Day 46 was pretty wild! I woke up at around 7:30 at the church just south of Brandon MS. I was eager to get to the house where my twitter followers that I met in New Augusta were taking me in. They lived in North Brandon, about 17 miles from where I was. So I packed up quickly and headed out.
I hadn't even walked for 10 minutes when a man pulled off in front of me and got out to give me a hot breakfast sausage sandwich. He said he had passed me a few minutes earlier and ran to the gas station just ahead to bring me that. He gave me a cold soda with it too. I didn't eat yet so it was pretty awesome!
I hit highway 18 where I would take that up to central Brandon. That walk was tough and there was no shoulder. It was a lot of uphill and off and on the road (also tough as it dropped off 6 inches on the end of the asphalt). I was huffing and puffing up the hills and it was hot already by about 9.
Around 10 a lady pulled over in front of me. She handed me a bag that had a carton of food (chicken and a sausage biscuit) 2 big waters, and a gatoraid. She said she also passed me and wanted to help. Both her and the first guy were complete strangers.
A little further down the road my iPod ended up dying. I tried to find an outlet at the church to charge before I left while I packed up, but the 2 outlets I found were not working. So I knew the road I was on would get me to the town, where I could plug in somewhere and have my gps to get me the rest of the way to their house.
I finally came to a gas station on the side of the road and I sat out front and plugged in to use an outlet outside. I was going to stay there and charge for about an hour, then finish the walk to their house that was 9 miles up still.
About 10 minutes after sitting down there a cop walked up. He asked if I was ok? I said yes and told him why I was there and what I was doing. He thought it was pretty amazing and was interested in my travels. He said unfortunately the owners didn't want me there and that he was sorry but he had to ask me to leave. I told him I understood and that it was not a problem.
So he shook my hand and said good luck. I put my backpack on and began walking. Just before I even got out of the parking lot I saw another cop car pull in. He pulled up next to me and it was the same cop from the day before! His name is Drew. He said he heard my name while my ID was being checked over the radio, so he called the city dispatch to see where I was at. He was such a nice guy and said he came incase there was a problem. We talked for a little while. He asked how it went staying at the church. He had driven by during the night to see if everything was good there. That was cool to hear and I said it was a good night. He said he had a chance to check out some of my updates through his fiancé's twitter. He thought it was a very cool thing. So after a bit we shook hands and I told him I really appreciated him coming by to check on me. And I took off.
I had enough charge to see the route, so I headed north. I walked for about 4 miles when a cop car pulled over. A cop got out and it was the same cop who came to the gas station for the call. The one that had to ask me to leave. He asked if I was hungry and that he would buy me lunch. I was so stuffed already I told him no thanks. But the offer was really cool. He also helped me with directions to the street I was heading to. I already knew where I was going, but I let him tell me anyways since he wanted to help. Then he shook my hand again and said he really is inspired by my walk. He also said sorry he had to kick me out of the gas station. I said no problem at all. I continued.
I walked maybe another 2 miles when a car pulled over and 3 people got out. It was a mother and daughter and then a little girl they were baby sitting. They said they saw my route on twitter and wanted to come meet me and take pictures. It was really hot at this point and they had also brought me a cold drink, and a wet towel that they had on ice inside a big tray. That was awesome! They put it on my neck and it felt amazing! They had snacks for me too and also a $15 McDonald's gift card. I was pretty happy and we got some pictures together. It made me feel like a rockstar to have the cold towel delivered on ice. They were very nice and were supportive of what I'm doing.
I walked another mile or so when a girl pulled over. She had a bag she brought up to me and she said she was the sherrif's fiancé. She said her and her fiancé Drew (cop who checked on me and that I met yesterday) were very proud of what I am doing. She had a sandwich from a shop in town and some fresh fruit. I was so thankful and I got a picture with her too and then left again.
Then it got really wild. I was walking in the country north of Brandon about 4 miles from my destination when I heard "nick!". I looked back and saw a young kid around 15 maybe, running down the side of the highway with no shoes on. There was no car and just a house a ways back. He came running up with a black bag in his hand and smiled from ear to ear. With no car I asked him "do you live there?" and he said "yes sir!". And that blew me away a little. He saw me walking down the road and he already follows me on twitter. He wanted a picture and kept saying "this is awesome!". It was really cool and I was just so shocked that he just coincidentally saw me walking. And he also didn't even know the people I was meeting to stay with. Pretty nuts!
I kept walking and it was real hot. I got to a church and my iPod was almost dead. So I pulled off under the front overhang to charge up and take a break. After 5 minutes of sitting there a car pulled into the church. Then just behind the car the guy I was staying with ahead pulled up on his bike too and had tracked me down to meet me. The kid in the car asked through the window if I was the guy walking across the country? I said yea, and he asked for a picture. When Terry pulled up on his bike (my host) I thought him and the kid knew each other but they didn't. So Terry ended up taking a picture of me and the kid. It was pretty surprising and I felt like a homeless famous dude haha.
From there me and Terry walked to his house. (I walked and he road). We got there and I was relieved. Right away I got into the shower and it was amazing! I threw my laundry in and then just relaxed with them. It was a nice house and I was so comfortable and thankful they took me in. Never knew them before this trip and they still invited me in.
So the rest of the day was very relaxing. We hung out and watched movies and talked. He had some friends over also to visit and we all just hung around and visited. They BBQ'd for dinner and I ate some burgers and sausages and it was nice to have fresh hot food off the grill. Their friend and his girlfriend from work were over and they gave me $20 and said they enjoyed following the journey. I was thankful.
After a long night of resting and chatting with them, I went to bed around 1 am. I had my own room and a soft bed. When I laid down their little dog jumped up and fell asleep next to me. I passed out and it was a great night!
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