Day 144, August 25, 2012

  I woke up around 7:30am. I had slept well and really felt restored a little after the last night with no sleep. I got up and got my stuff together quickly. When I looked up I noticed I had slept in some glass the night before.
       I was about 22 miles from Winslow. So I got an early jump. I was happy that my knee was feeling much better. I was at a good pace and feeling way better.
         About 8 miles in I stopped and had a can of raviolis for breakfast, with a few slices of bread. I rested about 15 minutes under an overpass in the shade, and then got back on the road.
       I walked another 8 miles or so when I was getting close to Winslow and really making good time. I stopped shortly there and had a granola bar under another bridge. I left there and wanted to get to Winslow next before stopping.
       As I approached Winslow a man on a bike came towards me on the shoulder of highway 40. It was a homeless man and he stopped. He asked where I was going? I told him CA. He was coming from Oregon and going to DC. That seems to be a popular bike route. I gave him a snack and then he started telling me about how president Obama killed his pigeon. That's when I needed to make a move before getting stuck there hearing a bunch of stories. So I told him good luck and be safe. When I walked away I saw he ripped open the peanuts I gave him and devoured them.
         Another mile up was the east exit of Winslow. I got off there and decided to hit a Denny's. I thought I had enough to get a $2 meal and then give my last dollar or so away after that. Like I usually do. So I went in, sat by an outlet and ordered the $2 biscuits and gravy. What a deal that is! When I went to pay, I realized I didn't have quite what I calculated. So with a small tip that was the last of my money.
         I left there around 5 and walked through Winslow. It was a cool town. I stopped at the corner that has a monument to the eagles for their song "take it easy". It was cool and a bunch of people stopped there to take pictures. I had someone get a shot of me.
         I walked down to a little park where I sat down for the evening and watched the sunset. And WOW! What a sight to see! It was such an amazing sunset. It really blew me away. I soaked that up and it was a great evening where I was lost in the moments of watching the sun go down.
       After it set I wheeled over to the landscape next to the park where a little hill and bushes next to a fence would keep me pretty hidden. I set up camp there as it got dark. It was right by the train tracks so that was loud here and there also.
       I fell asleep around 9:30. The surface was some rough rock and it was sloped. It wasn't the best spot as far as comfort, or noise, but I was hidden. I slept decent that night around the trains waking me up a handful of times.

   

Day 143, August 24, 2012

 I woke up early again from hearing someone walking behind me. I looked up and it was a homeless man with a backpack. He saw me and walked towards me. This was the first time it was light and someone could see me. A dog woke me up earlier running by too and scared me.
       When he came up to me he asked how I slept. He seemed very harmless and friendly. He looked Mexican and was tall and slender. Older man with dark hair. I told him I slept ok. He said he slept behind a truck stop down the road and was headed to Albeqeurque New Mexico. He offered me a water but I told him I had a stock of water. He was cool. He said good luck and took off. I was half asleep and looked like a zombie. I went back to sleep.
       I woke up again and it was about 8:30. I got up and decided to get my life together. I brushed my teeth and then packed up. I headed out.
       I went across to the dollar general where I picked up my supplies. I got all the things I needed (listed on last entry) and was good to go. I was left with about $8. But I had food and stuff for my knees. The glucosamine and dr sholes sole inserts costed me. But they were necessities.
         I left Holbrook at about 9:30 after one last stop at McDonald's where I filled my water jugs. I headed onto the 40 and was off towards Winslow AZ. It was gonna be a two day trek to get there and I knew I would likely have to rough it that night.
        It was nice weather, but my left knee was really hurting. I was going slow paced and didn't want to push it much for the day. I took my time and really nursed my knee stopping for short breaks and resting on railings. I also used the cream to help with the pain.
         After a slow trek I made it about 12 miles to a little town called Joseph City. I stopped at a truck stop there and rested my knee a while. I got chips and a drink there while I sat and rested. It was about 3 when I got there and I rested until about 5.
       When I took off at 5 I figured I would walk until dark and then get off at the next exit and rough it. I forgot that its getting dark earlier now and the sunset came on me quickly. It was about 7:30 and I was ready to pull off.
      I walked another 20 minutes past dark and got to an exit. There was nothing really there. I spotted an abandoned gas station but it was fenced off with barbed wire. So I walked around a bit and my best pick was under the bridge.
       I ended up making my bed right off the road next to a column under the bridge. I was only about 5 feet off the road but the exit was dead and no cars really came by. I figured I would be ok.
      I made my bed and went to sleep early that night. Maybe around 9:30. I was really tired from the night before. I woke up a few hours later hearing a diesel truck. I opened my eyes and it was going backwards past me. It backed up and turned to shine its headlights on my cart. Then it paused, then took off. I was thinking they just wanted to see what they probably barely saw when they first passed. I didn't feel like they would call the police or anything, at least hoped they wouldn't. So I went back to bed.
      Every once in a while a loaded down big rig would pass over the bridge and the roaring noise would wake me up, followed by the ground shaking. I can't describe how loud it is when one of those things fly by over me. But overall, I slept deep and rested well that night compared to normal.

