sheds. Then it reversed and a guy in maintenance clothes looked at me. He asked "are you ok?". I said in a groggy voice "ya just resting a little before I leave town". He said "where you going?". I was so tired I just said "California". He said "you sure your ok" and I was so tired I just said "ya". He said "alright man, good luck!". He left and I was a little shocked he was cool with me being there. I laid back down from sitting, and just rested. I didn't go to sleep again but relaxed a little while. It was early.
         At around 7:30 I finally got up. I packed my stuff and headed out from there. I didn't sleep to good just from hearing the stories the night before from the security guy. I was so alert all night and woke up to any sound.
         I went across the street to the McDonald's. I filled up my waters there. About 4 gallons. I also got a sausage mcmuffin. I was ready to go around 8am. I walked to the 40 and headed out of town.
        I walked about 4 miles when I came to the west exit of Gallup where there was a hotel and a few places to eat. I suddenly had to take a dump bad! It felt like a rocket was ready to shoot out of my anus. The exit was still about a mile up, and there was a bunch of construction ahead near the exit. When I got close the way to get off and get to a bathroom was not direct at all, but rather backtracking on a detoured exit. I was not happy about that and the space shuttle was close to launching into my shorts at this point. Luckily I saw an outhouse on the construction site ahead. I got on the gas and high stepped to it! When I got there I blew some fuses and it got nasty.
            I left there and beyond that exit was nothing until the state line. I walked about 8 miles when an exit lead onto a frontage road that I could take all the way to Arizona. I could see the land ahead and it was beautiful!! I got onto the frontage and stopped for a break where a bridge went over the railroad tracks.
        I sat there on a curb on the bridge and decided to make a peanut butter sandwich. I was making my sandwich when a car pulled up and stopped by me. It was an Indian family and they had waters for me. They said they saw me walking a ways back and went to get drinks for me. Complete strangers again helping me out. I have had support all across the country from all kinds of places and people. There has been hospitality the entire way and that is such a refreshing thing. Knowing people have my back wherever I go. That's is real hope.
         I sat there about 20 minutes and then took off. I walked down the bridge and the road was awesome! Hardly any cars at all (like one every 15 minutes), and the scenery was getting better the further I went. I was starting to get excited to get to the state line. It was an awesome day!
        I walked ahead where I was walking on a hillside and could see down the valley and also veered over the river. It was such a cool sight. I was really taking it in and the more I thought about how far I've come to see this, the more I appreciated it.
       I stopped again another 6 miles up with about 4 miles to go! I cracked open another can of ravioli to eat. For some reason I was really hungry all day. As I sat there, a dark cloud started moving over the mountain. Then the wind picked up. I could see it was about to rain.
         I grabbed my sleeping bag and put it next to my cart, then I got my tarp out and bungeed it over my cart. It began raining soft at this point. My tarp was secured and a portion of it big enough to cover me while I sat there also hung over the side.
        It rained soft for a few minutes once I was covered, then it hit. It was spitting rain and the wind was also picking up. My tarp was blowing around a little to where I had to hold it down. I was staying pretty dry though.
        I ended up sitting there for about 20 minutes while the rain and wind whipped around. Finally it passed and I got out from under my tarp. I looked around and the direction the clouds were coming from seemed to be clear. I couldn't see far since they were rolling from the hill next to me. The hill was basically pure rock too. Really cool.
       So I flung my tarp and all the water off of it, folded it, and then continued walking. I walked about a mile when a car pulled over. They asked if I was ok or needed anything? I thanked them very much but told them I was ok. A guy in the passenger seat offered me to smoke some weed from his pipe, but I told him thanks as I've been sober for my travels.
        I got about another half mile from there when another cloud raced over. I pulled off again and covered just in time for more wind and rain. It wasn't crazy, but enough to get all my attention and have to hold my tarp secure with both hands. That lasted another 15 minutes.
       By this time I had just a few miles to go and it cleared again for the moment. It was about 6:00 pm and I really wanted to make it before dark. I hustled on and hoped the rain was done.
        I finally made it! It was just before the sun was going to set and I was there! Arizona state line. This one tasted sweet. Now I really felt like I was on the west, and I've been to Arizona before so I feel closer to home. I was really happy and couldn't stop smiling. Had such a relaxed attitude and goosebumps non stop.
