Current location: St. Francis Ks....Way back to leaving Price, UT. The next day I went about 6 miles to Helper still without any idea whether it would be safe enough to go to the next town past there. I stopped into a church there for a bit to charge my phone and try to figure out where I would end up. Guess I was there too long for the Priest there screamed at me to leave already. I continued on and found a motel and decided to spend the night there and figure out where to go. I stayed at the Riverside Motel where the owner Maxine gave me a great deal as her life had been affected by organ donation as she lost a cousin whom helped others with organ donation and it was a big step for her to register.
I stopped into a restaurant there called Balance Rock where I met a couple who were big Bruce Springsteen fans and they really liked what I was doing and when I wnet to pay I found out they had bought it for me. Their name's sadly escape me and I can't find them in my journal but it meant a lot to me. While there I also inquired about the road ahead towards Duchesne. The waitress there made some calls for me and found out it was safe enough to go through on foot.
The next morning I went towards Duchesne and after the 2,000 ft climb up to the top I met an officer Miranda who told me I really should make it to Duchesne before resting, about 46 miles. She also gave me a couple of gatorades, and some snacks and told me I could sleep in the park by Duchesne.
When I started the run down the other side was really when the smoke started. I have never seen anything like the smoke when I really hit closer to the fires. I did not see any flames but the smoke enveloped everything in a white haze and blotted out the sun. When the sun was visible the smoke made it look blood red. It may have been a little excessive but I had gotten a bandanna in Price so I tied it over my mouth for a it of the way down. I also met several of the firefighters fighting the fire, whom I thanked for their hard work which has meant 16 hour days for many of them. They also gave me some cold water and I met one firefighter who' s daughter had a double lung transplant.
When I woke up I started through the middle of town and found a library which hadn't opened yet, but I saw a woman, Sue outside and asked if there was an outlet outside I could charge my phone at. She let me into the library early, gave me some drinks and snacks and let me use the computers. After this I headed towards Roosevelt, plenty of clouds this day so it was not brutally hot. This road I will always remember for having a huge amount of roadkill along the way. It was a busy road so I do see why there would be but pretty nasty. Roosevelt was a strange place. When I got there I saw a girl in a car outside of a church so I went to ask her if it was possible for me to sleep outside of it and she said she didn't know and after finding the doors on the church locked and knocking to see, I headed towards a different one.
Later after getting some Subway I headed towards a couple that seemed promising ad it was dark and I could just go to the back, sleep, and be up before anyone knew I had been there. On the way to them I was stopped by the police who had earlier in the day received a call that I had been going through cars stealing things. I told them what I was doing and they quickly realized how ridiculous the phone call was. they asked where I was sleeping which I told them and they told me to be safe, so I wnt to the church and found a spot in the back behind some wood and went to sleep.
Headed towards Vernal in the morning, which was hot as a cloudless sky emerged. When I got to Vernal I stopped outside a Wendy's and went in after four people, at least one of whom recognized me from the road. They offered to buy me dinner and I told them they didn't have to but they wanted to and I sat with them and we talked and I got to know them a bit. I asked about places to camp near there and eventually they told me where to go. It was shortly after this that for whatever reason one of the women got agitated and clearly showed she wanted to go. I quickly finished eating at this point and said goodbye to three of the four while the last woman was already out the door. (It is deemed in me to be honest about what happened, and while not critical, open to show the full story as best I can.)
Next I went to Dinosaur and entered into Colorado. Iy was so cool to enter there and I took a picture just as I turned around the curve into the state. I completely understand why it is called Colorful Colorado. At Dinosaur I found out they have a park with SHOWERS! which I could camp at. Such an awesome thing to find. After leaving Dinosaur I knew it would be a long day as it was 57 miles to the next town with any sort of convenience store. There was a town midway there which and a camp area and restaurant, but, getting there in the middle of the day and finding no one I knew the best thing was to just push on. I made it there very late at night, but was glad to find the park there had showers as well, tossed my shoes (had a backup pair) because my legs were extremely sore, and went to sleep.
In the morning I met two people from Philadelphia who were biking across America to San Francisco. From there I went to Net's cafe in town where owners George and Jeanette wouldn't let me pay for the meal and said I was good to go. On the run that day towards Craig, I met Dobias who was biking east across America. He told me that he often knocked on people's doors and just asked them to camp in the yard. A bold move, but Dobias said he and his friend had about an 80% success rate and doesn't think they've been told no more than once in a row. In Craig I found a chrch that was open so I went inside to find someone to ask if I could stay by there, couldn't find anyone but when I went outside I saw a couple of kids so I asked if they knew the pastor, which they replied he was out of town but their mom (His wife) was here. I knoced on their door and she let me stay in a youth building they had right by there which had a shower and a couch where I slept.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Post Gunnison to Price UT
Huge thanks to Kim Cameron for letting me use her computer! She interviewed me here in Kremmling CO today.