     

Day 142, August 23, 2012

I woke up under my fort and had sort of a relaxed and cozy feeling from being in somewhat of an enclosure. Even though I was laying on concrete, it eased my mind knowing I was hidden and private. I laid there a while and just enjoyed relaxing. Knowing I was going to take the day off was nice. That also put me at ease. I didn't hurt bad as I laid there, but I knew when I stood up I would feel all the little pains in my joints and body.
       I eventually got up and it was about 8:30. I was walking tenderly and my knees, ankles, and hips felt real sore. I was ready for a day of rest.
      I was pulling the pallets off of my little fort I made and piling them up. Just as I was doing that a garbage truck pulled up near me and two guy got out to arrange some dumpsters they were unloading. The both looked at me as I was half way don't pulling my pallet fort down. It was pretty funny. Times like that I just laugh as I know I probably won't ever see them again. Plus their expression were awesome as I unwrapped my hobo cart and sleeping bag from behind/under the pallets. I would pay to hear their conversation when they drove off.
           I walked to a mcdonalds a mile and a half down the road to the west end of Holbrook AZ. I was planning to just sit and rest for the day and let my body recover a little.
          On my way to the McDonald's I saw a truck make a sudden U turn and jump on a dirt path off the side of the road and come back near me. When they were next to me a guy jumped out from the passenger side and ran over to me. He asked how I was doing? Then he said him and his mom saw me yesterday walking the 40 back east a ways. He pulled $20 out of his pocket and said him and his mother wanted to give me some money so I could eat. Wow! Complete strangers who don't know me. They wanted to help as they saw me walking. I was so happy and smiled. I thanked him so much and was seriously ecstatic. When I'm down low on money and that is something that will help me so much, I really feel a sincere and deep appreciation. To really feel that, instead of trying to feel it because I know I should, is something this walk has helped me achieve. I used to have blessings before I was homeless and I would be upset that I didn't honestly feel the appreciation. I was polite and would always say thanks. But to really feel the tingles and emotion when I can honestly be so grateful for something is priceless.
        So I walked down the road from there and got to McDonald's. I went in and ordered a breakfast burrito. I looked around for an outlet but couldn't find any. They had one but it wasn't working.
        I sat there and wrote down a list of things I needed. Then I prioritized them in order of what I could figure was most important. My list ended with the top things as follows:
-sole inserts for feet
-glucosamine pills (for my joints)
-loaf of bread
-canned food
-jolly ranchers for sweets
      I wasn't sure if the money I had would cover all of it. But I would be close. The inserts are pricy and the pills are also a pretty penny. But those are both important, especially to my hurting knees lately. There was a dollar general store next to McDonald's that I planned to get it all before I left the next morning. The $20 the guy gave me was really needed and put me to ease that I could now afford these things.
        After about an hour of sitting at McDonald's, I crossed the street to taco bell where I found an outlet. I ordered a $2 meal deal there that would be the last food purchase for the day. I sat in taco bell from about 10:30 until they closed at 9. I wrote journals and mapped out what was ahead. And just listened to music and relaxed.
         When they closed at 9 I was almost done with my journals but not quite. So I headed back across the street to McDonalds to finish at a place where I could sit down. Just as I was finishing, a swarm of kids came in and they were in football jerseys and cheer outfits. It was after the friday night game and within 10 minutes it was jammed packed with youngsters. They were crazy and screaming and hyper. It's crazy how fast the years have gone since high school. I mean, I'm still young for sure, but they seem so much younger.
         I finished my last 10 minutes of my last journal in the chaos, then snuck out of there. I went right next door where there was a closed down place that looked to have been a Resturant or fast food place before. It was pretty dark and I found a little spot in the back that was a little nook.
       I made my bed in the nook and it was about 10:15 when I laid down. I laid there an hour when I heard someone walk by. I heard foot steps in gravel. When I looked up, what seemed to be a homeless man was walking about 15 feet from me passing by. Once your seen in a spot, the feeling is definitely less comfortable. You never know If someone might be planning an ambush after you fall asleep. He didn't seem to ever turn his head and I honestly thought he didn't see me. After he passed I got up and walked out to look into my spot. It was so dark that I felt even more now that he didn't see me.
       When I laid back down, I shifted to where there was a light just shining at me from the corner of the spot I was in. Then I tucked against one side. I faced the light and closed my eyes. Then I used my hand to cover the light and it was just enough change of shade in my eyelid that it might wake me up if someone walks by the light. I sleep so light that kind of thing will wake me. I felt good then about that and focused on the shade of light coming through my eyelid as I fell asleep. I was sure if someone snuck up on me, that would wake me up. I fell asleep around 11:30 that night and had a rough night. There were a bunch of people walking by all night and I grew to not like the spot. The light idea actually woke me up twice from people passing. But I still didn't suspect anyone saw me.

