Day 129, August 10, 2012

  I woke up on day 129 about 13 miles east of Albeqeurque NM. I was in front of a church on a cement ramp. When I woke up I was ready to get into Albeqeurque. I got up and packed my stuff. Took my glucosamine, fish oils, brushed my teeth, put sun screen on, and made a peanut butter and banana chips sandwich (close to my every morning routine).
        I stretched out about 10 minutes and then left. Right away my knees were sore. My shoes were all but completely worn out. The soles were so worn down my feet were crooked as opposed to the flat ground. Not a good thing for your knees.
       So I walked very easy. It was mostly downhill now. But downhill seems harder on my knees and it feels like there's more pressure. I walked very slow as I winded down the mountain.
       I finally popped out to an opening between mountains where I could look down the hills ahead and see Albeqeurque. It was a good feeling. I dropped down a few more miles and was on the edge of town, pretty nice area.
        My knees were needing a break and possibly the rest of the day off. Again, I had no reason to push as I would have good shoes soon.
       So I finished the 13 miles and stopped at a McDonald's about a half mile into town. It was the route 66 that I was on and I would take that all the way through town.
      I was surprised when I got there to see so many tweaks roaming around. Mostly because the area was nice. But there were some really strung out people.
     When I came to McDonald there was a lady outside with one leg on crutches. I gave here a couple coupons and she was happy. I also noticed two little kids standing outside by the door. I didn't think much of it and I went inside.
      When I went in and sat down my knees were so relieved. I went up and used a coupon for a hamburger. I was real hungry. As I sat there I kept seeing the kids outside talk to each person walking in. I was wondering what they were doing? They didnt talk to me, maybe since I'm homeless. I went out and asked what they were doing out there? When I saw them close I noticed their noses peeling from burned skin. One of the boys replied "were trying to get money for lunch". Then I asked them why they don't eat food at their home or have their mom buy food for them? And he said "were low on money right now so our mom said to ask people for change and use the money to buy food". I was SHOCKED!! It upset me! I told the boys to come inside. I asked them if they like cheeseburgers? So I ended up buying them each a mcdouble and used two iced cream coupons to get them desert too. They were so nice and thankful. It was really sad that they had to beg for change and their mom couldn't support them. It really bothered me for a while even after they said thanks and left.
      After they took off and while I was still dealing with the frustration, I had someone who wanted to come visit me. It was a girl who was visiting her parents in town. She came with her family and they brought me a bag of snacks and $10. I was very thankful.
       I stayed there at the McDonald's for the rest of the day and rested. I kept a close watch on my stuff outside the window from where I sat. The people roaming outside we're really suspicious looking.
      At about 9:30 I also had a big visit! It was the first person I have seen in 129 days that I knew before I started. A buddy from high school that I played baseball with had recently moved here and I had no clue. He contacted me and wanted to come say hi. He wanted to bring me food but I told him NO WAY! I have made it all the way here with only help from strangers and nobody I knew, so I told him to just come say hi! So him and his girlfriend did. We talked for about 45 minutes and it was cool to see a familiar face!
        So I left McDonald's around 10:00pm. I walked a half mile south where there was a park I spotted on my GPS. It was next to a housing complex that seemed nice. So I walked into the park and there was nobody there. I found a tree along a fence that looked pretty hidden. So I strolled over to it and made my bed behind it. It was a good spot.
        I laid down for about 10 minutes when....BANG!!!! Really loud!!! It came from the housing track!! I laid there and locked my iPod to close any light or anything to cause me to be seen. Then I heard yelling very close, and what sounded like someone jumping the chain link fence about 100 yards down from me. It was on the other side of the bushes so I couldn't see anything. But I was worried since if someone was trying to hide they might be in the dark hiding spot like I was, and possibly coming through as hidden as possible. I stayed there and didn't move. I stayed as alert as I could.
        After another 5 minutes I heard a crazy cry and yell. It sounded pretty intense and I had a bad feeling. I had no clue what was going on but I wasn't moving. I laid there for the next half hour and heard some strange stuff, but it eventually went away and was dead silent. My spot was pretty hidden still and I decided to still stay there. I tucked up under the tree a little more and eventually fell asleep around 12:30am.