         I took a picture at the state line and then slowly strolled into the little village at the Arizona side. There was a little souvenir shop there that sold cigars. I wondered if they had any cheap cigars. I havnt bought anything really for myself in a while to enjoy (besides food). So I went in and got a $2 cheap cigar. I walked over to the Arizona information center from there and sat on a bench just in time for a really awesome sunset! It was huge rocks all around, like mountain size solid orange rocks.
       I sat there and puffed the cigar. Although it was a pretty poor quality cigar, it was the best cigar I ever smoked. I was at such a good place in my heart and mind. I was so thankful for all I have been blessed with to get here. As I looked to the sky I said a little prayer of thanks to god for all the things I have been given. Things money can't buy. Things I have received after giving up my whole life. I now see his plan was a big one, one that I had to go through a lot of hurt. I would do it all again just to be in this moment, right now. I felt on top of the world.
         After the sunset I sat there under an overhang near some pay phones and an outlet. I had my sleeping bag against the wall and laid on the concrete there next to my cart. It rained again just then and really hard. I was under the cover so I enjoyed listening to it and not having to fight with my tarp and worry about me or my stuff getting wet. I sat there until about 10. Then I was ready to sleep.
        I walked over to the rest area where there were a bunch of covered benches and nobody around. I went to the bench with the most bushes around it to keep me out of sight a bit more. I laid next to the bench on the concrete and passed out at about 11. I laid there awhile just taking everything in. After a few struggles in the day, and not knowing if I would make it here, I was thankful it happened. I smiled until I fell asleep.

   
   

Day 137, August 18, 2012

       I woke up around 9am. I was surprised I hadn't been bothered all night or even when the sun came up. I had slept pretty good compared to the average. I got up and was feeling pretty good.
       I headed up the hill out off the ditch and walked back out onto the 40. I had about 22 miles to go to get to Gallup, New Mexico. So i munched down a cliff bar that I had stored in my cart, and got onto a roll.
       I got into a non distracted groove for most of the day. I had put the cream on my knees in the morning and they felt good. I just threw some music on the iPod and paced pretty rapidly.
      I was about 8 miles from Gallup and was feeling good. I hadn't even taken a break all day. I was partly anxious to get to Gallup so I was just rolling along and trying to get there in good time and rest when I was done.
       When I was walking, I saw sirens up ahead coming my way, then an SUV pulled off in front of me (police SUV). The lady cop said they had a call saying I was pushing baby's down the freeway. I just laughed. I let her know I actually had that once before also. She sort of laughed. She asked where I was going, so I told her. She took my information and what I'm doing so she could let the police dispatch know. She was really cool and funny. She said good luck and took off.
          I got to an exit in east Gallup where I could take the old route 66 highway from there into town. I walked through town and my water supply was low. I stopped at a McDonald's in town and filled up one of my gallon jugs with cold filtered water. I just went in and filled it.
         I wanted to get to the middle of Gallup since it would make the next day 22 miles from the state line. When I woke up in the ditch this morning, I was 44 miles from Arizona, so I split the days 22 and 22.
        The last mile, before the middle exit in Gallup (where I was stopping), had a whole area of homeless people. I ended up giving a couple on the side of the road $3 and a snack. They looked very kind, and were! They were so thankful, in a quiet way. I passed another handful of homeless Indians that I gave snacks to. They were all very kind. I was very happy and I get really exited to help them. I really feel good about it since I know how they can feel to be hungry and uncomfortable. It's not easy. And even a little snack means so much.
        After giving a good amount of my food supply away, I was almost to a taco bell where I decided to stop, just before it, there were 2 cars on a street corner parked by a portable car porch. It was a headlight cleaning operation. Two young guys walked out and asked me how I was doing. One of the guys pulled his wallet out and handed me $5. It's really bizarre how right after helping all those people and giving away roughly $5 worth (the $3 and the food) I got $5 back. You do the math.
          I went to taco bell and relaxed. Man it was nice to get off my feet. I made good time. It was about 3:30pm and I was done for the day. I really had walked fast paced all day. I ordered 2 bean burritos and got an iced water. I sat down near an outlet, and next to a window where I kept an eye on my cart outside. I ate and relaxed there the rest of the day.
