Day 123, August 4, 2012

 I woke up at about 9am. I was on the concrete floor of a baseball dugout in Santa Rosa NM. My knees were more sore today than they have been yet. I was really worried again.
       I was just about to pack my things when a black SUV pulled up behind me. My first instinct was that it was a cop. So I was getting my things together. Then when I looked back a family got out of the car and looked at me. Then they said "we have been following your journey". I was really surprised. I couldn't believe they had tracked me down. They were coming from Albuquerque and going back to Texas and wanted to stop and see me. I was so relieved and happy.
       They had figured out where the baseball field was by driving around near the McDonald they knew I was at the day before. They had brought me a pack of supplies. It had snacks and toiletries also. That was really cool that they stopped and made such an effort to come help me. We talked a little while and then they headed out.
        I packed my stuff up and headed out. There was a truck stop about 3 miles ahead at the edge of town. So I figured I would walk there and see how I felt, then make a decision on whether to keep going or to take another rest day for my knees.
         So when I was at the edge of town, the truck stop that my gps showed was not there. In fact, nothing was there and it was the end of town with nothing ahead. My knees did not feel great but there was no way I was turning around to add mileage. So I walked very slow and carefully ahead.
      Right out of town there was a long hill that I tenderly and slowly climbed. Once I reached the top, the interstate leveled out for a while. I saw a sign that showed a gas station about 6 miles up. So I wanted to make it there before stopping.
      I walked there at a slow pace but finally made it. It was about 10 miles total from town. I stopped there and went inside. It was just one gas station there with nothing else around. Inside there was a small grill and some booth seats. So I sat there next to an outlet and relaxed. I had a vibe from the people looking at me that I wasn't allowed there unless I was a customer. So I bought a fountain drink and a hot dog for about $3 total.
        I got there at about 1:30. At around 2:30 I noticed two guys out front broken down. They were looking under their hood and seemed to be having bad luck. I saw one of them come in and say his cell phone had no service and asked to use the phone there. They said they weren't allowed to let costumers use the phone. That was pretty dumb. I felt bad for the guy.
        So I approached him and said I had a call app he could use but I wasn't sure how good it would work. He was really thankful and he called a friend. I guess they were driving from Minnesota to Arizona and had about $500 for the trip. But their car kept having problems along the way and they spent more than they expected. He was talking to his friend asking if he might be able to send him money.
       After he was off he was so nervous and shaking. He said he didn't have a family and was moving to Arizona for a job. I gave him $10 even though I only have about $40 left. He was really thankful and needed to buy an alternator. He went back outside and I got a hold of a church in Santa rosa. I told them the situation and asked if they could help or had any ideas? They gave me the police dispatcher number and the cops had said they could give them a ride to town if they needed to go get a part or whatever. I let the guys know and they were really thankful.
        I sat there until about 6:30 when I decided to try and get down the road a little more and see how my knees felt. Before I left I saw that there was a guy looking at the dudes car. I went up and the man was helping them get to town and was gonna pitch in whatever the guys didn't have so they could get an alternator and get back on the road. That was cool and made me happy.
       I left walking and still went very slow and easy. My knees still felt sore but weren't in as much pain as before. I ended up walking about 8 more miles when the sunset. After It was down and starting to get dark, I pulled off an exit with nothing at all. There was a gate over a cattle guard where I snuck under. I went to a clear sand spot and made my bed. It wasn't hidden but there was nothing there and no cars getting off, so I felt it was an ok spot. I fell asleep around 10 that night. I slept pretty comfortably even though I woke up a lot. It was a full moon and the brightness actually woke me up often. It was weird.