     
     

Day 128, August 9, 2012

 I woke up on rocks behind the Smiths grocery store. It amazes me how comfortable I can sleep on such a rough surface. The rocks were just big enough where I can feel them digging into me. But when I fall asleep I just seem to forget about it.
       I got up and stretched a little. My knees were sore and my lower back was also sore. My knees were hurting from the way I had slept on them also. I think the hard surface really puts my hips in an awkward position an ultimately causes some pain in my knees as they are against each other (I usually sleep on my sides).
         I went over to the wall and checked to see if the kitten was around. I didn't see anything, but the bread I put out was gone. I finished packing my things and headed out.
         I had received a message from friends of the guys with the flat tire from a couple nights before. They wanted to meet me and hear more about my walk. So I met them at the McDonald's back across the parking lot.
       Their were 3 of them, one maybe around 20 and two younger. They sat with me at McDonald's and asked some questions. It's really cool to tell humbling stories to younger kids. I really like when they say I have opened their eyes and humbled them too. That is such a cool thing. I think everyone always worries about the younger generation. Like its just our nature to hope they can grow to make the world we will be old in, a good place to be. I told stories of how I have learned not to judge people, from homeless I have talked to and learned their life stories. I told stories of how I appreciate little things so much more and realize how precious small moments can be. How nice little things like being clean can feel when you don't have much time clean.
        They were really cool and thankful for talking to me. They also gave me 3 booklets of McDonald's coupons for free items. You could get hamburgers/ice cream cones/apple slices. They were good at the McDonald's until the end of Albeqeurque. Those were the restaurants participating. There were a lot of coupons and I wouldn't be able to use them all, since it was one per visit. So I was very happy I could pass them out, plus use as many as I could. We all shook hands and they left.
       Then as I sat there I realized something. A couple nights before, when I was tired and hurting and part of me didn't feel like stopping to help the guys with the flat tire, but I did anyways, had just come back to me. I now had food for the next few days, and even stuff to share. That was really cool. It's like I was tested, and now rewarded.
        I left there and went across the freeway to a Walmart. I needed a few things to help my body and some snacks. I had a $20 gift card from the guy who met me at the state line (Will). So I was gonna use that to help me out.
       I picked up some sole inserts, fish oils (for knees), another sport bandage wrap so I had two (one for each knee), and some can foods and snacks. The total was about $30 so I used some of my cash too. At this point I was down to  about $25.
        I didn't really let anyone know, but my shoes were just about wasted by now. The soles were toasted and my knees were feeling the lack of support. I didn't want to tell anyone as I had already planned to use the money I had left to buy a used pair of shoes from a thrift store in Albeqeurque when I got there. I would just swap the inserts into those when I got them also.
         I left Walmart and headed down a frontage road that was heading out of Edgewood and into a small mountain stretch between there and Albeqeurque, which was maybe 30 miles ahead.
         I walked up some hills and through winding areas. It was really pretty and the mountains right around me were a nice change of scenery to walk through.
        I stopped about 10 miles in and took a break on a small rock under a tree. I popped a can of ravioli to eat from the Walmart stop I just made. They were about luke warm, but man they were tasty. It was a lot nicer that eating crackers and cheese for lunch. Oh, I also bought a fresh loaf of bread for the peanut butter I was given. I was gonna make a sandwich for breakfast each morning.
         I walked another 5 miles or so when my knees were flaring up. I passed a church and decided to stop there. I figured I would go easy until I got the new shoes to help my knees. And also, this was a good place to sleep rather than strolling into Albeqeurque at night and winging it last minute in the dark.
       So I stopped at about 6:00pm. It was overcast so my solar panel wasn't powering my stuff. My things died and I still had hours to kill there before I would try and sleep. I pulled out my maps and were just looking at the route ahead and thinking about some stuff. After I got tired of that I pulled the bible out and read through some of that. It was a little frustrating, but certain versus did enlighten me. I feel like reading the bible is sort of like helping people when I don't feel like it. It's frustrating, but I always come out with something that can be helpful. I forget most of the frustrating things in it the next day anyway. But I can take the helpful stuff and apply it to situations I get into sometimes. I feel like it really does create a better attitude and selfless way to live. Which is ultimately rewarding.
          So after killing a couple hours the sun set. I laid there and got to sleep early. I was laying on a ramp in front of this church. It was close to the road but it was higher than the cars and made it a better spot as I was harder to see.
        I slept ok that night besides sliding down the cement ramp slowly when I would roll around. Also there were some bugs flying around landing on me here and there. There was a light right above me that attracted the bugs. And a pretty big spider in my arm woke me up at some point also. But all in all I slept ok

   
      .

