Day 19 – 21.5 miles

We got a late start this morning and I was a little bitter about it at first. I got over it quickly though once I started walking. There was too much good happening all around me to let something so small ruin the day. I was happy as I’ve ever been. We were walking through some incredibly beautiful neighborhoods. Lots of retirees were out on their morning gossip walks. I said good morning to them all with a smile on my face. Looking abolutely insane as I pushed a crazy looking jogging stroller down richville U.S.A. Loved every second of it.

We had to cross over a bridge to get to U.S. 1 instead of A1A. There was a section of A1A that we couldn’t walk on so we switched to the parallel U.S. 1. This highway isn’t on the beach but it has more resources as far as convenient stores and restaurants.

We came across 3 people sitting on a ledge and they talked to us when they saw our carts. They wanted to know what we were doing. They looked like they may have been homeless or getting close to it. They all had smiles and joy though. We talked and talked and the woman of the crew, Lisa Marie, was asking about all of the flare items I have on my pushcart, which I have named Lieutenant Dan. I have collected many items that people have given me in my travels and I place them proudly on Lieutenant Dan.

She reached up to her ear and pulled out her earring, a heart-shaped cz. She wanted me to have it. She had lost the other one anyways and laughed as she said it. It was still very special to me. Everytime I look down and see it, I will remember sweet Lisa Marie.

We walked through almost all of Palm Beach County. There was a lot to look at while going 3 mph. Some of the nicest houses, boats, and cars in the world. Also a lot of signs of drugs. In both the good and the bad areas. I just try to focus on the fact that where there are drugs, there are also recovery communities where people are trying to get better. I like to focus on the positive.

When we got to West Palm Beach, I started to get concerned about not having a place to stay for the night yet. We had a few options but none of them were looking good. We came together as a team and worked through it as a unit. Meghan came through with a connection to a friend in the area that we would be stopping. Her friend agreed to let us stay. So awesome. I still had about 8 miles to go but I was happy that I didn’t have to worry about where I will be sleeping.

I got a phone call from a guy we met yesterday named Alan. He was the man who was wanted to walk from Fort Lauderdale to Long Island. He wanted to join us for a few miles so I told him where to meet us. He was great company. He has lost a sibling as well. He shared stories and I told him tips and tricks on what a cross country trek entails. It was a pleasure to share a part of this journey with him.

Not much longer and we were at our destination. Stick and I were the first to arrive. We met our hosts and they were incredible and so was their house. They were so kind and accommodating. They had pulled pork burritos waiting for us, a pool, a shower, everything else you can think of. Super nice.

Stick and I were easy. We just wanted a chair in the shade. They were getting ready to go out on a Valentine’s Day date and we didn’t want to impose on that. We kept saying that we were good but they insisted to show us everything that we needed to be more comfortable. Unreal.

They left and then Meghan and Allison arrived and got comfortable and ate dinner and whatnot. Then the hosts came back home and we all sat around and had a fun conversation with each other for hours. Then the yawns started and we retreated to our sleeping spots. Abhay arrived around that time and settled in as well.

Great day. We are going to try to walk a marathon distance of 26.2 miles tomorrow. Mainly for fun but also because we need to make some ground to stay on schedule. We’ll see how it goes!……