Backtrack to Gunnison UT. When I was in Gunnison I learned that the roads ahead were closed due to 8 forest firest in Utah in one week. The options I was given were either to go North and wait on a 10 percent contained fire that had shut the road past there or reroute west enough to head north, both of which would have cost days. Felt that these were not my best options so I asked around and found out I could head to Mayfield and from there I could cut through the Manti LasSal forest to Ferron UT. This felt like my best option. I then headed to Mayfield camped out on the outskirts of the forest and early the next day headed up Twelve-Mile towards Skyline. This was one of the hardest days I had as it climbed over 4,000 feet from where I was to up over Skyline Drive. During stretches I maybe covered a mile an hour of a step above a crawl. Once I got nearer the top people kept stopping to see if I needed a ride and when I told them what I was doing and where I had come from on just that day they all were very impressed. When I got near the top a forest ranger told me that I could get a shower at a place a few miles further down which I took full advantage of. A couple miles later I set up the tent and passed out exhausted.
The next day I made it to Ferron and stopped into the Grub Grill ready to DEVOUR a huge meal. They did not have a credit system set up and so I had to run to the bank to take out cash. My PIN wasn't working so I cam back to apologize that I couldn't get out cahs, but the woman who saw what I was doing with my stroller left there said she wanted to give it to me for free and a couple of other women there had jumped to give me money when they saw I came back without any. Just after going to the grocery store I saw a lot of people arriving at a church for something so I felt like it was right to go in, so I went in for a service and afterwards was invited to the Stotler's to have a place to camp, shower, do laundry, and have a good breakfast. I had a great experience with them and found we have a lot in common.They helped me tremendously. The next day I found out that there was construction that blocked the road pretty badly so Gerry Stotler went up there with me and talekd to them. A woman gave me a vest when she found out I had lost mine in Zion. I was then piloted (they led me while I ran behind) through the construction by one of the construction vehicles in the closed lane. Felt pretty badass not gonna lie, but I went as quickly as possible to not hold anyone up. At Castledale I was interviewed about the run and met a woman Kaylee who also had two kidney transplants. There I was approached by Terry Fonville who gave me a Subway giftcard and has continued to give words of encouragement. He also told me to meet him at their Church for dinner that night.
A few hours later I made it to the Desert Edge Christian Chapel in Huntington for a great spaghetti dinner, where I was invited back to a woman, Judy's for a quick shower before returning to the church to sleep there for the night Jerry and Gerry Stotler also met me for dinner there and I also met Terry's wife gayle. Pastor Carl the pastor there brought me out to breakfast the next day at this awesome plate that had some of the largest pancakes I've ever seen. The smoke was huge seeing it miles away in the distance and could be smelled in Huntington.
After that I continued on towards Price and Pastor Carl actually me up with me to bring me some Gatorade which was a big blessing. A pastor whom Gerry Stotler had contacted found me on the roadway and said I could sleep outside his church for the night if I wanted to so I did when I got to Price. The smoke was worse in Price as now it hung much closer over top the skyline....Will update more things later
Backtrack to Gunnison UT. When I was in Gunnison I learned that the roads ahead were closed due to 8 forest firest in Utah in one week. The options I was given were either to go North and wait on a 10 percent contained fire that had shut the road past there or reroute west enough to head north, both of which would have cost days. Felt that these were not my best options so I asked around and found out I could head to Mayfield and from there I could cut through the Manti LasSal forest to Ferron UT. This felt like my best option. I then headed to Mayfield camped out on the outskirts of the forest and early the next day headed up Twelve-Mile towards Skyline. This was one of the hardest days I had as it climbed over 4,000 feet from where I was to up over Skyline Drive. During stretches I maybe covered a mile an hour of a step above a crawl. Once I got nearer the top people kept stopping to see if I needed a ride and when I told them what I was doing and where I had come from on just that day they all were very impressed. When I got near the top a forest ranger told me that I could get a shower at a place a few miles further down which I took full advantage of. A couple miles later I set up the tent and passed out exhausted.
The next day I made it to Ferron and stopped into the Grub Grill ready to DEVOUR a huge meal. They did not have a credit system set up and so I had to run to the bank to take out cash. My PIN wasn't working so I cam back to apologize that I couldn't get out cahs, but the woman who saw what I was doing with my stroller left there said she wanted to give it to me for free and a couple of other women there had jumped to give me money when they saw I came back without any. Just after going to the grocery store I saw a lot of people arriving at a church for something so I felt like it was right to go in, so I went in for a service and afterwards was invited to the Stotler's to have a place to camp, shower, do laundry, and have a good breakfast. I had a great experience with them and found we have a lot in common.They helped me tremendously. The next day I found out that there was construction that blocked the road pretty badly so Gerry Stotler went up there with me and talekd to them. A woman gave me a vest when she found out I had lost mine in Zion. I was then piloted (they led me while I ran behind) through the construction by one of the construction vehicles in the closed lane. Felt pretty badass not gonna lie, but I went as quickly as possible to not hold anyone up. At Castledale I was interviewed about the run and met a woman Kaylee who also had two kidney transplants. There I was approached by Terry Fonville who gave me a Subway giftcard and has continued to give words of encouragement. He also told me to meet him at their Church for dinner that night.
