Day 34 – 21.5 miles – 481 total

We woke up around 5 am and packed up quick and left the building we were staying in before anyone else was up. We headed straight to the spot where we ended our walk yesterday to continue from there. We loaded down our carts with everything we needed for about 4 days since we wouldn’t be seeing our car again until Jacksonville. I have a sister who lives there and she will be helping us as we pass through.

We watched the sun rise as we were packing up and then we got started walking. It was a beautiful day. We were on a sidewalk on A1A and could see the beach all morning. The waves were great for surfing. I considered blowing up my sleeping pad and trying to ride some in.

I was crossing a side street and a driver was waiting to turn. We both did the “you go ahead” thing and I budged first and jogged ahead while waving a thank you to him. A few minutes later he came back and pulled over to talk. He read my sign while i was crossing and he wanted to hear the story.

So i told him. He knew many people who had died from overdose deaths including his dad. Blake shook my hand and wished me well. He showed his utmost respect for what I was doing. It was very nice of him and I was very grateful for it.

Miles of lovely beachside walking later, we were getting hungry and passed by a tiny little sandwich shop called Beach Belly Bob’s in Flagler Beach. It was excellent and the service was even better. We talked to the staff and all the patrons about what we were doing and it led to a long conversation about the state of the crisis and ways that we can improve. It was perfect.

So was Flagler Beach. Beautiful scenery and amazing people. Everytime we passed a restaurant all the people who saw us would wave and smile at us. One group even gave us a standing ovation as we went by. It made me feel awkward because I didn’t know how to respond to that but it also lifted my spirits a lot. Flagler Beach was great!

We walked and walked and walked. 21.5 miles and we found a good spot to call it a day. A Publix grocery store. There were some woods behind it where we could set up camp later when it got dark and there was a picnic table for us to sit at while we waited for that to happen.

We went in one at a time to buy dinner. That way one person could watch the gear and Domino and we wouldn’t have to worry about either. Stick went first and then i went in. I bought a big fried chicken plate with mac n cheese and fried okra that was on sale and i also bought a pint of vanilla ice cream and a 32 oz root beer. I made a root beer float with that lol. I ate it all and could’ve still eaten more. I decided not to though. Instead i drank a lot of water and got properly hydrated. It was a hot day.

After the junk food settled I had to make a run for the restroom. I’ll spare you those details but while I was in there I found a wallet. I walked up to the customer service counter and waited because the clerk was on the phone. Then I overheard him say, “no one turned anything in” and I jumped in and said “are you talking about a wallet?”

A woman who was playing lottery and was listening in turned around and smiled as I handed over the wallet while the clerk was telling the guy that his wallet had been found. I was grateful for the opportunity to help someone out since so many people have been helping me.

We went out to the woods during sunset and started setting up camp. This is definitely a spot where we’re likely to encounter coyotes, racoons, possums, armadillos, or other little things like that. I made sure I stored my food appropriately and did a little ring of pee around my tent and Lieutenant Dan. I was proud that I got it all in one go. No telling if that actually keeps anything away but it’s fun and I never had any critters bother me anytime that I did it on my last walk so it can’t hurt haha.

Anyways, off to bed. We will hit 500 miles tomorrow so we’re excited about that. Buenos noches!