     

Day 141, August 22, 2012

I woke up hearing a little rain hit my sleeping bag. It was the middle of the night. I got up and grabbed my tarp. I covered my cart and myself and went back to sleep.
        I woke up early in the morning hearing a tractor. I looked down from the pile of rocks I was sleeping on. I saw the tractor taking rocks from another pile and loading it into a truck. The sun was just rising and it was really pretty. I snapped a picture and then fell back asleep...
        I woke up again from hearing my tarp blow around lightly. It was a breeze after it was still all night. The tarp blew up very lightly. So I woke up and planned to bungee it so it would stay down. When I stood up the wind picked up a little and then rain started dropping. I reached over my cart handle from standing behind it to grab a bungee. I was still under the tarp.
        Right then the wind picked up and flung the tarp over my head from behind me and I felt rain hitting me. I grabbed the tarp and pulled it back down and stepped on it so it stayed down behind me. Then the rain came down harder and the wind wipped the tarp out from covering the front of my cart and the rain was getting my backpack and solar pan wet. I grabbed the tarp with my right hand in just a handful and held it over my stuff.
        Then the other side of the tarp flew up and the wind picked up more! Now the cart was pressed up tight against my body! I grabbed the tarp with my left hand too now and was holding that side down to keep it over my whole cart.
        Just then the wind pounded me!!... It pushed me and my cart from the back and it felt like someone hit me with a firehose!! It pushed me forward about 2 feet and I had to shuffle my foot to stay down on the tarp. The wind was furious!!! And the rain was hitting me through the tarp and felt like rocks were thrown at me!! They the wind caught the tarp from behind me to my right side and flung that corner of the tarp up!! The water was so heavy it came through the whole area under the tarp and was getting all my stuff wet!! Both my hands were tied up and actually fully tensed up trying to hold the tarp. But now it was acting like a parachute and it ballooned up and was pushing me and my cart back more!!! I couldn't do anything but hold the tarp now. The cart was slowly rolling forward and getting close to where the flat top of the pile of rock turned to the steep downward ramp. That was not good!!!
       Then I remembered, oh no!!! My iPod is in my hat on the ground about 3 feet behind me, along with my jacket and my sleeping bag!!!!... I put my right foot behind me to feel around for my hat. By this time my sleeping bag was soaked, and my jacket was soaked.. I felt back and couldn't feel my hat with my feet, which were also wearing soaked socks now!! Where was my hat!?!? I was sure my ipod was soaked by now.. Then I felt around my sleeping bag. I was so lucky. My sleeping bag was covering my hat and shoes!! When I stood up I stood up in my sleeping bag and sort of dropped it down like you would take off pants. And I usually have my hat and shoes next to each other right next to my sleeping bag. I also fold my hat over, just a habit so if someone comes near me my iPod is hidden. I felt around under my sleeping bag and ended up sliding my hat and shoes under my cart. I just said screw the sleeping bag and jacket. I felt how wet the sleeping bag was with my feet and knew the jacket was just as wet.
          After they were under the cart I could see my shoes and hat looked semi dry still. Now I grabbed the tarp in front with one hand by bringing both handfuls together and holding them with one hand! It caused some openings where my stuff was getting pelted with rain!! But I quickly took my free hand and grabbed the tarp that was whipping around, and brought it down under my right foot and stepped on it!! Then I brought my hand back and grabbed the tarp in front with two hands again to spread the tarp wide enough to cover all of my cart!!!