A few hours later I made it to the Desert Edge Christian Chapel in Huntington for a great spaghetti dinner, where I was invited back to a woman, Judy's for a quick shower before returning to the church to sleep there for the night Jerry and Gerry Stotler also met me for dinner there and I also met Terry's wife gayle. Pastor Carl the pastor there brought me out to breakfast the next day at this awesome plate that had some of the largest pancakes I've ever seen. The smoke was huge seeing it miles away in the distance and could be smelled in Huntington.
After that I continued on towards Price and Pastor Carl actually me up with me to bring me some Gatorade which was a big blessing. A pastor whom Gerry Stotler had contacted found me on the roadway and said I could sleep outside his church for the night if I wanted to so I did when I got to Price. The smoke was worse in Price as now it hung much closer over top the skyline....Will update more things later
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Over a third through!
Well I've covered over a thousand miles and my body continues to get stronger and more used to it. As of late my days are usually over 30 miles and as much as 46 and 57. I am doing my best to keep everyone updated and where I am but it is extremely difficult and some days I barely have time to check in with my family. Right now I am in Milner CO with Happy a Philly guy so of course it's awesome, Steph, Dave, Josh, Marty and Karen in Daddio's Bar and Grill. Was going to just use the bathroom but everyone was so nice and welcoming I decided to hang, especially with the approaching rain. Been a great past few weeks. Finally saw significant rain (more than 10 minutes worth) since starting. This will just be a more brief post to update but I have been keeping a daily journal and will take some time soon to go through and reflect but the people here offered me to use their computer so wanted to update quickly.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Just over a month in.
Made it today to Gunnison, Ut for a break in the afternoon in their library. Backtrack to leaving Bill's in Mesquite. I traveled to Littlefield, Arizona, a very small town where I slept behind what I thought (and what my GPS told me was a Catholic Church. Turns out it was a boarded up Elementary school. Good thing it was closed or at least summer time. I quickly cleared out of there. I went to a rest stop where I stayed out of the sun for a few hours and tried to get food a a restaurant but the owner didn't want me there saying they were closing at 1 and when I got out my phone to look at the time saw it was 12:25 he quickly said we're closed today so I left. Worked out for the best. Went back to the rest stop and as it got hotter I went into the bar next door for some AC, a corn dog, and a soda. Met some of the locals including Barry, and the "Amuck sisters" two close friends Dorie and Dorthy know for the good fun chaos.
Went the back way to St. George, UT and entered into a new time zone. Desolate road. Between boredom and probably more delirium from lack of sleep, I became thoroughly convinced I was Mario, and my only goal was to get the next "flag" the next mile marker on the road. I also a while back named the stroller Nacho. He won't talk back but whenever I yell at him I hear mariacchi music. In St. George thanks to Dixie MAdsen at Intermountain Donor Services I got a hotel. Took an offnight (which still meant walking a sixmile round trip to Walmart to load back up on supplies). Ate at a Denny's and demolished just under 12 pancakes. Got a new pair of shoes (3rd total pair) cause my feet were wrecked (held onto the others cause I can still get more miles in them but my feet needed a more comfortable pair for a while.
That night I ran with Cory Reese and Ryan Duckworth, an awesome 100miler ultramarathoner, and great triathlete respectively. I ran with them towards Hurricane and they turned around after about 8 miles back to their cars. Cory drove by and comes with In-N-OutBurger some snacks and later invited me to crash at his for the night for a shower, bed, and some great home-cooked food. I had a great experience with the run with those guys, and with Cory's family, his wife, two daughters, and son. His daughter also wrote me a note which is probably the single greatest thing I've receive so far. It reads "Dear Chris, my name is Danica and I believe that you will be able to finish your race. I'm glad that you are able to stay with us. I am so sorry that you aren't able to sleep on a nice comfy bed like you did last night. Thank you so much for caring so much about your brother and running so long for him. I hope you will keep this note as long as you live. From Danica." Cory also has a blog and wrote a story about it. Check it out and also his other awesome posts! http://www.fastcory.com/2012/06/must-read-this-guy-is-running-across.html?showComment=1340657535725#c1352678123659105588
The next night it was time to continue on. I was stopped in the middle of the night by Crystal who supported the cause and offered me a free breakfast the next day at wildcat Willie's om Springdale. Slept in the park there with permission through Tom Dansie who also got me a dinner the next night. Had a great breakfast at Wildcat's and the waiters and waitresses there even pulled together to donate to help the cause.