     

Day 122, August 3, 2012

 I woke up around 9. I had decided the day before I was going to take the day off and rest, so I pretty much slept as long as I could. When I woke up I took my sweet time getting up.
       Once I was up and packed I went into McDonald's and ordered a breakfast burrito for a dollar. I sat near an outlet where I could keep an eye on my cart outside.
        My knees were actually hurting more today than they were the night before. I was a little worried about that and really was hoping the next morning they would feel better from resting them all day.
        I stayed at McDonald's and wrote my journals. I also called a few friends and family members off a free phone call app I had. It works when I have good wifi, and the McDonald's wifi is pretty good.
        It was nice talking with them. Since I started day 1 of this walk, I havnt seen anyone I knew when I started the whole way. I really miss my family and friends back at home. I talked to my mom for almost 2 hours too and it was really cool. It's amazing how the Internet can give you free tools like that to make phone calls and text.
         At about 3 I glanced outside and noticed it was sprinkling. I went out and threw my tarp over my cart. When I came back in it was suddenly high gusting winds and pouring rain. I watched as the wind ripped my tarp off. I ran outside and had to really wrap my tarp around my cart and bungee it nice and tight to keep it on. Glad I picked up those bungees I found along side the highway.
        I sat there through the storm and figured it was a good thing I took the day off. It could have been ugly if I was in the middle of nowhere in the storm. After a while lightening was striking down nearby and it was really an intense storm. I looked at the weather and it said it was going to rain through the night. I was worried about finding cover. So I looked on my gps satellite to see what was around. I found a baseball field down the street and decided I could try to camp out in the dugout.
       So I left the McDonald's around 7:30 so I had a little sunlight to find a spot to sleep. I walked about a half mile down the hill and got to the baseball field. I was not too happy with how bad my knees were hurting just on that short walk. But the good news was that the dugout at the baseball field was covered and it was pretty dead around the area so it was a good spot. The only thing I worried about was if the wind picked up I would still get soaked as there was just a chain link fence all around the sides of it.
        I made my bed there and my knees still hurt bad. They just felt awkward like they were not lined up right or something. I took some Advil and put my legs up on the bench to somewhat elevate them. They felt relieved at least for the moment. I laid there a while until I was really tired. Then I put my legs down and slept on the concrete there on the dugout floor.
       I slept ok. There were two centipede type bugs that got into my sleeping bag and were crawling on my legs that woke me up. And then the rain poured around 3am that also woke me up. Luckily there was no wind and the rain fell straight down. So I stayed dry all night.

   
     

Day 121, August 2, 2012

  I woke up at about sunrise. I laid there a little while and it was really pretty. By the time I finally got up the sun was out and it was warm. I packed my stuff and was feeling ready and rested. I hit the road around 7:30am.
       I had about 20 miles to go to get to Santa Rosa NM. I headed west on the frontage road and it was very peaceful. About a mile up there was a little town that I didn't know was there. It was Cuervo NM. I passed through there and it was pretty much a ghost town. At the west end of town the frontage ended and it forced you to get onto the 40. So I crossed over and hopped onto the shoulder against traffic.
         I was ready to get to a town and rest my body for a day. My knees were hurting and my body needed a break. So I got onto a roll and was really walking a fast pace. I was on a roll and knocked out the first ten miles no problem. The second half of the day was where things got tough.
       My knees starting feeling a little more pain around miles 13-14. I could feel a very deep and on and off sharp pain. It felt like my knee would twist a little each step because it was tired, and in the slight twist or shift, it would strain something. Possibly a tendon.

        I got about 6 miles east of Santa rosa when the little pain starting feeling worse. It was becoming a steep uphill slope also, and I wanted to get to town so I could rest them. Finally the last few miles were downhill. I thought that was gonna be easier, but because I have to pull my cart back from rolling down fast, it put an even more akward pressure on my knees.
        I walked the last miles or so very slowly. I was really not happy about this pain and it worried me quite a bit. I was hoping a day off would help them out. So I finally got to a McDonald's there in town and it was nice to have things around after being in bare desert so much. I went to the McDonalds and sat down. Usually once I sit down it feels good, but sitting was almost worse as the pain in my knees was still there and now all I was thinking about. And I couldn't get comfortable. This was the fist time I had this problem. Again I was worrying.
       I sat in McDonald and ate a Mcchicken and had a drink. I arrived there around 2:30 and sat in there until about 11pm. When I was ready to go to bed I walked out behind McDonalds and found a spot behind some desert bushes on a rock. It was not landscape but natural terrain. I made my bed on this huge rock where me and my stuff were hidden. I stayed up until about 12 when I fell asleep there. There were some little thin needle type things poking me through my sleeping bag. They must have been whatever grew on the bush next to me. Those would poke me whenever I would roll around through the night. That was a little annoying, but other than that I slept decent. And decent out here means about 4-5 hours waking up every 30 minutes or so from bugs or noise.