Day 127, August 8, 2012

 I woke up on day 127 with my side on the road. I was out away from the tall grass as far as possible and just enough off the road where I felt comfortable. Well I was actually on the road. But it was a dead end and no cars were driving on it (aside from the one during the night).
      I sat there and was pretty hungry so the first thing I did was use the bread and peanut butter that the couple gave me the day before, and made a sandwich. I also threw some banana chips in there to mix it up. It was pretty good.
      When I got up and packed my things, I realized I slept in some broken glass. I didn't notice any cuts or anything. It did feel like thorns were under me the night before when I would roll around, but my legs seems unscathed.
     I packed my stuff and headed out. I jumped on the interstate and was walking west going against traffic. I climbed up a hill first thing and when I came over the hill it was a cool sight. It was downhill all the way to Moriarty and I could see for miles and saw the town way in the distance.
       So I took it easy walking as my knees already were flaring up. I walked down the slope and enjoyed looking at the long view of what was ahead. I then realized I walked a lot longer than what I thought the night before. I had actually walked about 24 miles.
       I walked about 10 miles when me knees needed a break. So I got off at the next exit and took a break on the side of the frontage road. I saw on my GPS that the frontage road actually ran all the way to Moriarty from there. So after a 15 minute break I took off walking the frontage road.
        I walked nice and easy for the next 6 miles to get to Moriarty NM. It was a pretty walk and the mountains around looked cool and different than any where I had walked yet.
       After a long downhill walk I made it to Moriarty. I was tired and ready for a break. There was a taco bell there on the far west side of town so I decided to stop there. I went in and ordered a $2 meal. I sat down near an outlet and relaxed while charging my stuff.
        I had walked about 16 miles to get there and was thinking about just staying there for the night. But after sitting there a while I was feeling ok and got a little impatient. So I looked up how far away Edgewood was, it was 9 miles, and decided to just walk that. So I left there around 6:00pm and headed along the frontage road.
       About a half mile down a car pulled over in a driveway in front of me. It was an elderly lady and she asked if there was any way she could help me. I told here I could use prayers but aside from that I was ok. So she said no problem. Then she asked where I was going so I told her. She was very impressed. She grabbed a little booklet and gave it to me. It was a little paper booklet that I have been given to plenty of times so far. I have read a handful of them and they seem pretty ridiculous. They are basically cartoons that are designed to pump fear into people and tell them to accept Jesus. One of them I read was an older man telling a teenager that if he doesn't accept Jesus that he could get hit by a car in the next hour and go to hell. So the old man basically kept scaring the teenager until he submitted to doing what he said. And he accepted Jesus into his heart... Now I don't have anything wrong with what anyone believes, but to make and pass out these ridiculous booklets is really pathetic to me. I think it's cool that people have Jesus in their heart and it helps them deal with life and aspire to be better. But forcing someone's thoughts by using fear and threats of harsh consequences of burning seems pretty much the opposite of what people should be doing to help.
       I believe in God, but that has been through my own willingness to seek that. And even though I believe in god, I still can't sit here and tell people 100% that it's true. Because there is no way of proving that. I put my faith in God but really don't know what or who it really is? But I dont feel the need to stress that. I will just put my life in his hands and trust him. That's what builds my faith. But I can't tell anyone it's real. That's just absurd since I have no proof. Now if you see some of my experiences and want to believe that your god is taking care of me, I have no problem with that. But that goes for everyone, Buddhist, Jews, Muslim, Christian ect..
      I really don't believe (my opinion) that god sees anyone different on this world. At least the god I believe. I think he serves all and although people want to believe in different forms of god, I think he is such a force he can act as many forms of himself. I just see too many flaws and nonsense in organized religion. I mean, how can someone who has been on this earth less than 100 years claim to know what's real? And again, Im not saying anyone is wrong, I'm just saying if you say you know 100% for sure what is real, then you are wrong. Like for example, I believe in god and I think praying to him and praising his power is the right way to have a relationship with him. And trust me, I have been closely in touch with the power of blessings. I think praising him will show others you are not cocky or self absorbed. And also praising him shows others you have trust and faith in something. Which I believe is important in life. Letting go of trying to control everything is setting yourself free. I think living selfless to an extent, is really rewarding. Rewarding in a way that feeds your soul and spirit. Not rewarding in wealth or materials. But more of a power that is given to your heart. A love.
       So I sort of let the lady how I felt about the booklets. She said she had never read them and honestly was just trying to give it away after someone gave it to her. So we talked a little more about my journey and then she said good luck and left. She said she would pray for me, which I am thankful for. I'll accept prayers (or good energy as I also see it) from any person of any culture or religion. Anyone wanting to wish good things upon me is always a good thing in my mind.
        So I walked until sunset, and man what a beautiful one it was. After it set and it was dark, I still had about 4 miles to go. I was a couple miles away a while later when a car passed and I heard a sound of a coin bouncing. So I grabbed my flashlight an searched the road and spotted a quarter. I was pretty happy.
        I finally made it to Edgewood. When I got there I stopped at a McDonald for about 30 minutes. It was pretty late now (11pm) and I was beat. I had walked about 25 miles and was ready to sleep.
       I walked across the parking lot to a Smiths store and walked around back. Behind it there was a walkway and a cement fence or wall I guess. I made my bed in a corner that was part of a shadow from the light in the back.
      I made my bed there on some rocks. I felt safe from animals there which was nice after the night before. So I laid down. After laying there for about 5 minutes I heard a cat meowing. I looked over and there was a tree that had branches sort of sitting on the top of the wall. There was a little kitten sitting there. So I got some bread out of my cart and walked over and set a couple slices next to it. Then I went back and laid down. I fell asleep and slept ok that night.