        So now I have both feet on corners of the tarp that went behind my back and over my head. I am hunched over with my cart handle in my chest, and the tarp goes over my head with the other two corners in my fully extended arms, fisting the bunches in my hands holding them pressed down to the front of my cart. The tarp is slapping my back seriously as hard as someone slapping me with their hand! I'm still slowly moving forward and getting close to a drop off. And meanwhile I'm shuffling my stuff with my soaking wet feet as I am moving forward but fighting it. My back is hurting and tense in an awkward position and my arms are throbbing trying to press down as the tarp is still being forcefully blown out from wind coming in from the sides!! It's still like a Sail pushing everything forward. The rain is ripping down on me feeling like rocks falling from the sky. All I heard is the tarp peircing my ear flapping back and forth vigorously!! I am looking down as I'm extending my arms forward, and I see water streaming in the ground under me now!! I slid my hat on top of my shoes and just hold on tight fully flexed!!!! And all this happened seriously, in about 2 minutes.
      So I held there for about 5 minutes as I was just holding still fighting the force of my tarp trying to rip away from me. My fists were clinched as tight as I could and I was just in an awkward position all around. The water streamed around my feet and soaked them even more. I kept my head down keeping an eye on my hat that had my iPod in it.
       Finally the wind eased up just a little. I held the two edges with one had again while using the other hand to grab bungees. Then I bungeed one corner at a time (the front corners). I bungeed them back to the frame of my cart. Then my hands were free. I grabbed my hat first! My iPod was wet but it didn't look bad. I put my hat and iPod in my backpack. The rain still poured!! Then I put my shoes one at a time on the back corners of my tarp. I pulled my wet socks off and put them under the cart frame on my water jugs. I lifted one foot at a time quickly and dropped it back down over my shoe. I got my shoes on with my bare feet and untied. Then I shuffled back slowly by lifting pressure off my feet and sliding them back while keeping enough weight on the tarp where it stayed down and slid back. I pulled my cart back away from the drop off. I got back by my sleeping bag and jacket again. I squatted down and reached back behind me to grab them. My sleeping bag weighed about 50 LBS!!! It was so water logged I couldn't believe how much it held. I put them under the tarp by my feet. Then I cleared one side of my Stoller out (one of the seats). I pressed them down to try and get some water out. A bunch drained, but they were still soaked. Then I put them into the seat. My sleeping bag was unrealisticly heavy.
         So now all my things were together. The rain still poured!! Even harder now!! But the wind was calming. I then walked down the ramp slowly and the back of the tarp was staying down since the wind let up. The further down I went, the less wind also. I got to the bottom and the pile was blocking the wind now just about completely.
          I stopped over a high spot after walking through some puddles to get across a couple areas. Well more like streams rather than puddles. I got to the high spot and just sat down on the wet rocks. My hands were wrinkled now. My clothes were wet. Not soaked, but damp rather. I sat there in a tank top, shorts, and shoes with no socks. I was freezing cold too now. It was chilly but being wet made me cold.
       I reached over into my backpack and grabbed two panchos, three pairs of socks, and a shirt. I put one pancho on over my tank top, then put my shirt over that, then the other pancho on over that. I figured the layers might warn me up.
       I took one of the pairs of socks (high ankle socks) and pulled my knife off of my shorts and cut the foot part out. I slid the tube part over my foot and placed it from my knee down to my ankle. Then I put another pair of socks (ankle sock) and put them on, then put my shoes back on. The I took the last long pair of socks and pulled them over my hands and arms up to my sleeves. So now I was covered from head to toe and was warming up right away. I sat there for about 45 minutes to wait out the rain. I didn't know if it would even stop. Well it didn't, but it slowed down to a very light rain now.
        So I came out from under my tarp now and stood there seeing how wet it felt. It was light enough that I was ready to take off. I was pretty frustrated, and sitting there was not helping. I just wanted to move and get out of there. So I re-adjusted my tarp over my cart, bungeed it good, and left walking.
