june 9
day 31
25 miles
total 804
it felt good to finally nose past 800 miles.
800 is nice,
but as we all know
until you have done 900
you haven’t done anything.
this wasn’t a banner day for mileage.
but i did manage to only get a little wet with heavy weather all around…
and finish up in norwalk ohio minutes ahead of the big deluge!
on the other hand,
i must have fed a thousand mosquitos,
and killed a thousand more.
i set a personal best that i hope never to break,
killing 8 mosquitoes with one slap.
i started this journey to see america
and i am seeing it.
not the one you read about
the divisive, angry, selfish society of the internet.
i am seeing the real america…
generous, friendly, welcoming.
friends old and new come to join me on the road as i pass thru their home towns
talking about not just the history or the geography of the place
but about friends and family
and growing up in this great country;
on farms, in cities, or in the peripatetic life of the military or just the wandering soul.
strangers stop to see if i need help.
police stop to tell me to be careful.
random people hand me a bottle of water.
curious people ask where i am going…
and everyone wishes me luck in my travels.
we do not stop often enough
to consider what a great place this is to live
and what a great time it is to live here.
the good old days are today.
laz