          Around 9:30 when I was about to leave an Indian walked up to me and asked if I was homeless. I noticed him come in and out all day asking people for change. I told him yes I was homeless. Then he asked "where are you sleeping tonight?" his eyes were bloodshot bigtime! I said "I'm not sure yet". Then he said in a very territorial manner "there's only one spot to sleep here in Gallup for homeless. It's the only spot. You have any money? Maybe I will let you stay there with me". I wasn't gonna fall for it, so I said "no I'm good man, I'l figure something out". He said again, "there's no figuring out, I have the only spot". I said again in a raised and confident tone "I'm good buddy, I'l be ok". He walked away without saying anything. It was pretty freaky. I wondered if it really was gonna be tough to find a spot though. I for sure wanted to be more hidden than normal around here. There were drunks walking all over the place and seemed pretty sketchy.
        I took off around 10 from there. Just down the street I saw a little caesars. I went over and found the dumpster they use. I figured I had a chance to get a throw away pizza or two. I waited there for them to come out, and they had 4 pizzas! I saw them in boxes on top of the bins they rolled out. I asked if they had any throw aways? They said yes but they couldn't give them away and had to toss them. I was a little upset about that, not so much because I wanted them so bad, but because it was going to waste. After all I understand it's not an area where they would give them away, due to do many homeless. But still hurt that it was perfectly good food that would spoil. They threw a lock on the dumpster and went back in. I tried bending the plastic top a little and squeezing my arm in, but the boxes were still pretty far away from how far I could reach in.
        I left there and sort of roamed around parking lots to try and find a spot. I actually couldn't really find anything that I felt good about. Nothing was really that hidden. I was wondering if there actually was some truth about what the homeless guy with the bloodshot eyes said.
        I finally went into a parking lot for a Walmart and some other stores. There was a spot where the bushes were tall enough to get behind and be semi hidden. So I went back behind them, and made camp between them and a black railing fence. Behind the fence was the back of a building that looked pretty quiet, and like it wasn't used much as a walking route or anything. I laid down on some dirt and rocks there and fell asleep around 11.
        I saw a light shine through my eyelids. I woke up and a flashlight was on me. As soon as I saw that, I also saw a small security car. It was the shopping center security guard. He asked if I was ok. I said ya and that I was just trying to find a spot to rest before leaving town in the morning. He was really nice and polite. But said he was sorry and there was no camping allowed there. I said no problem and I packed up while we talked. He was cool. He recommended where not to go. Like the dangerous spots there. He said they have a lot of homeless die there. He said they have a lot of cases of what he called "plugging". Where a group of drunks beat you with rocks until you bleed, and then rob you and leave you to bleed out. He told me to watch out for that.
        I left there to find another spot. It was about midnight now. I walked towards the nicer area that was west anyways. I finally came to a lowes where across the way there was a storage shed yard (were they sale storage sheds). I found two sheds just far enough apart to roll my cart between. It was dark between them too. I looked around and didn't see anyone, then darted in.
        I made my bed there on the ground on some small gravel. It was actually a better surface to lay on then where I was before. I hoped I wouldn't be messed with the rest of the night. I was really tired. I fell asleep again at about 12:30.

Day 136, August 17, 2012

 I heard shuffling. The spot I slept was pretty quiet all night so the noise alarmed me. I opened my eyes and sat up and about 6 feet from me was a big black dog! It looked weird. Like a weird mix I've never seen. It stopped and looked at me for a second. The sun was not even up yet. It was just bright enough with the light of the sun still not exposed. The dog had a real creepy look to it, but also was calm. After a few seconds of staring at each other he darted off and disappeared into the distance where he faded into the dark where I could not see anymore. It was only bright enough to see so far. I laid my head back down and fell asleep again.
        I heard footsteps. I had slept a couple hours after the dog woke me up. But now the steps sounded like a person. I woke up again and it was an Indian. Where did he come from?!? There was nothing around? He had a dog with him also. There are tons of stray dogs all around here since I got into the indian reservation territory. The man said "hello sir?" I said "hey how's it going?". He said "good, good. Just on my way to the liquor store down the road (a few miles), do you have any money for me to buy beer this morning?". I thought to myself, is this real? Is this real? Did this guy seriously just wake me up this early to ask me for beer money? Did he not see I was homeless? And he was dressed decent and with no gear, probably has a home. I responded in frustration "no, I'm homeless, I don't have money for your beer buddy". I felt like slapping him. He said "not even 50 cents?". I took a deep breath to calm down... "no man, sorry, I can't spare anything for you this morning" (sternly). He said in a sad tone (which upset me more) "oookay. I'll try to find some in town" as he walked away. I really pictured how good it would feel to go off on him, but I bit my tongue.