   

Day 126, August 7, 2012

 I woke up next to the gate on an exit off the I-40 in about the middle of New Mexico. All that was around me was open land. I was pretty warn out and felt rough when I woke up.
        I got up and packed my things slowly. I really was taking my sweet time getting ready. It was about 8:30 and I wanted to be on the road by 9.
       My back was hurting on the lower left side for some reason so I stretched it out pretty good before I took off. I grabbed the gate and held it as I stretched my back.
       I hit the road around 9. I was in the bottom of a little valley and had a hill to climb just ahead. My knees were pretty soar so I was taking it easy.
       I went at a pretty slow pace and was really taking my time up the hill. Once I reached the top it was rolling hills for a good distance. It was an incline for about 10 minutes and then a decline for about 10 over and over. It was overall getting higher and higher with each hill. (elevation). I finally got to a peak and then it leveled out for a long while.
         I walked slowly for about 12 miles when I could see a junction ahead where there was a Resturant and store (clines corners). It was the junction where people traveling from Colorado came down to hit the 40, and was busy from what I hear.
         When I was getting close a car pulled over right after they passed me. I turned around and a lady jumped out. She said they were going the other way and saw me, so they turned around to check on me. That's was so cool!
      They were traveling back home to California from a cross country drive they took. They offered me some snacks and drinks. They gave me part of a loaf of bread, a half jar of peanut butter, some crackers, and a frozen lasagna dinner that they said to microwave at the stop ahead. Oh, and a can of chili.
        After they left I came across some cowboys on horses that were moving cattle from the north side of the interstate, to the south side (through a tunnel under the interstate). As I passed they asked how I was. So I stopped to talk with them for a few minutes and they were really nice.
        I got to clines corner and I was starving! I heated up the lasagna and then went and sat down at the Resturant near an outlet. I ordered a drink so that I was at least a paying customer.
        The waitress was really cool and kept asking questions about my travels. She was really interested and said she hitchhiked when she was younger. Before I was going to leave I was still hungry so I ate the can of cold chilli also. The waitress saw me eating it and brought over a big handful of crackers. Very nice lady.
          I stayed there from like 2 to about 5:30pm. When I left the waitress said "I hope you enjoyed your free water", and winked at me. I told her thanks and then I left.
          I left there and it was pretty warm. Leaving there it was mostly down hill. I was walking slow as my knees began to hurt. I walked a ways until the sun was about to set then I started looking for a spot to camp out.
         I walked well into dark and still hadn't passed an exit or even a remotely good place to stop. It honestly looked like snake heaven everywhere I looked, and the fences along the highway only went off the road about 20 feet.
         So now it was dark and my knees were really hurting more and more. It was still a decline and the downhill was putting pressure on my knees. I was using my flashlight and scanning all around as I walked to look for a spot. But no luck.
        I had walked until about 10:15 when my knees were in PAIN now. Finally I saw an exit sign that said 2 miles up. I was so relieved and couldnt wait to get off my knees.
        Just when I was approaching the exit I noticed 2 cars pulled over right before it. It was dark so I was a little nervous approaching them. As I got close it was 3 young guys and one of the cars had a flat. They looked to be struggling with getting the tire changed. I was so tired and my knees hurt so bad. But I couldn't pass them and not offer to help. So I stopped to give them a hand.
         I got under the back of the truck (ford ranger) and was trying to get the spare tire out from under the bed. There was a bolt holding it if from the top side of the rim and the tip of the bolt was an eye hole. It was really tight. So I went to my cart and got a screw driver. I used it to gain leverage and spin the bolt loose.
        After I got the spare tire off I went to help them get the flat off. They were really trying hard to break the nuts loose. I asked to let me try, then I stepped and jumped on the wrench to break the nuts loose and then quickly took them off along with the tire. I got the spare on and tightened it down tight and they were set.
       They said thanks and asked where I was going. So I told them and one of the guys followed my twitter. The guy who had the flat gave me a jar of change he had in his cab. They were nice and shook my hand and said thanks.
       When I left there I noticed my knees didn't hurt. I was guessing maybe the break had rested them or something?
      I got off at the exit and scanned around with my flashlight. There wasn't anything there so I didn't think many cars would be coming by. So I settled for sleeping right next to the road off the exit. Literally the edge of my body was along the pavement.
      I made my bed and laid down. It was about 11 now. It felt good to lay down. It was pretty windy and cool. Just as I was dozing off a car got off and drove past me. I thought I saw a sign that said dead end so I wasn't sure where they were going.
    About 30 minutes later the car came back. I woke up and saw it. It pulled off the road before me and turned the motor off and switched off the lights. It was weird. They were about 50 feet away. Then suddenly they started the car and punched it towards me!!! Then it looked like they saw me last minute and swerved more toward the middle of the road (since I was right off the shoulder). I wish there was a better spot but it was thick bushes everywhere else. So I went to sleep...
         At about 3:30am I was awoken to some crunching noises. I quickly grabbed my flashlight. I looked around and didn't see anything. Then when I spun the light to the other side I spotted eyes staring at me about 10 feet away!!
       I was startled and didn't move. I could sort of make it out to be a porcupine which I felt better about. But I still don't know their nature. Not sure of they are aggressive or what?
      It looked blinded so I just sat still shining the light right in its eyes. It stood up on its back feet and it was a lot bigger than I knew porcupines to be. I guess I've never seen one besides on TV, and just assumed they were smaller.
      It went back down to all fours. It sniffed around and eventually walked away. I was now wide awake and wasn't sure if I would sleep again. But I laid back down to try. I don't know how but I fell back asleep and slept ok the rest of the early morning.

