I plugged in and filled up. As I waited for my things to charge I decided to wash my feet and let my blisters get some air. As I was washing them with the water and using conditioner, a man opened a side door and walked out. I was a bit startled. He asked how I was doing. I told him good, I let him know I was charging my gps and was just traveling through. He was really nice. He said to take my time and it was no problem. I told him thanks and that I was battling blisters. That's why I was washing my feet. He said good luck and to stay as long as I needed.
He ended up coming back out and bringing me some bandages and Neosporin. He said maybe they would help with my feet. I was so grateful and said I was just thinking about maybe picking some up. I put them in my bag. He had some questions about my journey and we ended up talking a while. Eventually it was time to head out so I shook his hand and said thanks. And I headed off at about 11.
As I walked through the town it was mostly uphill. It was hot but the breeze made it a little cooler for me. I walked until I reached the end of Crestview. I stopped there and made sure I was ready to leave the town as it was a long stretch before another town or anything for that matter. I checked everything and I was good to go. I headed out of town and down the highway.
I made my way out of town a few miles where a man came up walking behind me. He was a young white guy and had a tough look. I took out my headphones and said hi. He was walking to his girlfriend's house down the highway and asked where I was going. After telling him he said he had lived homeless for a year or so once and traveled. He was giving me pointers to survive but his methods were a little more aggressive then I'd like. He said to ask churches to put me up in hotels, ask for free food at Denny's and Waffle Houses, and to stop at police stations and tell them you have no money so you can get arrested for a while and have a place to stay and food. He had just got out of prison a few months before. For some reason that didn't surprise me. I did take some of his survival tips but left most of them. All in all it was nice to have company for a few miles. We parted when we past his girlfriend's house. Interesting encounter.
I walked along and decided to take a brake at a gas station I came to at an intersection of a road that went to the 10. I stopped there and pulled my shoes and socks off to check my feet. They were pretty beat up and tender. As I was sitting there a young guy, maybe younger than me came up from his truck as he stopped there, and asked if I was homeless. I said I actually was and was traveling. He gave me about a dollar in change and also gave me his lunch for that day that he didn't eat! I was pumped! It was crackers and peanut butter and a can of beef soup. He shook my hand and said god bless. It was pretty unexpected, especially since I had my socks off and my stinky ass feet were out. He made my day.
I got ready to go a bit later and continued. My feet were killing me again and I was walking funny trying to compensate for parts of my feet that hurt. I decided I was gonna have to stop short that day and rest them.
I ended up pulling off the highway just after the sunset about 18 miles east of Crestview. I was bummed since my charge was low and my iPod was about to die. I made my tent back in the trees a bit and laid down. It was around 8:30 and my iPod died. There wasn't anything to do but sit in my tent and think. I laid there a while just reflecting a bit on the journey do far. Then I passed out around 9 or so.
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