After that still on a nocturnal schedule I passed through Zion Park. Was not able to get permission through the tunnels so got two rides. The first was extremely important and a great encounter. Will, Mike, and Trevor gave me a ride through and well after they had dropped me off right out of the tunnel I realized my CamelBak was gone. This essential item has kept me hydrated and made it easier to have a larger quantity of water out of the gas tank, quickly accessible. Later on that night after leaving the park a car passed by me and about 30 yeards up had to stop as a herd of buffalo were in the middle of the orad. It stood there and had to honk to get them to pass wide enough to clear the road. I stood there for a minute thinking they would hopefully leave but they didn't so I slowly walked through the middle of them with their large eyes glowing and fixed on me. Slept outside a church by Orderville.
After at best 5 hours of sleep got up and got myself right into a day schedule of running/walking. Made it to a rest stop to avoid some of the heat where I heard someone say my name and I look up and see Will and Mike who found me MILES up 89 to return my Camelbak. Such a crazy aweosme act of kindness on their part to go so far out of their way to find me and to return it. Made it to Hatch, slept behind a church.
Next day feet were in pain so I limped on towards Panguitch. MEt Donny and Darron who worked next door and they helped me out with the tires. Both were awesome people but Donnie was the man for helping me to get a hotel for free at the Horizon Motel as well as a dinner and breakfast at the Flying M next door. He was someone who just went so far out of his way to help me that I was stunned by his charitable heart and goodness. He also gave me the number of a guy up at Circleville (Hometown of Butch Cassidy) where I was able to get in contact with a guy who also offered a free motel room. With the guy up there Mike though I felt like I was a burden to him (something I never want to feel). It was a difficult situation in that I owed it to Donny for all of his help to let him know I was safe so I took the room but skipped on the breakfast Mike had offered the next day there.
Next I went to Junction where my new great friend Junction had told me to get into contact with the Reber's. I had lunch with them spend a lot of time talking with them, got a shower, and took a nap before continuing on. The lasting impression I will have of them is of their tremendous love for one another and for the family. I will especially remember Jim talking of his time spend at a base in California during the Korean War. Whenever he would have 72 hour breaks he would hitchhike about two-thirds of that time roundtrip to see Dee whom he later married. He said he enver has felt so tired as he did during those times, which often meant walking for miles in the desert to an interesection, but he said every second was worth it. I still saw that love they had for each other during my brief afternoon I spent with them. Continued to Joseph. Was going to sleep behind one church but when I got there it said no trespassing violators will be prosecuted. Laid down for a few minutes but got up and left continuing forwards. Found another churhc and slet in the dirt behind it. Next day went towards Richfield. Before getting to down I got hionked at by a lot of cars so decided I probably did not want to spend the night in town there. Slept behind a church on the outskirts. Got up the next morning and decided it would be better to find a different church so I found and went to the Sevier valley Baptist Church. Members Ann, Sue, And Karen went out to lunch with me to McDonald's after and Ann bought me lunch. I later went back to the park where I had an odd encounter and made me decide to hightail it out of there. I made it to Salina where at a gas station, man, James gave me a donation enough to cover a slightly reduced rate at the Ranch Motel there. Based on some odd experiences earlier that day I felt that night safer in a motel which ended up being free through this.
Been trying to spread the message of organ donation as best as possible. Hopefully by the time I hit a 1,000 miles I'll be able to get more press for it. It is amazing that just about every single day I meet someone who is personally, or has good freinds who are affected by organ donation. I is my most sincere hope that this can continue to grow and get people to change their perspectives and register to help save lives.
Went the back way to St. George, UT and entered into a new time zone. Desolate road. Between boredom and probably more delirium from lack of sleep, I became thoroughly convinced I was Mario, and my only goal was to get the next "flag" the next mile marker on the road. I also a while back named the stroller Nacho. He won't talk back but whenever I yell at him I hear mariacchi music. In St. George thanks to Dixie MAdsen at Intermountain Donor Services I got a hotel. Took an offnight (which still meant walking a sixmile round trip to Walmart to load back up on supplies). Ate at a Denny's and demolished just under 12 pancakes. Got a new pair of shoes (3rd total pair) cause my feet were wrecked (held onto the others cause I can still get more miles in them but my feet needed a more comfortable pair for a while.
