Day 14 - Sunday, April 4
Happy Easter to those who celebrate. A friend whom I greatly respect sent me a note, “Easter is a day replete with promise and renewal” and with those words in mind I start my day waking up 5:16am and already looking forward to the journey today as I have two special guest joining on the route - Yash will be walking the 22 mile route to Gainesville GA and Jacqueline will supporting the effort. Shin feels the same as yesterday, tight and hurting in the morning but i know to reserve judgement until i start working it.
SUNRISE EASTER SERVICE: Leaving our overnight spot in the parking lot of Los Vacqueros we headed north towards Gainesville on a milder morning with temp of high 30’s and starry sky. Jacqueline & Yash, celebrating their anniversary decided to join us for the walk and she dropped off Yash at 7am to accommodate my usual launch between 6-7am. A short few hundred yards out Lucky is on high alert when we notice a pack of deer in the woods a hundred yards away. I say “free” and he bolts like the hell hound in Gladiator and closes the distance in a few seconds only to come up short. Yash told me how will he come back and I yelled “come” hoping it would work...it did. Crossing a quaint town square with a doughnuts and coffee store that was sadly closed, we reached the top of the hill in the town and saw a beautiful outdoor sunrise Easter service concluding in front of the crosses. An Indian and a Jew walk into an Easter service...and we are welcomed with open arms. Kind, warm people share stories with us about the town. Steve Kinney, a 31 year member of the City Council shares stories on the town and the importance of the day. Others come and go into our conversation but Yash and I will never forget the gentlemen who came in late and asked where we were from - told him Florida - everyone we meet is a Georgia Bulldog fan - he tells us, “you may be a Gator but your mommas a Dog”!
GOOGLE AND THE HIDDEN TRAIL: Leaving town we pass by a steam locomotive that was operated by the Gainesville Midland Railroad in 1907 and gifted to the town. I have used Google maps for daily directions by foot and it told us to go off the main road onto a small dirt road. Yash and I both thought this must be a dead end. We followed a fence to a beautiful White House and right before we turned to go back we notice the trail/road continue into the woods. And, it turned out to be a long lost road, with houses along it, all overgrown by years of neglect and ending in a bridge over a river that could only be crossed by jumping over rotted logs. It was wonderful to be in the woods and off the busy roads, thank you Google!
DOG ALERT: Yash experienced a day in the life of. First RV break at 8 miles - ice shin, snack, shed clothes and move on. A police officer pulled over along the route to let us know we should not be walking in the middle of the road. Not for our safety but because people complain about walkers in the middle of the road. Lucky, Yash and I had no idea what to do as there was no shoulder and no place to walk. Yash is not comfortable with dogs. There are a lot of dogs on rural roads in Georgia. A big dog came at us, I turned and screamed at the dog looking him in the eyes and he retreated. Every house we passed seem to have a guard dog or three. RV stop number two and I make 2 Nespresso coffee w milk and sugar and introduce Yash to Dave’s whole grain toast w butter, preserves and Brie cheese. Think he is sold on the RV support!
7 STAR FLAG: Yash and I are talking deeply about partners, companionship and the importance. We come upon a graveyard and I love graveyards, so we walk in. The first tombstone we come upon passed a graveyard that had many flags with seven stars in a circle on the graves. The first tombstone reads, “Fannie wife of JW Martin, Feb 10, 1865 - June 11, 1931. A tender mother and faithful friend.” We also notice so many flags with 7 stars near the graves of people who lived in the 1800’s. Turns out this was the original Confederate States of America flag for the first seven states that seceded; South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
ENERGY: One of the primary drivers of this journey is visiting my 104 year old grandmother and her two daughters - my mother and aunt - who live in Carmichael, California. We now have Eskaton Village, their home, fully on board with every step of the journey and the energy that flows from them is a constant tailwind in my journey. Thank you all!
SURPRISE!: On a busy road into Gainesville a mini van comes honking at Yash and I. Jumping out of the van is Jim, Stacey and the kids to say hello on their way back from family trip! I can’t thank you enough for the turbo boost of great energy!!
CONVERSION THERAPY: Yash and I are testing out my theory that drivers are zoned out normally and many are angry drivers. I posit that if I wave at one of them and smile, i can connect and in that instant give them a single unit of happiness that will change behavior. We can confirm an outcome by seeing the drivers wave at us. So we count the episodes as we wave at oncoming cars and trucks. Waving and smiling at oncoming vehicles gets a 90%+ rate of success! Yash coins this my “conversion therapy”.
Our day concludes with a meal at Longhorn Steakhouse, one of the only restaurants open on Easter. Great onion rings - easy to eat pieces that are salted and peppered to perfection. I had a solid well done bacon cheeseburger with cheddar and Brussels sprout side with a Sam Adams lager. I’m satisfied! Almost, how can i resist a bowl of ice cream overlooking the sunset with the lapping waves and cool breeze on the lake at River Forks Park where we are camped for the night. And, a little bourbon as well to wash down the ice cream.
Tomorrow Alex and I head to Athens for an MRI to confirm nothing serious in the shin which is stable at this point - can walk/limp with pain, can’t run but not getting worse. Afterwards we will return to Gainesville and plan our final launch to end Chapter 1 of the journey in Dahlonega.
Thank you for your support.
Cheers.