   

Day 120, August 1, 2012

 I woke up at around 8:30am. I was surprised I woke up that early. I had slept as long as I could since I fell asleep the night before at about 3:30 or 4am. I slept pretty good aside from a huge beetle that kept crawling on my legs after the sun came up. I didn't zip my sleeping bag up since it wasn't very cold.
         When I woke up I could see out from under the bridge to the east bound side of the freeway. But just a little bit. I could see the wheels of a big rig stopped there. It was weird because it was pulled over on the bridge part of the interstate where there was a railing and not much room. So I was confused.
       So I packed up and brushed my teeth. When I was ready I pushed my cart under the freeway to a frontage road I didn't see the night before. When I climbed up and got onto the road I saw the freeway and was shocked! The entire east bound side of the interstate was completely stopped as far as I could see and people were outside walking around. It was in the middle of no where too so I was confused. All I could think of was there must have been a pretty bad accident up ahead in the distance. The people were outside visiting and walking around. It looked like they were stopped for a while now. It was funny too that I pooped out from under the bridge and the people stopped right there were staring at me.
         So I started walking west on the frontage road. I walked for a few miles before I saw the traffic slowly began moving. It was a trip seeing all the people standing around for those few miles. Entertaining to me for sure.
        I walked about 6 miles to get to a tiny town called Montoya. There was about 10 houses there and about 7 of them looked abandoned and falling apart. No gas station or anything at all to fill my waters. I was actually getting low on my top water and was thinking I might have to break into my emergency water I have stored bungied onto my frame underneath. I hadn't done that yet but it didn't look like much ahead for a ways. A guy from Australia here driving across the country stopped and gave me a cold drink. Man that was so good to have!
            So I continued walking. It was getting really hot and I was trying to conserve water the best I could. The frontage road zig zagged over the freeway a couple times and then at one point it broke off away from the freeway.
            I noticed a sign on the freeway that said rest stop next exit, and I hoped the frontage road had access into it so I could get water. But it didn't and to get there I would have had to double back for miles. So I just kept going really hoping for a stop ahead soon with water.
           It was beating down heat now. The water I was drinking was so hot it burned my throat. So I had to swish it around in my mouth first to cool it down a bit, then swallow. It literally felt like boiling water. Hard to tolerate that for sure.
          Finally I ran out of top water. I stopped and opened a water from underneath on my frame. It was about 2 liters of water and it was also scorching hot. Just stopping to get the water I could feel the heat and it took a toll on me.
          When I started walking again I began to feel my hands shake and my shoulders shake too like the muscles were tired and weak. My mouth was so dry and the hot water didn't seem to help. I was starting to get VERY tired and really hot. So then I knew I needed to stop. I looked around and there was no shade. So I kept going hoping for something in the desert to stop in shade.
       My head was hurting and I was really dizzy. Finally I saw a bridge ahead! I walked slowly up to it and it was hard just to keep walking. I got to the bridge and rolled off the road. I hid my cart behind a small hill of dirt and then grabbed some stuff and hiked under it into the shade.