That night I ran with Cory Reese and Ryan Duckworth, an awesome 100miler ultramarathoner, and great triathlete respectively. I ran with them towards Hurricane and they turned around after about 8 miles back to their cars. Cory drove by and comes with In-N-OutBurger some snacks and later invited me to crash at his for the night for a shower, bed, and some great home-cooked food. I had a great experience with the run with those guys, and with Cory's family, his wife, two daughters, and son. His daughter also wrote me a note which is probably the single greatest thing I've receive so far. It reads "Dear Chris, my name is Danica and I believe that you will be able to finish your race. I'm glad that you are able to stay with us. I am so sorry that you aren't able to sleep on a nice comfy bed like you did last night. Thank you so much for caring so much about your brother and running so long for him. I hope you will keep this note as long as you live. From Danica." Cory also has a blog and wrote a story about it. Check it out and also his other awesome posts! http://www.fastcory.com/2012/06/must-read-this-guy-is-running-across.html?showComment=1340657535725#c1352678123659105588
The next night it was time to continue on. I was stopped in the middle of the night by Crystal who supported the cause and offered me a free breakfast the next day at wildcat Willie's om Springdale. Slept in the park there with permission through Tom Dansie who also got me a dinner the next night. Had a great breakfast at Wildcat's and the waiters and waitresses there even pulled together to donate to help the cause.
After that still on a nocturnal schedule I passed through Zion Park. Was not able to get permission through the tunnels so got two rides. The first was extremely important and a great encounter. Will, Mike, and Trevor gave me a ride through and well after they had dropped me off right out of the tunnel I realized my CamelBak was gone. This essential item has kept me hydrated and made it easier to have a larger quantity of water out of the gas tank, quickly accessible. Later on that night after leaving the park a car passed by me and about 30 yeards up had to stop as a herd of buffalo were in the middle of the orad. It stood there and had to honk to get them to pass wide enough to clear the road. I stood there for a minute thinking they would hopefully leave but they didn't so I slowly walked through the middle of them with their large eyes glowing and fixed on me. Slept outside a church by Orderville.
After at best 5 hours of sleep got up and got myself right into a day schedule of running/walking. Made it to a rest stop to avoid some of the heat where I heard someone say my name and I look up and see Will and Mike who found me MILES up 89 to return my Camelbak. Such a crazy aweosme act of kindness on their part to go so far out of their way to find me and to return it. Made it to Hatch, slept behind a church.
Next day feet were in pain so I limped on towards Panguitch. MEt Donny and Darron who worked next door and they helped me out with the tires. Both were awesome people but Donnie was the man for helping me to get a hotel for free at the Horizon Motel as well as a dinner and breakfast at the Flying M next door. He was someone who just went so far out of his way to help me that I was stunned by his charitable heart and goodness. He also gave me the number of a guy up at Circleville (Hometown of Butch Cassidy) where I was able to get in contact with a guy who also offered a free motel room. With the guy up there Mike though I felt like I was a burden to him (something I never want to feel). It was a difficult situation in that I owed it to Donny for all of his help to let him know I was safe so I took the room but skipped on the breakfast Mike had offered the next day there.
Next I went to Junction where my new great friend Junction had told me to get into contact with the Reber's. I had lunch with them spend a lot of time talking with them, got a shower, and took a nap before continuing on. The lasting impression I will have of them is of their tremendous love for one another and for the family. I will especially remember Jim talking of his time spend at a base in California during the Korean War. Whenever he would have 72 hour breaks he would hitchhike about two-thirds of that time roundtrip to see Dee whom he later married. He said he enver has felt so tired as he did during those times, which often meant walking for miles in the desert to an interesection, but he said every second was worth it. I still saw that love they had for each other during my brief afternoon I spent with them. Continued to Joseph. Was going to sleep behind one church but when I got there it said no trespassing violators will be prosecuted. Laid down for a few minutes but got up and left continuing forwards. Found another churhc and slet in the dirt behind it. Next day went towards Richfield. Before getting to down I got hionked at by a lot of cars so decided I probably did not want to spend the night in town there. Slept behind a church on the outskirts. Got up the next morning and decided it would be better to find a different church so I found and went to the Sevier valley Baptist Church. Members Ann, Sue, And Karen went out to lunch with me to McDonald's after and Ann bought me lunch. I later went back to the park where I had an odd encounter and made me decide to hightail it out of there. I made it to Salina where at a gas station, man, James gave me a donation enough to cover a slightly reduced rate at the Ranch Motel there. Based on some odd experiences earlier that day I felt that night safer in a motel which ended up being free through this.
Been trying to spread the message of organ donation as best as possible. Hopefully by the time I hit a 1,000 miles I'll be able to get more press for it. It is amazing that just about every single day I meet someone who is personally, or has good freinds who are affected by organ donation. I is my most sincere hope that this can continue to grow and get people to change their perspectives and register to help save lives.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Week 3
Right now I am sitting and resting in the home of Bill, a pastor from Valley Presbyterian Church in Mesquite, Nevada. I will pass into Arizona tonight. His kindness was a huge help and he gave me a place to rest, shower and have some great food. It was definitely fate that this, the first Presbyterian Church I have gone to (my home church is Presbyterian as well) is right next door to a dialysis and nephrology (kidney doctor) center The days are beginning to blend together so I am looking through my journal to recollect my thoughts and experiences.
