A hot and humid morning. We were sweating before 9 am. We pushed through Milford and down along the shoreline. Beautiful beaches and homes was our scenery. Bike paths and sidewalks were laid out for us to enjoy.
A woman pulled over and said she heard about us and had to meet us. She runs Milford Prevention Organization. They have a lot of drug prevention billboards posted in town and they do a lot of work with kids in hopes that they will get the early education about the dangers of drug use. A critical part of fighting this epidemic. It was an honor to meet her.
Shortly after, we were met by a reporter with channel 8 news in Connecticut. She did an interview on the side of the road and we were pleased with her dedication to wanting to get the word out about our cause. Things were looking good.
The heat was a big obstacle though. Hydration was the main focus for all of us today. We’re conditioned to handle it but it definitely slowed us down a bit. The kindness of total strangers kept us going though, as always.
We would get stopped periodically and get offered cold waters and snacks. A woman named Lori who had been wanting to meet us for a long time came and brought so many healthy snacks. It was awesome to talk to her. I’m so glad that we were able to make it work.
A man named Mark saw us pass by his store and chased us down to have us come in for waters and a snack. He has an upscale catering business and we talked for quite a while. Great guy. We took a photo with the whole staff and hung out telling stories for a few minutes before getting back to the walk.
We had some serious hills at the end of our day and we were being fueled by simply wanting to be done. We made it to a walmart where we had planned on camping at. We went in to ask the manager, which usually is fine, and she wasn’t having it. Damn.
We went outside to sit in the shade and figure out another option. A man on a bicycle with a trailer and a U.S. and a Marine flag rolled up. He was cycling all over the country relying on the kindness of others. He had jokes. Humor seemed to be his way of getting by. We enjoyed meeting him and swapping stories of travels. We thanked him for his service and like a true Marine he responded, “it was worth it for your Freedom.”
We said goodbye and went our different ways. We still had to find a place to set up the tents. We walked for another mile before scouting out a great spot that would suit us for the night. Right across the street from a Chipotle. Boom.
We set up and then grabbed dinner and ate together as the sun set. Great end to the day. We are really enjoying Connecticut and are looking forward to walking another 20 miles or so of it tomorrow!
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