         I laid some stuff down and laid in the shade. I was exhausted. When I laid down I felt so weak and even laying there my legs were shaking still. I drank hot water, not because I was thirsty, but because I was dehydrated and knew I needed it. I sat there 10 minutes and it was silent. I felt like everything was delayed. I don't even remember falling asleep.
          I woke up and didn't know where I was at. I sat up frantically and ran up to see where my cart was. After I saw it I calmed down. Then I sat back under the bridge. As I sat there I felt much better physically. But I was having some very alone thoughts. I was thinking I was possibly dreaming. Is this real? Where am I? Am I actually stranded and have been here for days and just don't realize it? Am I out of water? I quickly looked to my water jug that I was pretty sure was there. When I saw it had water I calmed down again. Then I wondered, maybe I'm still sleeping though and I am out of water, and this is a dream. I sat there 20 minutes when finally after continuing to drink water I snapped out of it. As the sun lowered and clouds blocked the sunlight, my mind was at ease as I knew the cool night was coming soon.
        I sat there about an hour and then felt much better. I for sure didn't want to tweet about my thoughts, or put them on Facebook. Then I know people will worry and freak out. So I kept calm and just dealt with it on my own. I even had the thought that I was only imagining I had contact to the world.
       I started walking shortly after that and felt better. When I went to access my gps I saw that I didnt have signal. A quick thought back to imagining my outside communication came back, but I checked it and confirmed to myself it was just a bad area with no signal.
        I was almost out of the 2 liters of water when I came to a tiny little village. The frontage road came back to the freeway and ran along side it too now. I could then see that up ahead there was a gas station! Such a relief! I walked up to it and went in and bought a canned soda. I pounded it and then sat outside to gather my thoughts. I looked around for a hose but didn't see anything. Then I went back in and asked the man if there was somewhere I could fill some water jugs. He said yes and showed my where it was outside.
       So I filled about 4 jugs up and was so relieved. I had about 26 miles to get to Santa Rosa NM. I was feeling much better and decided to walk as the sunset. If I could get 6 miles in before bed, that would be 24 for the day, and would leave 20 to get to Santa rosa.
      I walked and watched such a pretty sunset. I really enjoyed that and it was about an hour of such a great reassuring feeling that everything will be alright. I thought of ideas for helping people after this journey, and it was a good amount of time where I was very connected to myself and everything around me. It's really fascinating how sloppy and unsure I can be, and then hours later, I can be so sure and have things together. Such a wide range from the highs and lows out here and in such a short time between them. Really interesting. Even writing these journals I'm sure you can see some of the days where I try and write and am just not 100% with it. Those are days and times I'm sloppy/tired/losing hope. And then some entries I am tested and I find myself very together, and things are more crisp and clear...
        So after I figured I had gone about 6 miles I found a spot to lay down. It was pretty rough but it seemed a good choice for what was available. It was a driveway that went to a huge tower. It was all that was around. So I laid my sleeping bag down right next to the gate in some rocks. I laid down there on the sloped driveway and was very tired. It was pretty windy and the moon was extremely bright. So bright I could see everything around. I was still along the frontage road next to the freeway but there were no cars on the frontage, so I had a good feeling I wouldn't be seen there. I fell asleep around 11.