         I laid there just pondering that for a while and then was awake. I was pretty irritated. I woke up and packed my things. I took my time getting ready. I was finally all packed up and ready to go around 8:30am.
        I took off walking down the frontage road. I still had no charge on my Internet so I didn't know for sure if the frontage would go through in a direct way to keep me on track. But it looked like it was well groomed and used a lot. I hoped it would be good.
      I was surprised how far I walked before any houses, still wondering where the Indian may have come from. A few miles in there were some trailers and stuff. I walked about 6 miles when I came to an exit where the frontage ran into it. I stopped under the overpass and sat on a ledge there. It was a cool shade and by now my solar panel was catching the sunlight and charging my electronics. I got on the Internet to check my GPS and plan the route ahead. It looked like the frontage road ran another 6 miles were it ran into another exit off the 40 where it stopped there (the frontage). I prefer frontage roads over the freeway as its a much calmer walk without big rigs blowing me around and blowing things out of my cart.
        I was sitting there under the overpass for about 10 minutes when a black car pulled over right in front of me and held out a bag of chips and a drink for me. That was yet another awesome help to me from complete strangers. I keep expecting the help like this from people who don't know about what I'm doing or anything, but it doesn't. I grubbed the snack and drink down.
         Another 10 minutes went by when another car pulled over and parked. It was a mother and daughter who have been following my journey online for a while. Get this: they drove about 700 miles to see me!!! Drove for 2 DAYS from middle of Texas! Wow! I felt special. They were so nice and gave me some supplies. They lady (Valerie) is a nurse practitioner and wanted to bring me a cream to help the soreness and pain in my knees. She brought me two tubes of that. I was excited to try it as my knees are always getting sore. She also gave me a little gem thing that a monk in puru (I think) gave to her and said will provide protection at all times. I was thankful she passed it on to me. They stayed only a few minutes and then left.  It amazes me they came all that way. Right before they left, the daughter ran back out to me and gave me $20.
         So after they left I put the cream on my knees and took off. I walked the frontage road another 6 miles to the next exit. I sat on top of the overpass there on the railing and ate a can of raviolis. I'm not too picky on food and cold raviolis are actually pretty good to me. I took about another 15 minute break before getting on the freeway and walking the last 8 miles of the day to the next exit where there was a truck stop I could sleep around.
          I walked the last 8 mile stretch and the last 3 miles or so I walked slow as it was downhill and that's usually what bothers my knees the most. I strolled off the exit right about sunset. There was a Denny's there in the truck stop where I decided to go in and charge up. They have the $2 menu also so I could order something since I have a little more comfort now.
        I went in and ordered biscuits and gravy with hash browns. I was surprised how big of a portion it was when it came out. What a deal. I was gonna for sure use that more along the way. I stayed there and ate and relaxed until about 10pm. At that time I was exhausted. I left there and walked all around the area but really didn't see any good spots to sleep. Finally I had to settle for a spot in front of the truck stop and between it and the interstate. It was a ditch that looked to carry rainwater. I walked down into it and it was low enough where I thought I might not be seen. I saw security roaming around earlier and hoped they wouldn't spot me.
        I made my bed there and it smelled a little funny. I was thinking maybe travelers let their dogs dump down there. Hoped I didn't make my bed on a land mine. It was a cool night and a little breeze was comforting. I fell asleep right next to my cart there and slept ok.

      
   

Day 135, August 16, 2012

I woke up and when I looked at my iPod I was suprised it was 9! I slept almost 11 hours and didnt even wake up too much. I honestly think its been the best I have slept outside this whole walk. And it was on concrete in a dumpster corral.
When I woke up I wanted to go to walmart since it was right across the parking lot from the dollar tree. I wanted to get a new loaf of bread since mine was just about gone. I use the bread and make peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast. I still had the same thing of peanut butter from the couple a while back giving it to me. I didn't realize how long it would last.
So I went into Walmart and got the loaf of bread. I also realized how cheap food is as I was in there. I was thinking it might be smart to stock up here rather than spend a little here and there and end up with less in the long run. So I ended up buying a bunch of ravioli cans that had pop tops. I still had a handful of plastic forks I snagged somewhere along the way.
