We slept in a little bit so that we would still be there when my cousins woke up so that we could say goodbye to them. I really enjoyed spending time with Emory and Cooper while we stayed at their house for a week. My aunt, uncle, and grandmother too. It’s always good to see them and it was such a huge help to us for getting through New York City. We said our goodbyes and took a picture and then Stick, Domino, and I packed our car and drove away.
We had a drive that took a little over an hour to get to New Rochelle, NY. That is where we ended yesterday. We drove to our spot and unloaded our carts. Stick and Domino waited there while I drove the car up ahead and rode the train back. This way we could have our car at the end of the day today.
We didn’t get started until around noon. A very late start for our normal routine. It was ok though. The city is behind us. That was a big obstacle as far as logistics go.
While we were walking we noticed people honking and waving and stopping to say hey. Many of them had seen us on the news. They all knew exactly what we were walking for which was great. It means the news story did it’s job.
The coast of New York had some awesome towns. Beautiful scenery and lots of nice houses. We stopped at a market/deli in a town called Rye. We stopped there right as high school was getting out so we had to deal with kids running around everywhere but we finally got our sandwiches and went outside to eat. The kids were all over Domino. She didn’t mind of course. I didn’t either. I used the opportunity to talk to the kids about our walk and why we are doing it. I kept it soft but it was strong enough for them make them think.
A few of the parents started pulling up one by one to pick their kids up. I guess hanging out at the market is a normal thing for the kids. Some of the parents came out to talk to us and were very supportive. A few of them gave donations and thanked us for talking to the kids. A store clerk (possibly the owner) came out to see what we were up to. She loved it. She pulled me to the side and said that her 22 year old son has lost 8 of his friends to overdose in this town. The town is so nice. I was heartbroken to hear that it has been hit so hard. She gave us a $100 donation to Freedom to Grow.
After the amazing sandwiches and all the fun in the parking lot, we moved on and got closer and closer to Connecticut. And just like that, we crossed into our 11th state. Connecticut looks exactly liked I had imagined that it would. Big square houses on rolling hills, stone walls, sailboats, and everything looking a little waterlogged. We could see the big body of water and Long Island on the other side. It was really beautiful and so were the people.
Nice people were coming our way a lot today. It made us very happy. We never went very far without someone honking, waving, or pulling over to talk to us. One guy even chased us down to give us cold drinks from his store. So awesome.
We made it to our car, loaded up, and then headed to a wal-mart about 12 miles away to see if we could camp there. It is usually a sureshot. Unfortunately, this Wal-mart was a no go. We had to do some searching. We are both pretty good at finding camping spots at this point. There are two ways to go about this. One is stealth camping. That is where you find a spot and try to stay hidden, hoping that no one spots you at night. It works when necessary. I did it a lot on my last walk.
The other way is to ask people for permission. Being that we are in such a populated area with all kinds of businesses, we decided that this would be best. If someone said no, there were plenty of other people to ask. We drove around and looked for places that would work for us. We found a spot behind a Kohl’s. We parked and went in to ask for the manager. Stick took the lead on this one and asked him if we could set up our tents for the night. The manager was cool as hell and said it was no problem and told us that we could come in and use the restrooms until they close at 11 pm. I love cool people!
We thanked him and went to go grab some dinner and unwind from the day. Then set up our tents in our perfect spot with permission. We even saw a hobo sign saying that someone has camped here safely before. Pretty damn cool.
Gonna get a great sleep tonight!! 🙂
So happy you made it out of New York City safely.
Hi Brett and Stick! My father and I saw you two yesterday and pulled over to ask about your journey as you were passing through the Town of Mamaroneck, NY. I’m sorry that in such haste we didn’t contribute to your cause. We want you to know that we will be donating online today. This crisis is so large across our country and in each of these small communities that you are passing through. My 22 year old son has had three friends overdose in the past two years. It is very bold, courageous and loving of you to not only pay tribute to your sisters legacy but to also help educate and deter others from following the same path. We send you our blessings for safe travels and for following your hearts purpose 💜
Thank you so much for taking the time to find my blog and for contributing to our cause. And thanks to your father for stopping to talk to us! It always lightens the weight on our feet when someone stops to say hello 🙂
Everything is impermanent. There is always a before and after. Someday this scourge will be behind us and you will have played a huge role in putting it there.