     

Day 119, July 31, 2012

  I woke up at about 7:30am. I felt the sun warming my sleeping bag. The weather said it was gonna be 106 today, so I planned to only walk a little in the morning and then stay cool during the hot part of the day.
       I got up and packed. I went back across the street to fill up my waters at the McDonald's. I left there around 8:15. It was about 10 miles to an exit just west of Tucumcari. After the exit it was pretty much bare desert for a while as far as I knew. So I started walking on I-40 and hoped to get there before it was gonna heat up.
         The walk was mostly uphill but I was really on a roll and pushing hard. I think I was going faster than normal since I had to get into a groove. I couldn't believe how fast I made the 10 miles. I came to the exit and there was a gas station/dairy queen in one. To get to it you had to cross a cattle guard. It was all bare desert rolling hills as far as you could see around there.
        I went in and it was about 11:30. I ordered a drink and sat in a booth where I found an outlet. It was a pretty small place and the employees were looking at me. I was hoping they didn't mind that I sat there all day.
          I ended up staying there and relaxing out of the heat. At around 6 I heard someone at the counter say "he rode here from Oregon". I looked outside and saw a guy on a bike. So I went out there to meet him. His name is Joe. He graduated from Oregon State and wanted to do something after college, so he decided to ride a bike across America to DC and making a stop in Oklahoma to visit a friend.
       We talked for about 2 hours! He was such a cool dude! He was really roughing it homeless too and we were able to relate on a very high level of how we experience living this way. It was really cool. Before he left we exchanged info and are able to message back and forth and stuff. I was so interested in his trip and how he has made it so far. I for sure wanted to keep up with him.
       We both left there as the sun was starting to set. I felt good and wanted to get a little night stretch in before calling it a night. I was gonna have to rough it along side of the highway, but I was willing to do that.
       I walked until it was about 10 where I was wanting to find a spot. There wasn't much around besides just a small piece of land off the shoulder before a barb wire fence was up about 15 feet off the highway. So I kept walking when finally I came to a dry creek. I saw it down a little slope with my flash light. So I rolled my cart down the slope through the weeds and grass. I was using my light to look at each step ahead incase of snakes or anything in the dead tall grass.
      When I got down to the dry creek it was actually not bad. It was pure sand and soft. There was a bridge where there were about 5 square concrete tubes going under the interstate. I flashed my light into one and it was clean and bare. I walked into it hunched down a bit. When I was under there it was way quieter. So I went back out and pushed my cart into it and it just fit perfectly. I pushed it about 10 ft in and then made my bed there right next to it. It was just wide enough to lay my sleeping bag across it in the soft sand. It turned out to be a good clean spot.
      Just when I laid down and was about to go to sleep around 10:30, I had a tweet from a man named Corey Brooks. He was also walking across America with a crew. He and his crew are raising money against violence and to build a big youth center in one of the most violent cities in America, south Chicago.
      Corey Brooks was nominated for an award in Vegas, so they were stopping their walk in St Louis MIssouri to head to the ceremony in Vegas, then they're headed back to continue the walk after the weekend. So he had tweeted me and said they were on their way down the 40 and wanted to stop and see me!
        I was so excited as I have followed their journey and love what they are doing. So I had to stay up a while and wait, but I didn't care. I stayed up until 2:15 when they had said they were getting close. So I put my reflective vest on and went up to the shoulder to wave them down. Before they got there a cop turned around on the interstate and came speeding back to me.
      The cop got out of his car and came up to me slowly. He asked what I was doing out there. Then I realized the truth I was about to tell him was going to sound insane. But I told him "I'm walking across America, and another group walking across America is coming to see me because they were on their way to Vegas to an award ceremony". He looked at me like I had just smoked a pound of crack. Mind you, it's 2:30am now. So then he asked for my license while still looking at me very weirdly. He took my license and told me to stay there.
        So about 2 minutes later, here comes this RV driving up with a huge wrap all around it saying they are walking across America. I was so happy they pulled up then so that the cop would see I wasn't just a clown lookalike crackhead standing on the interstate with a reflective orange vest on at 2:30 in the morning. This group of about 10 guys came walking back and one of them had a huge video camera. Then the cop came walking out like he was in a dream. I think he was really trippin.
       So we sat there on the side of the freeway and shared stories and what we are both enduring. It was really cool and we connected deeply. Even though I felt like a zombie and was exhausted, it was a great 30 minutes of visiting. The cop stood there the entire time just listening and he looked blown away. They said a prayer for me before leaving and it was a powerful experience. Corey is a person I look up to. Not so much his faith (although strong) but more of his dedication to helping communities with his sacrifice. I really see him and what he does as a model for what I would someday dream of doing. I hugged them before they left and they also gave me a shirt and a camel back. Very nice people.
       After they left the cop walked up to me, he then had a look of admiration. He shook my hand and said he really appreciated what I was doing. He then said to be safe and to be careful sleeping under the bridge. It was really cool to see how he went from being very unsure of me at first, to now having a powerful validation of my journey. It was awesome. He left then too.
        So there I was alone again at about 3:30am, maybe 4;00, I can't remember. I turned my flash light on and hiked back down the hillside. I hunched down back under the bridge and went to where my sleeping bag was laid out. I laid down and was extremely tired now. I fell right asleep.