When I checked out the total ended up being like $12. That left me with about $3 left in total. I had all I needed in food and water jugs and supplies, so I wasn't too worried. Plus I trust god has my back and won't just leave me stranded.
When I came out of Walmart there was an indian guy sitting outside. I gave him the change I had in my pocket and some other coins I had in a case I carry on my cart. I had $2 left after that.
I left there and got onto the interstate going west. I was on the side with traffic and was going to walk until there was a crossover. Those are little u turn deals in the center divide for cops to turn around and stuff. I sometimes do that to cut down distance and having to go over the over pass to the other side.
I walked a half mile or so when I saw a hitchhiker. I knew as soon as I saw him that I was gonna give him the rest of what I had. I went up and talked to him. He was trying to get to CA where he knew a doctor who was gonna check his eyes for him and do some work. He had cataracts or whatever. He couldn't afford gas and insurance to support the trip, so he decided to rough it and hitchhike so he could make it happen. He was a really nice guy and he loved my cart.
After I left there I walked on. I walked about 8 miles when I decided to take a break. I sat under a bridge for about 15 minutes and rested my knees. The short breaks always help my legs.
I continued walking and there was an exit another 8 miles or so ahead. I figured I would take my afternoon long break there. So I walked again and hit that stretch with no problems. When I made it to the exit I just decided since it wasn't too hot, since my solar panel was keeping my stuff charged pretty good, and since I had food, that I would just sit under the bridge and take my break. So I climbed up under the slope and sat under the top part of the over pass (just underneath it).
I stayed there and ate one of my ravioli cans for lunch. I sat there leaning up in the concrete and just watched the cars roll by. I was just thinking each time a car flew by, where they were going.? What were they doing? What was on their mind in that exact moment? It really put me into some deep thoughts and humbled me. There is a great big world full of people who are living their lives out there. Everyone is consumed with their own thoughts in their own daily activities. I wondered how some of them compared to mine. Probably way different. We are all pretty different even when we seem alike.
I left there after about 45 minutes. When I left I walked about a mile when a car stopped on the frontage road. A young guy got out and then crawled through the barbed wire fence to walk out to the interstate where I was. He handed me $20, a fire fighter patch, and a water. He said he saw me the last 3 days while he was driving back and forth for work, and that this was all from the fire department. I was so thankful! Again, I gave away my last dollar today, and here I am later that day getting help from a stranger who has no idea what I'm doing or anything. Before he left he also pulled the shirt he was wearing and said it was clean and to take it. It was a fire department shirt. The dude literally gave me the shirt off his back! I was really happy and in shock! What a nice dude!
I walked another 9 miles from there! I finally got to the next exit. Well actually I was about a mile from it when something caught my eye. I saw a man walking down in a dry creek behind some bushes. He looked like he was looking for something. When he saw me he sort of looked surprised. I waved to him and he gave a small wave back. It then looked like he was homeless maybe also.
When I passed him he came running up the embankment and asked if I was traveling? I said yes and he said he was too. He had a dark complexion and spoke very broken English. He was all decked out in what looked like nice cycling close and those shoes they wear too. He said he was riding his bike from Alaska to Mexico where his house was!!! Wow!! That's awesome! He flew to Alaska to ride home! He was such a nice guy. I started talking Spanish to him the best I could. He seemed maybe a little younger than me.
He said I could stay there with him, but I really wanted to get off at the exit and find a spot there. But we exchanged information and said good luck to each other! He called me Forest Gump too haha.
When I got off at the exit I saw a guy sleeping right on the off ramp on a hill going off the side of the overpass. He was pretty exposed but his clothes matched the dead grass. It was odd seeing that.
I didn't see much off the exit there. So I went to the north side of the freeway where there was a school. I looked around the property there, but it was all fenced in and I didn't see anywhere to sleep.
I noticed the frontage road had a few big rigs pass by, so I figured it must go at least to the next town. So I walked along it for another couple miles to find a spot. By now it was dark and I was using my flashlight to see. Finally I came to a few small bushy trees. I looked around them and there were beer bottles all over. But it had a couple small clear spots to lay down so I decided it was camp for the night.
       I kicked some broken glass off the dirt where it was somewhat clear and smoothed it out a little before making my bed. I laid down and felt pretty hidden. Something about the spot still felt off though. But I was beat and had walked over 25 miles. So I knocked out around 10:30.