I had such a great time in Vegas exploring and resting up. My good friends Charlit and Melanie showed me around the city including walking up and down the strip and also seeing the Freemont street area. It was nice to have some home cooked meals for once and Melanie's meal was definitely the best thing I've had so far having some leftovers for the road. Both of their families were far beyond kind to me. Charlit's family including his parents Suzy and Charlie and brother Shane were extremely kind and wanted to help me in any way possible. His parents treated me like a son, showing great concern for everything of myself and Charlie said I had a great heart which moved me a lot.I had met Melanie's parents at graduation and to see her dad again was awesome and also an extremely kind-hearted individual. I felt extremely sad leaving Vegas because of how positive an experience it was and I definitely want to go back.
I also watched the Pacquiao fight which he was clearly the better fighter and I hope that he comes through with the win now that it's under investigation but I extremely admired his attitude postfight, that he did not get angry or upset, was extremely humble about it and that though he felt he won he did not get angry with the judges or anyone. It showed a mark of great character.
I also had dinner with my friend Mike, whom I met by Victorville at an awesome all-you-can eat buffet called Sweet Tomatoes. Great food with salad, bread, mac and cheese and I definitely got my fill. I had an awesome time talking to him and his family. He has found a source of goodness which I hope he will continue where he gives socks to the homeless and also a radio. Homeless individuals often do not wear socks because the sweat breaks down the elasticity and causes them to hurt the feet. I believe he said weekly he gives them and allows them to have more comfort. He also gave a windup radio to another individual and it was amazing the transformation it had on the individual. Before this person didn't know the weather so he would get poured on, didn't know the day of the week, and thus felt extremely isolated. However, with the radio it allowed him to feel more connected to the world, and I could just tell the sense of gratitude this individual had towards Mike created positive growth in both of them.
This blog will probably become more of my interactions with people as that has been the most valuable piece so far and I think also the most interesting for people to read. Over the last few days I slept by the Moapa Plaza and Casino where I met some other amazing individuals as well as in Moapa Town, where upon leaving I met a woman who mentioned her wish for me with this was just to not be too forceful (which I do not plan on doing at all) because previously people had been so to her daughter about organ donation and she said due to medical reasons her daughter is unable to be an organ donor and I promised her I would listen to that.
I have also learned a lot more about love, and that the purest form of it is the love a parent has for a child. Spending time with people over the past few weeks I have seen this a lot. A child until they reach a certain stage of development, usually in adulthood, due to their naivety and immaturity are incapable of understanding how deep this love goes. I am only now beginning to see it with my own parents whom I have called every day so far. This love transcends all and can be found everywhere where there are parents and children. Made me think a lot more about loving all people and not desiring any sort of karma against them, because somewhere they have parents who would be devastated by anything poor happening to their son or daughter.
I had such a great time in Vegas exploring and resting up. My good friends Charlit and Melanie showed me around the city including walking up and down the strip and also seeing the Freemont street area. It was nice to have some home cooked meals for once and Melanie's meal was definitely the best thing I've had so far having some leftovers for the road. Both of their families were far beyond kind to me. Charlit's family including his parents Suzy and Charlie and brother Shane were extremely kind and wanted to help me in any way possible. His parents treated me like a son, showing great concern for everything of myself and Charlie said I had a great heart which moved me a lot.I had met Melanie's parents at graduation and to see her dad again was awesome and also an extremely kind-hearted individual. I felt extremely sad leaving Vegas because of how positive an experience it was and I definitely want to go back.
I also watched the Pacquiao fight which he was clearly the better fighter and I hope that he comes through with the win now that it's under investigation but I extremely admired his attitude postfight, that he did not get angry or upset, was extremely humble about it and that though he felt he won he did not get angry with the judges or anyone. It showed a mark of great character.
I also had dinner with my friend Mike, whom I met by Victorville at an awesome all-you-can eat buffet called Sweet Tomatoes. Great food with salad, bread, mac and cheese and I definitely got my fill. I had an awesome time talking to him and his family. He has found a source of goodness which I hope he will continue where he gives socks to the homeless and also a radio. Homeless individuals often do not wear socks because the sweat breaks down the elasticity and causes them to hurt the feet. I believe he said weekly he gives them and allows them to have more comfort. He also gave a windup radio to another individual and it was amazing the transformation it had on the individual. Before this person didn't know the weather so he would get poured on, didn't know the day of the week, and thus felt extremely isolated. However, with the radio it allowed him to feel more connected to the world, and I could just tell the sense of gratitude this individual had towards Mike created positive growth in both of them.