   

Day 117, July 29, 2012

      

 I heard a door open next to me. I opened my eyes and saw one of the ladies who worked at the information center come out. She saw me and said hello. That instantly made me feel more comfortable. I said good morning. She walked around the building and looked to be going through the opening checklist and checking things. I rested my eyes again for a while.
         When I woke up I realized again I was in a new time zone. So I had gained an hour. So it was 7:30am. I got up slow and was really tired. I went inside to use their wifi and rest a little. I hung out there until 8:30. Then I filled up my waters there and hit the road.
          I walked about 3 miles on the interstate when I came to an exit where I could take the old route 66 from there that was a frontage to the freeway. I hopped on that road and started rolling. It was all uphill but I was grinding it out.
          There were hardly any cars on there but after a while a black car passed by. 5 minutes later they pulled up behind me and had turned around. A couple got out and asked if I was ok. They were from England and traveling around America on vacation. They talked to me for a while and then offered me two cold pepsis. They were on their way to Chicago. They were so nice and it was awesome that they wanted to come back and check on me!
         I continued. It was warming up and I had about 15 miles to go. I got on a roll and set a good pace. The walk was just open desert. Nothing at all around and very bare land. It was rolling hills and mostly an incline.
          I busted out 20 miles fast! I was happy with the pace. The last couple miles was tough as the heat really picked up and I could feel the heat in my skin. It feels like it warms all of you up and then when you're warm it just drains your energy from there.
          When I finally came to the village of San Jon NM, there was hardly anything there. Just a gas station with an Indian Resturant inside. I hid my cart behind the place by a shed. I went in and got a fountain drink and sat in a booth. It felt good to sit. I was still hot and there was a layer of dirt on my entire body.
       As I sat there recovering a bit the Indian guy who worked there walked up and gave me a plate. He said to help myself to the buffet. He was so nice and it blew me away! I was all smiles and I went and made a moderate plate full of Indian food. It was really good! Spicy and full of flavors! I sat there and that had lifted me up a little.
         About 30 minutes later a guy met me there. It was a guy who works for a company called parts unlimited (motorcycle parts). He had actually met me just east of dallas as I passed through there. He was a part of a crew who had heard about my journey and were keeping tabs on me. They travel for business a lot and have stopped to help me many times now. So awesome! He stayed and we talked about the journey a little. He follows it and he had a lot of thoughts too. That was very cool. After about 20 minutes or so he hit the road. Before he left he gave me $20 and shook my hand. He said he may pass me again at some point and stop in. I was very thankful for him stopping.  After he left I went to the Indian guy and offered to pay for the buffet with the $20, but he refused it. I said thank you to him again.
           I sat there until about 9. When I went out to my cart my front tire was flat. I put slime in it then pumped it up. As it became full it exploded! Loud! The tire came off the rim and I could see that the sidewall on the tire was falling apart. Wires stuck out of it and was likely pressing on the tube. So I changed the tire and tube with spares I had packed away.
         When I was all fixed and about ready to leave and find a homeless spot to camp, a big trucker came up on his way into the gas station and asked if I was homeless. I said yes. Then he asked where I was staying the night. I said I was gonna look around and find a spot. Then he offered for me to sleep in his truck cab with him. It was pretty forward and I had a weird vibe. I wouldn't do that even if it was a good vibe anyways. I told him no. He asked if I was sure and that there was plenty of room. I said I was sure. Then he said ok. Have a good night. It was weird.
          I walked down the road and searched for a place to stay. All that was around was a grass area and a fence down the street. It was a dead end road too and so I thought it would be good and no cars would come by. When I walked up to the fence I saw that it was a cemetery on the other side. Pretty creepy but since I'm in survival mode so deep now, that kind of thing has become less creepy and effective to steer me away from a good place to sleep. So I made my bed next to the fence there off the road maybe 30 feet. It was soft short grass and a good spot. If it wasn't there, it was sleeping in tall weeds where more animals were likely to be. So I laid down and fell asleep quickly. I can't explain how tired I have been getting from walking all day in heat. I was beat.

     