       Wow! I just went through a Monsoon!!! I barely dodged disaster and couldn't beleive I made it out as well as I did. I realized how crazy a monsoon/flash flood can be. What a powerful thing! It took all I had to battle the weather and keep me and my gear together.
         It was setting in now that I was possibly screwed for the next night! What was I going to do about my soaked sleeping bag and jacket?!? Especially if it is cold. My thoughts before had no time to even think about that. But now I was worried. The weather was nasty as far as I could see, and it began to rain again...
         I walked about 5 miles through the rain when after a while I finally saw a sliver on the horizon of a little bit brighter sky. As the time passed it got bigger and bigger. And soon enough it was coming my way. As the clouds moved over me and the rain eased I grew with more hope of clear skies.
         After another hour it finally passed me. The ground was dry and the sun shined through. I couldn't beleive it. After 15 minutes I was hot. I took off everything and was back to my tank top. I stopped for a break and pulled my sleeping bag and jacket out. I sat on a railing next to the 40 and opened my sleeping bag all the way and laid it out on the shoulder for the sun, along with my jacket and socks. I needed those socks now for a spare.
           I sat there for 20 minutes and flipped my things over. It was so hot now I was burning up. I had to put sunscreen on too! I was SHOCKED how fast it changed from one extreme to the next. It seriously blew my mind. Now it was hot and clear. So crazy!
         I took off from there and laid my stuff over my cart like a clothes line. I couldn't beleive what I just went through. It was like I woke up and was thrown on a ship in the middle of a hurricane in the ocean, and now birds were chirping and the flowers stood tall and shined. Wow!
         So I was about 18 miles from Holbrook now. I walked about 5 more miles when I came to a construction zone. The freeway went to where both lanes were on one side. I had to walk on a very narrow shoulder for a while in that section. The other side was an unfinished bridge. Once I passed the bridge I crossed the median onto the other side where It was still closed and no cars were. I love when I have the whole side to myself. Had that a handful of times along the way.
        I walked a few more miles when I took a break on another railing. I had a peanut butter sandwich and relaxed there. I thought about what that storm in the morning would have been like from inside a house. Probably wouldn't have even woke me up from a sleep.
        I headed back on the road and had about 10 miles to go to get to Holbrook. My knees were sore and my legs were tired, but I kept pushing. I walked the last 10 miles without stopping since it was timed just right for me to make it by sunset. A break would have caused me to walk in the dark and I didn't want to. Especially after that storm. Who knows if it would roll in like that again.
        I got to Holbrook right at sunset. The last mile was really tough! I was hurting. I had walked 27 miles! I got to a Denny's in Holbrook and ordered a $2 meal there. I sat there charging my stuff and hanging out. I realized that even though the storm was crazy, it was also exciting. It could have easily turned to a disaster, but the fact that everything was ok made it a pretty exciting thing actually. Would not want to face it again since I was close to having my tarp ripped away in the wind and all my stuff blow away. But since I made it through it was kinda cool. And the sun shined all day and completely dried all my stuff!! I was sooo thankful I could sleep with those things dry tonight.
         I left Denny's around 10 and was looking for a spot to sleep. The weather on my phone said it was clear through the night too, thank god. I walked down and passed a hotel about 1/4 mile down. I saw two containers out behind them and walked over there to check it out. It was perfect. There was a cement slab and a bunch of stacks of pallets. I leaned some pallets around my cart and over it too. I leaned a few more around me to make sort of a fort. I was very hidden and just blended in with the other pallets too. I fell asleep in my dry sleeping bag, and using my dry jacket as a pillow that night around 11... Wow..