This blog will probably become more of my interactions with people as that has been the most valuable piece so far and I think also the most interesting for people to read. Over the last few days I slept by the Moapa Plaza and Casino where I met some other amazing individuals as well as in Moapa Town, where upon leaving I met a woman who mentioned her wish for me with this was just to not be too forceful (which I do not plan on doing at all) because previously people had been so to her daughter about organ donation and she said due to medical reasons her daughter is unable to be an organ donor and I promised her I would listen to that.
I have also learned a lot more about love, and that the purest form of it is the love a parent has for a child. Spending time with people over the past few weeks I have seen this a lot. A child until they reach a certain stage of development, usually in adulthood, due to their naivety and immaturity are incapable of understanding how deep this love goes. I am only now beginning to see it with my own parents whom I have called every day so far. This love transcends all and can be found everywhere where there are parents and children. Made me think a lot more about loving all people and not desiring any sort of karma against them, because somewhere they have parents who would be devastated by anything poor happening to their son or daughter.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Made it to Vegas
Been just over two weeks since I've started and every day continues to feel surreal. There is a certain continued excitement of not knowing what will happen 5 minutes from now. During the last week I've switched to night runs to avoid much of the desert heat. Starting from Barstow I made it about halfway between there and Baker and stayed at a rest stop. Though the stop only had water and bathrooms (and I did have my own food) the kindness of strangers (while not soliciting anything through their hearing of what I was doing wished to help) left me with coconut milk, a wonderful woman Evelyn gave me a hot pocket and a Dr. Pepper, trail mix, carrots, granola bars, and water bottles between there and Baker. I passed Death Valley Road in Baker which was cool to see. Leaving Baker it was very difficult with the terrain going above 4000ft but slowly but surely I made it through and I will have climbs much higher in the future. During the night runs I was stopped several times by the California Highway Patrol all of whom could not be nicer (I apologize you guys received several calls of a maniac on the freeway with a baby but hope we all got a good laugh out of it). Two officers in particular Matthew and Chrissie (hope it's spelled right) stopped me twice and the second time gave me a gatorade and a California Highway Patrol which I will wear from here out and helped to keep a close eye on me. Post Baker I made it to a gas station by Cima road where I camped by in the Mojave National Presevere and stayed in their shade for the day. After that I went across the state line into Primm. Luckily after covering a lot of the height this was mostly downhill. Saw Primm from miles and miles away, which made me feel it was much closer than it actually was, however I made it ok. The plan was to continue the next night but a severe weather alert for winds and sand being blown, forced me to take off the night for safety. I stayed at whiskey pete's which had an exhibit on Bonnie and Clyde. Crazy enough I found out they died on the same day I started my run (May 23) in Arcadia, La. The next night I went up along a dirt trail next to 15 to Jean and then took the Las Vegas boulevard (which starts all the way by Jean) up to the outskirts of Vegas. Covered more miles on that road then I saw cars so I raced a bit of it right up the middle and had a blast running and walking. Passed out for a power nap on the outskirts of Vegas before heading to the Oasis Church for a power nap very kind people there. Then, I continued up to a Burger King where an awesome guy Kyle and his son Tage reached out to me and invited me to a church service at Valley Bible, an actual bed to sleep at, and a warm shower. Was the best blessing so far (although all have been amazing) to have met them and I got to have Panda express for the first time which was gnarly awesome!) It was great just to spend time with them. Going to chill in Vegas for a couple of days with my great friends from college Charlit and Melanie to rest and see the city, well as meet up with Mike and his family for dinner (met Mike down by Victorville). My first time out here so it will be cool to see the city.
Everywhere I've gone I've met people affected by organs (either those who are in need of transplants or those who knew those who donated them), it should me how widespread this problem is and the main aspect of this journey, more important than any number of miles, is to help spread the word and save lives. It continues to be my main focus is to be able to discuss it with everyone and get them to register. I hope through this I can do it in any way possible.
This run continues to change me. I used to believe that the most powerful force on earth is the human will, yet this run has shown me greater than that is the kindness of the human heart. I have continually been given food, donations to help, and a ton of prayers and encouragement. There has been several days where I have almost been moved to tears by people going out of their way to help me. Similarly continually sleeping outside, behind churches or other places has given e an even greater sense of thanks for things as simple as a bed and shower. These things we take for granted on the daily, are rare occurrences for so many people and not knowing when the next will come, makes me appreciate it much more. Everything I have received has caused me to have a much greater desire to help others, so it has become a duty of mine to see if I can help everyone who comes through my life. I don't like the random act of kindness a day mentality where it grows to that people will go out of their way to help one person a day, but I desire to go out and help all, that I sincerely hope every person I see who is in need of help, I may able to do something to alleviate any difficulties.