Day 116, July 28, 2012

 I woke up and the sun was shining down hard on my body. I opened my eyes and looked out into the bright open land. It was pretty windy and there was a coat of dust over all my stuff from the wind carrying dirt through the area. I got up and packed up. It was about 8:30.
         I got out onto the road and it headed west from there as I left the corner where I had slept. There were no cars or houses or anything in sight. I walked about 2 miles when I saw a sign that said pavement ends. I didn't feel too good about that.
        So there I was on a dirt road. I was about 18 miles from the new Mexico state line and it was gonna be a tough walk to get there. I had walked through the entire state of Texas and did not see one live snake! Not one. Even passing through areas where people said it was rattle snake country. Not even one glimpse of any. I liked that. And here I was on my last day in Texas, and as I walked down the dirt road, I see something move to my left near the bushes. As I look towards it, it was a snake! I was so pissed! I wanted to make it though the whole state snake free! So I walked up and sure enough, it was about a 5 foot rattler. I was upset and yelled at it a little, only since he ruined the not seeing any in Texas!
          I came to about the area where I was expecting the road to turn back north and head back towards the interstate 40. But all I saw was a cattle guard that went into a pasture where the road was rough. So I kept going. Then I checked my GPS again and I had gone past the area where I was supposed to turn. Then I thought, did my route seriously lead me into a pasture? I looked at the gps again and it appeared that way. I went back to it and just laughed. Are you serious?
         So I crossed over the cattle guard over bushes that grew out of it and hit a really rough and bumpy dirt path with cow hoof tracks everywhere. My cart was not rolling well on this dirt and I couldn't see the road too far ahead. I really hoped it went all the way through like the GPS said. I was too far now and turning back was a half days walk.
         I walked about 10 minutes down the path and then the trail went to a steep downhill slope! I was going down and really working hard to hold the weight of my cart pulling down hard! I came to a part of the road where there was about a 4 foot wash across the whole path. I couldn't believe it. I had to lift my cart and basically carry the thing across.
         I came to a valley where I was on the bottom of mountains on both sides. The dirt on the trail was sandy and deep. It was so deep at times that my tires were not even spinning. I was just pushing my cart through it sideways like it was a sled. My cart was really being pushed hard.
        When I began to climb back up there were more washes and ruts. I was having to man handle my cart uphill and was really working hard to keep it moving. When I got up the hill it was really pretty. I could see down and into the open. There were hawks flying around and it was silent. It was pretty hot also. I stood there to catch my breath and enjoy the scenery.
        When I was ready to go again I looked down and my rear tire was flat to the rim! So I lifted my cart and set the frame on my water jug. I put some slime into the tube and then spun the wheel, aired it back up with my hand pump, and was back on my way.
       I walked about another mile where the road was much smoother. Then finally it popped back out to the interstate! When I came out, just by coincidence there was a truck pulled off with a flat right at the place I came out. Another truck was pulled off and a guy helped this elderly lady to change her tire. They saw me walking out from there and looked at me like I was crazy. Where the road came out, there was a sign over the entrance that said it was a ranch. Very confused about the whole route there. But happy I was out of it.
        So from there, my GPS also showed a frontage road from there, but there was nothing. I was about 8 miles from the state line. So I just said screw it, and took the interstate. It was really starting to heat up now.
        I walked a few miles when a car pulled off. A guy and girl came out and said they were looking for me! They gave me some snacks and a water. They brought me a playboy magazine too and said they figured I was lonely haha. I laughed and thought it was funny. But that was extra weight and not a necessity so I planned to ditch it soon. Plus if I get searched it might not look too good and not give me a chance for the cops being cool. But it was cool they thought about my loneliness. I thanked them and they said good luck.
        The last 5 miles were really tough. I was very dehydrated and feeling the heat break me down. I was ready to get to the information center at the state line and cool down. I really pushed through the heat to get there. I honestly wasn't even that exited to cross the state line, but more for cooling down and resting. And to get water that was cooler than about 95 degrees. My waters were all hot from the sun.
        Finally there it was! The New Mexico state line! I then felt a little excitement. Made it out of Texas, the biggest state I will deal with. It was tough to get through but I was happy how fast I had made it!
       I came to the sign and stopped to take a picture. Then I crossed it and was ready to get inside the information center which was about 500 feet past it. Just was about 30 feet past the line, a car pulled off in front of me. There were a lot of cars pulling over there to take pictures since it was on the 40. So I figured these two guys were also just doing that.