     
       

Day 140, August 21, 2012

  I woke up after hearing a truck zoom by. I looked out and it was all dry. The rain must have stopped in the night. It was pretty overcast still and pretty cool temperature still. I got up and packed my things. It was about 9am.
        I took off down the frontage road heading west. The frontage went about 6 miles before tying back into the 40 where it ended. So I walked down it and enjoyed the quiet. Sometimes jumping on the 40 first thing in the morning can be a little overwhelming. The big rigs flying by you less than 10 feet away, one after another. Some loads blow you back when they pass by. So the frontage is nice and peaceful opposed to that. Plus this one was more slow than usual.
           I walked about 3 miles when I stopped on a railing and made a peanut butter sandwhich for breakfast. I stopped there for maybe 10 minutes and then got right back at it.
         I got to the dead end where I turned left to get back onto the 40. I jumped back on the 40 and was still going strong. It was a lot of uphill, not steep, but very gradual.
        I got on a roll and walked all the way until the next exit which put me at about 12 miles in. I pulled off there to take a break where there was a gas station. When I walked up I noticed a really cool old car. When I got close I saw that the car was covered in signatures. The guy was standing at the gas pump and I asks him what the story on the car was.
        The guy looked at me and then looked back at his phone and told me its driving all around the country to help kids with cancer. I thought all the signatures were cool and I asked if I could sign somewhere. The guy looked at me and sarcastically said "are you a kid with cancer?". I said "oh, it's only signed by kids with cancer, gotcha." then he looked back at his phone and turned away. So I just walked away. I liked the purpose but the guy was pretty rude.
       I left my cart by the door of the gas station. I walked back to the guy and asked if there was anyway to follow the journey? And he said "ya Facebook" and never looked up from his phone or said anything else. So I asked "what's the Facebook page?" and then he said drive away cancer. I said "cool, il try and get you some likes". Then he turned to me, he seemed surprised like he didn't think I had any way to access Internet. I'm not sure but that was my guess. He said "where are you going?" so I told him. Then he had changed his attitude suddenly. He asked if he could get a picture and then gave me stickers and a wrist band and asked me to sign the car. So I did.
         I went inside and sat my stuff on the table. I got a hot dog and a drink there. My food supply has been very low and I planned to get some stuff in the next town at a dollar store maybe. I sat there and ate while my stuff was plugged in behind the hot dog machine.
        I took about 20 minutes to rest there before leaving. I left there quickly wanting to get further down the road and find a place before dark. The next exit was a ways. So I needed to get back at it.
         I walked from there about 6 miles when the sun was lighting up the sky in a really pretty color. There was an exit there but not far enough yet where I wanted to be done for the day. But I decided to take the off ramp to get up higher for a picture.
        When I was climbing up the hill on the exit, I saw a van parked off the exit. I didn't really think twice about it. But when I passed the van there was a guy in there and he asked if I was "hobo nick?". I said yeah! He had been following my travels and was on his way back to AZ from back east. He spotted me and wanted to stop and check on me. Awesome! He a pro motocross racer that heard about me through the Moto industry. I have a lot of people in the industry following me since a bunch of my friends race pro.
       He asked if I needed anything. I didn't want to ask for anything so I said I was ok. He said when I got to the flagstaff area ahead he would come meet up with me again. That was cool! He said Good luck and took off. I took some pictures of the sunset and went back down to the interstate to keep walking.
        I walked another 6 miles when it was getting pretty dark. I came to a little pull off where there was a construction yard with huge piles of rocks. I got off there and was gonna stay there for the night.
       The biggest pile was about 30-40 feet tall and had a ramp going to the top. It was pretty steep but I pushed my cart up top of it. I got to the very top and could see all around. It was a really cool spot to sleep! I laid my bed down there and it was pretty comfortable. Even though it was rock, it had a little give in it and the rocks were even rather than sticking into me like sometimes rocks do.
        I was happy with the spot and fell asleep there with clear skies around me. I had walked 24 miles and was beat! I fell asleep in about the coolest outside spot yet around 9pm. It was a good night.
      I could have never imagined what was coming in the morning. Possibly the craziest thing that has happened the entire way so far was about to wake me up in full survival and intensity mode....