Day 11 - Thursday, April 1
Day 11 and I’m up at 3:51am. What happened to Sparta, GA and Hancock County which was named for THE John Hancock in 1793, President of Continental Congress and first man to sign Declaration of Independence as well as home to 4 governors of Georgia? It is plain to see the buildings and homes have wonderful architecture but are deserted, boarded up. The Z estimate (Zillow) on a landmark home (40 Monument Square, Sparta GA) in prime location on monument square is $70,900!?! As I head away from my home on the coast where real estate is through the roof, heading inward of our great country another story is unfolding…
The right shin is feeling stable, definitely not worse than Monday - 5 out of 10, so I’m optimistic about staying on Plan B today and knocking out / walking 26+ miles to Greensboro, GA. While the route today will be on a road with no shoulder and traffic, we are approaching what should be a very pretty few days as we approach the Oconee National Forest and the Scull Shoals Experimental Forest.
Reality is different. Three days ago I made 13 miles and felt pain. Two days ago i made 10 and today i had agonizing pain (9 of 10) at mile 8. I thought it was over and called Alex to meet up early. Ice, rest and another shot left me hobbled within a mile of leaving Alex and then i thought i felt something snap and i yelled out in pain and fell down. Sitting in the street I was sure it was over and then a moment later i stood up and kind of felt ok! I marched/limped/crawled for the next 17 miles and somehow I finished the day no worse than when i started. Still in the game!
Alex has the RV operating smoothly now. Since we are not stopping at RV parks every day, there are a number of issues that we need to stay on top of or risk failure such as managing the water, waste - although on this front neither of us has gone #2 yet in the head, generator maintenance, supplies, fuel, propane and more. And, we have gotten to the point where we know what each other can do well - if i start to touch something mechanical, he immediately takes it away from me and does it in a second!
I saw my first shooting star on the trip at around 5:45am on a lonely country road and it traced the line of the Big Dipper - absolutely beautiful.
As i walked across the top of a mountain ridge, I had not spoken to a person all day and there is a solitary home with an elder gentlemen sitting at his front door. I asked him how far to Greensboro and with a thick Georgian accent he told me about 12 miles. I noticed he wore a marine hat and asked if he had served and was surprised to hear he was a Vietnam vet who had been shot three times. Dan is 73 and a lively, pragmatic man who has strong views that he graciously shared with me on today’s interview.
Our day ends with a surprise visit from Jacqueline & Yash celebrating combo birthday/anniversary on their way to a week celebration in the area so they dropped in to say hi at our nightly hookup at Lake Oconee KOA. They were kind enough to bring a nice bottle of Silver Ghost Cabernet which we enjoyed with cashews, Brie cheese and chocolate. I am sure i will be seeing them again in the next few days…Happy Birthday Jacqueline and Happy Anniversary!!
Anything can happen with one good nights sleep -
Huge thanks for the support.
Cheers.
