The day began on a down note for Lucky as he was not able to eat his food and this is big concern. We are hoping that the 2-3 day window after the big chemo round is all it is and he will regain his mojo soon. Same time, we were energized to make the trek from small Murrayville to the adorable town of Dahlonega GA which was 13 miles away. Lore has it that it was in Dahlonega that the phrase “There’s Gold in them there hills” was coined as its gold rush came before the one in California.. The name itself derives from the Cherokee word referring to the yellow color of gold.

Chris found a public parking lot across from a Church and set up base camp a block away from the village square - perfect real estate. After i finished the run around noon, i came out in a towel to hang my washed clothes and someone walked up to us from a house that overlooks the lot. Tommy moved here from the coast after visiting he decided 20 years ago this was the spot for him. He explained to us in an interview.

Lucky was the superstar at the Starbucks in town. The big mooch made friends with the Barrista’s and they gave him a “Puppacino” which was basically a big bowl of fresh whipped cream. Chris and I were working on plans and realized Lucky had disappeared 30 minutes later…. We found him behind the bar getting another one. And then another one. And then he made friends with Terri who sat on the floor with him and talked with him like a child and he was very, very happy. Back at the RV, he ate all his food for first time in a few days so something changed - thank you Terri and everyone at the Starbucks for your kindness; it made a difference.

Today marks the end of what I considered my transition stage - going from Jacksonville Beach to Dahlonega which would be a lot of busy roadways and rural areas. Tomorrow will begin the journey to the Pacific using National HIstorical Trails beginning with the ascent to Gooch Gap and then onto the famous Appalachian Trail. More on that tomorrow as it will require serious logistics.

All for now, thanks for the support!

Cheers,

David.