         I noticed the driver got out very slow and was moving his hands slow and opening his fists to straighten his fingers with a good amount of effort. So as I walked past them I said hello. Then the driver looked at me and said they were there to see me. I was suprised! And happy! I shook their hands and said it was nice to meet them!
        The driver was slow to shake my hand and again it took a lot of effort. Then he explained his condition.
          His name is Will. He had heard about me through a friend in the motocross community. Roughly 4 years ago he was riding motocross when he swapped in a whoop section (big bumps you ride through that can throw you around) and the bike launched him off. When he landed he fell on his wrists, the fall had unfortunately paralyzed him from the neck down.
      He was in the hospital and his life had changed just like that. It has been a very long and hard road for Will. But he has worked very hard through the tough times to move forward. He has put a tremendous amount of effort into doing all he can to somehow rehab and begin to move little by little. First his toes and fingers. And as his friend Doyle described it "it was like being a baby all over again". He learned to move again. Then the movements grew from there into more movements. Then the muscles were becoming useful again little by little. After a lot of work and rehabing daily Wills work and dedication, and positive hopes had paid off. Will walked again.
       As will told me his story it really touched me. I also ride motocross along with a lot of my friends. And we are all at risk to be thrown into this kind of thing. And the strength will has shown to get back to where he is now really went deep on me. I can't imagine not only the physical struggles and trials, but mostly the mental roller coaster he has had to endure. Through all of that, he pulled through and works hard every day to become better. And now, he was walking with me. He stepped with me on a walk now that he could only have dreamed of before.
         Will said I was an inspiration to him and I cant even express how he was an unexpected gift to my spirit and how much he inspires my mind. He walked about a quarter miles with me. Taking breaks often and moving very slow. I had chills and I was honored to walk by his side. I see Will as a hero to many. What he has done to get to the point to be there with me taking steps, is amazing. Every step he took was much bigger than any step I could ever take. All the tough things I was dealing with as I approached the state line, the heat, dehydration, being worn out. It was all gone. Sucked away from the elevated mind set Wills story had lifted me to. I didn't feel any pain anymore. I felt chills and tingles of being moved by his will (ironic).
           We walked together to the information center where we had a chance to talk more. We sat inside and visited for about an hour and a half. He was such a grounded person and his stories were painful, but very powerful too. It was such a gift to me to have this experience and I'm not sure if he would understand that. It really lifted me up and I knew would last in my mind to help me get through struggles I would face. I was so thankful to God that he was sent my way.
         The information center closed at 5 when we left there. He and his friend had brought me a bag full of snacks for my travels. And gave me a Walmart gift card also. He came outside and took some pictures of me with my cart and stuff. We said goodbye and they were on their way. Great day!
          After they left I laid down outside the building next to an outlet. I laid there and relaxed as the sun set. I met a guy who was walking his dog around for a rest stop from driving. He was on his way to Monterey CA and was moving there from South Carolina. He hungout and talked with me for a few minutes. He was a nice guy. Before he left he said he didn't have much but he gave me a dollar. I didn't ask him for anything, he probably wanted to help since I look exactly like a dirty hobo and was laying on the floor. If it was more than a buck I wouldn't have taken it, but I thought ya I guess I'll take a dollar. He got my information and then hit the road. Sometimes I struggle to tell people what I'm doing. I want to share my story and how cool it has been to have made it from starting with nothing. But a lot of times I don't want to tell them because I don't want them to think I say that on purpose to make them feel the need to give me money. It's a tricky situation and mostly just avoid telling them the part about starting with no money. But since that is one of the big parts of the power of this trip I sometimes share it. But after all I give so much money away that I am still ok with the few times that I have been given money at those times.
          After that I sat there til about 9. Then I picked my stuff up and walked to the back of the property and made my bed right behind a row of dumpsters. I fell asleep pretty quick from being so drained.
          At around 3am I rolled over and as I rolled I planted my arm a bunch of thorns stuck into it! Ouch! There were about 10 deep in there. I got my flashlight and picked them out and blood ran out of some of the deeper holes they punctured. I could see then that I was laying in and around a bunch of them. They were all stuck to my sleeping bag too. So I got up. I was so tired. But I threw my stuff in my cart and moved back to the building. I shook my bag out and then laid it down on the concrete next to the wall of the building. I laid on top of it. I used my backpack as a pillow and my jacket as a blanket. I fell asleep at around 3:30 again. I woke up frequently as big rigs pulled in often and the entrance was right off the curb I was laying next to. Rough night of trying to rest.