So I just had to try and make the next town and see if I could air up there. So I headed out on the highway towards Bowie TX. I walked a ways and came across a pretty nasty wreck that had happened right in front of me. It had just happened and the cops were there. As I passed it I just thought it was a good thing my tire was low and I was held up a little. I know the chances are slim, but you never know. And the frustration I felt when I saw that the air machine was out of order, now made me feel ok about it.
I kept walking towards Bowie and had a good pace. A truck pulled off ahead of me into a small gravel parking lot. Then a man started walking out onto the shoulder of the highway and towards me. He came up and said "hobo nick" (my twitter name). And I was happy to meet him. It was getting very hot outside and he had brought me a gatoraid. It was great timing and I downed it! We hungout and talked about 15 minutes and it was really nice to have a visitor. He drove an hour and a half to come see me! He also brought me socks but I had just been given a few pairs so I didn't take them. But the gesture meant a lot and was awesome! He walked with me about 100 ft back to his truck and then we shook hands and parted ways. It was a great suprise!
So I continued on towards Bowie and the heat was really getting to me. It got to the point where my waters were heated up and very hot. Not refreshing when you are on the verge of dehydration. I stopped at a bridge and took a break in the shade under it. I was feeling light headed and a little dizzy so I thought it would be good to stop. I say there about 15 minutes drinking hot water and trying to rest up a little and cool down.
I continued towards Bowie and about an hour later finally got there. I headed off the highway and went to the Walmart right off the 287. I went in and sat in the breezeway to cool down for a few minutes. Then I went in to get some things. I got a huge sandwich for cheap that I could make last a couple days. And also I got 5 gallons of water to pack under my cart on the frame. I needed to test out carrying about 10 gallons of water to make sure my cart can handle it through the long 100 miles stretches of nothing in the desert. So I packed those things under my cart and bunged them nice and tight.
I sat in the Walmart breezeway on a bench and found an outlet there too. I charged up while eating part of the sandwhich. That was the only thing I ate all day besides two cracker snacks, which also probably caused me to be light headed and dizzy earlier. But that's all I had and I don't have extra money to use to eat a lot all day.
I left there at about 8. I went across the parking lot to a gas station where I finally filled my front tire up with air. After that it rolled much easier. Then I headed down the highway again for a short evening stretch. My feet had already felt much better since I switched shoes that morning, and I bandaged my feet before walking this day also.
I walked about a mile up the 287 when it was getting dark. So I put on my reflective vest. I walked about 3 more miles where I saw an exit with a gas station. That was where I was gonna stop for the night as there was really nothing passed that for a ways. So I pulled off and looked for anywhere out of sight to sleep.
I walked right off the exit and there was really nothing there at all. But I saw something ahead. There was an old closed down abandoned building. It was small and had big overgrown weeds all around it. So that was the spot. There was a few trailers behind it down a dirt road and besides that nothing around for miles except the gas station on the other side of the highway.
So I got my flash light and walked up to check it out. There was a brick slab that had bushes in front high enough to keep me and my cart somewhat out of sight. So I rolled my cart up there and then made my bed. There were not really too many bugs there so that was good. It was finally cooling down too just in time to sleep. I made my bed out and laid down. I was warn out from the sun that day and tired.
I passed out around 10pm. Every once in a while a big rig would pull off in the rocks in front of me and wake me up. But I was sure they couldn't see me. Then at around 3am, I heard a loud noise wake me up!... I sat up and saw lights shining on me on and off. I was freaked out a bit and my heart jumped. I was so tired and couldn't think fast. But I looked out and finally realized it was a quad (4 wheeler) and it was spinning donuts in the rocks in front of me. I wasn't sure if they saw me. As I came to my senses more it was a guy and a girl on it doubled up. They spun another few times then took off back behind the building down the dirt road to the trailers back there. My heart was beating pretty good. So after calming down for 10 minutes I fell back asleep on the brick slab. Usually when I sleep I wake up due to pain in my knees about every 20 minutes or less. I have to change positions until that position hurts, then switch again. So my sleep is never solid. But I was asleep again for the moment.
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