Everywhere I've gone I've met people affected by organs (either those who are in need of transplants or those who knew those who donated them), it should me how widespread this problem is and the main aspect of this journey, more important than any number of miles, is to help spread the word and save lives. It continues to be my main focus is to be able to discuss it with everyone and get them to register. I hope through this I can do it in any way possible.
This run continues to change me. I used to believe that the most powerful force on earth is the human will, yet this run has shown me greater than that is the kindness of the human heart. I have continually been given food, donations to help, and a ton of prayers and encouragement. There has been several days where I have almost been moved to tears by people going out of their way to help me. Similarly continually sleeping outside, behind churches or other places has given e an even greater sense of thanks for things as simple as a bed and shower. These things we take for granted on the daily, are rare occurrences for so many people and not knowing when the next will come, makes me appreciate it much more. Everything I have received has caused me to have a much greater desire to help others, so it has become a duty of mine to see if I can help everyone who comes through my life. I don't like the random act of kindness a day mentality where it grows to that people will go out of their way to help one person a day, but I desire to go out and help all, that I sincerely hope every person I see who is in need of help, I may able to do something to alleviate any difficulties.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
One week in!
I am currently staying at the Oak Tree inn right outside of Barstow and I would like to thank them very much for their sponsorship of a reduced rate here. It's been one week since I have started and a lot has happened during that time.
First day was awesome made it to East LA where I was lucky enough to stay at a church where they brought me a meal which was awesome and I spent tiem talking to missionaries there. Since then I have mostly been sleeping out back of churches. This was the first place I decided to stay at. I have met so many amazing peopel so far. Highlights include a man Mike whom decided to turn around on his motorcycle to come see what I am up to, a woman Danielle who got me a can of fix a flat to help my ites for the road ahead. Another man (did not get his name) gave me a pair of sunglasses after mine broke. Everything even the setbacks have worked out perfectly and it's a blessing that I am where I am right now. I am resting until tomorrow night where I will work my way towards Baker. I had previously talked to the CDOT and NVdot to make sure tat it is ok I go on the interstates which they said was ok so hoping I do not run into any issues. Here I met a guy Scooter who helped me feel better about the road ahead to Baker as he said there are a couple of stop offs I could go to on the way.
Things I've learned
Strengths 3 Ps
Patience: It takes a lot of patience to do this especially when things do not go as planned and setbacks arise. Be patient and it will all work out in time.
People: I could not be in the spot I am without the help, advice, and kindness of people. I am attempting to pay it forward now and gave a woman money for gas today who need3ed it. We all have different strengths and abilities, and need each other to succeed, no matter our own self-reliance.
Parks: Usually during the middle of my day I'll find a nice park to just sit and relax, maybe read or write. The power of nature and parks has a great resting quality on the spirit and mind.
Also I have continued to learn a lot about gratitude, as I have never been happier about having the ability to get a shower, have a bed, or even just experiencing the kindness of strangers as this journey has taught me.
I will try to be better baout blogging/updating but due to the nature of this run and avoiding the heat of the day it has proven to eb more difficult than thought.
First day was awesome made it to East LA where I was lucky enough to stay at a church where they brought me a meal which was awesome and I spent tiem talking to missionaries there. Since then I have mostly been sleeping out back of churches. This was the first place I decided to stay at. I have met so many amazing peopel so far. Highlights include a man Mike whom decided to turn around on his motorcycle to come see what I am up to, a woman Danielle who got me a can of fix a flat to help my ites for the road ahead. Another man (did not get his name) gave me a pair of sunglasses after mine broke. Everything even the setbacks have worked out perfectly and it's a blessing that I am where I am right now. I am resting until tomorrow night where I will work my way towards Baker. I had previously talked to the CDOT and NVdot to make sure tat it is ok I go on the interstates which they said was ok so hoping I do not run into any issues. Here I met a guy Scooter who helped me feel better about the road ahead to Baker as he said there are a couple of stop offs I could go to on the way.
Things I've learned
Strengths 3 Ps
Patience: It takes a lot of patience to do this especially when things do not go as planned and setbacks arise. Be patient and it will all work out in time.
People: I could not be in the spot I am without the help, advice, and kindness of people. I am attempting to pay it forward now and gave a woman money for gas today who need3ed it. We all have different strengths and abilities, and need each other to succeed, no matter our own self-reliance.
Parks: Usually during the middle of my day I'll find a nice park to just sit and relax, maybe read or write. The power of nature and parks has a great resting quality on the spirit and mind.
Also I have continued to learn a lot about gratitude, as I have never been happier about having the ability to get a shower, have a bed, or even just experiencing the kindness of strangers as this journey has taught me.
I will try to be better baout blogging/updating but due to the nature of this run and avoiding the heat of the day it has proven to eb more difficult than thought.
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