It rained last night but my tent held up well. Nothing was wet other than the rainfly. We took advantage of the unlocked bathroom and got ready for the day in there. It’s always nice to have a sink and a mirror (and a toilet) to start the day. It’s the little things that you learn to appreciate on a quest like this.
We were walking before 7:30. We had to go over a bridge and we were on Amelia Island. I have vacationed here before and loved it. Walking through it was awesome. Paved bike paths with beautiful canopies of spanish oaks were available to us. People were very friendly. We talked to nearly everyone who passed by.
One woman stopped to see what we were doing and her eyes lit up when we told her. Her fiance works on the trail committee in town and is also a big advocate for combatting the opioid crisis. We gave her our contact info and said that we would love to meet him.
He pulled up in his car in less than 10 minutes and came to greet us with trail maps and friendly conversation. He offered to let us grab showers and a meal in his home, but we had to regrettably refuse as we had to keep pushing. We very much enjoyed meeting them and I hope to stay in touch.
Shortly after, we stopped at a gas station because Stick wanted his daily dose of chocolate milk. I grabbed some snacks since we were there. The clerks came out and were talking to us because they saw the “overdose awareness” on my cart.
Between 2 women, they have lost 10 people in the last few months to drug overdose deaths. They said a bad batch came through the area in January and really took a toll. It was so sad but they were glad to see us out there trying to do something about it.
Before we could leave, another person came up to talk to us. He said his son was struggling but has been doing great for about a year now. We needed that story of recovery right then. It helped bring hope back into our hearts after hearing about the bad batch.
It really was a great morning. The trails were amazing and so were the people. Amelia Island was short lived on our walk but we really connected and made great memories while we were there. And then all hell broke loose.
Once we got out of the trees in Amelia Island we were getting hit hard by strong headwinds. Traffic was a nightmare too. A construction zone that blocked the bike lane made things nearly impossible. Nearly.
We pushed through but it sucked. The miles were hard fought for and we were getting discouraged. We forced our way forward and made it to a fast food restaurant to get out of the wind and to get some food. We considered stopping there for the day. We had gone 16 miles at that point and it would’ve been easy to find a place to pop our tents up.
We thought it over but after resting for a bit we decided to push for another 3 miles and get to a cheap motel that we found on the map. We decided that we would use the cash donations that we have been receiving for half of the cost of the room and then Stick and I would split the other half. It seemed like a fair way to do it.
We headed back out and we thought we were passed the construction but it popped back up and we were screwed. We had no choice but to wait for a break in traffic and make a mad dash down the center of the lane to try and beat the oncoming traffic. There were two lanes so cars had a lane to shift into to avoid us but traffic was heavy. Our sprint was probably about 80 yards back to a safe shoulder. We waited for the last car and dashed out there.
I turned on my turbo and took the lead. The cars were coming too fast and we had nowhere to go. I was running as fast as I could and waving my hands and jumping up and down. People didn’t know what to do. Slowing down and/or moving into the other lane apparently were the last thing on some of their minds.
I don’t know how we made it, but we did. It was not the best move we’ve done. We sat and caught our breath and shook off the trauma of a near death experience and then continued. We had nothing else to do but to keep going.
Thankfully, the construction ended after that and a sidewalk appeared. We were back to safety but still had to battle the wind. Just when things were getting bad, the most amazing thing happened.
A woman pulled over and got out and addressed me by my name. Pat and her granddaughter Lexi watched along as I did my last walk and have also been watching this walk. They came to meet us when they saw we were near them. They showed us both that what we were doing mattered to people and they couldn’t have been a better time to tell us these things. Stick and I were both getting emotional. Pat gave us some money for dinner before leaving. Our hearts were lifted and we found the strength to finish the day with ease after that.
We made it to the hotel and were glad that we got the room instead of camped. We felt like we earned four walls tonight. After settling in and cleaning up we went out for that dinner and waddled back to the room to lay in bed and watch hockey and not think about anything.
I cleaned Domino’s ears out and took her outside and that was it for me. Blog is done and now I can lay here and do nothing!
Good night.
To say you had a harrowing hike yesterday is putting it mild. If my heart was beating while reading this, I cannot imagine your poor mother’s heart! ❤️
I tried for two days to get from you where you thought you would be staying overnight, because I wanted to get a room for you. I know it’s hard to pick an exact
city. But you must have a guesstimate if let’s say you walk 19 miles. I can understand you being hush about it in some ways. You can always message me.
Sometimes I have the money and sometimes I don’t. So the next time I ask you what city you think you’ll be in, plaese answer.
When does the camping start where your away from civilization. That’s when I will send the next goody box. DO YOU GUYS LIKE SPICY STUFF. HOW WAS THE BEEF JERKY. I NEED TO KNOW , SO I CAN PLACE AN ORDER.
Ok enough of me. It’s 8:39 in Mich. so I imagine you have been on the same road awhile.
Be safe.❤️👣👣🐾🐾🙏🏻