     

Day 125, August 6, 2012

 I woke up around 8:30am. The sun was warming up and I felt the heat on my skin. My zipper on my sleeping bag sometimes comes apart when I toss and turn so much. So when I woke up it was swooshed around me and I was partially laying right on the concrete skin to skin.
        When I got up I was feeling very lazy. I was just feeling the wear and fatigue on my body. All the aches I fight day to day seemed to all be in action. I was hurting bad both mentally and physically. But I knew the low that I was experiencing wouldn't last and that If I kept moving it would change before I knew it. So I got up and slowly packed up.
        I finally hit the road around 9am. I walked west going against the traffic again along the 40. I was walking slow and easy still and really keeping a cautious mindset for my knees. I was focusing on how they felt to make sure if it was getting worse I would rest and take a break.
         I had about 12 miles to walk until I reached the next exit that had anything. There was a gas station and a dairy queen there that I planned on taking a break at. So I walked slow and steady towards that.
          About 6 miles in I stopped where there was an overpass. I took a small 10 minute break there and sat on a guard rail. I ate some trail mix there and drank some water.
         I headed out again and wanted to try and see if I could walk all the way to the exit where I planned on taking a break. So I went nice and easy. I finally got there at around 1pm. It was really nice to have an outlet and a place to sit again after a few days with not much. I sat in there and took a break all the way until about 4pm. I ordered a chicken wrap and a small drink. I was so hungry when I got there my stomach was hurting.
          I took off from that exit at about 4 and hoped to walk until sunset. It was a lot of uphill from there and I was moving pretty slow. I was making sure to not push myself up the hill too much. I got to the top of a hill and it was really pretty. I could see all around me and the area was so beautiful. I tried to take a video but my audio was not working. I think my iPod took a dump and the microphone is not working anymore. I was bummed because I won't be able to take anymore of the video updates.
        So I left from the mountain top and it was a steep drop off. I went easy going downhill also for me knees. I was also stopping and taking breaks to watch the sunset. It was such a nice evening.
        When I got to the bottom of the hill there was an exit just ahead about a mile. So I slowly walked up to it as the sun was setting. I got to the exit and there wasn't anything there, but I needed to find a spot to sleep. I exited and took a little side road about 1/4 of a mile to where there was a pasture.
        When I got to the pasture it looked ok, but still a little too tall of weeds where I wouldn't feel comfortable incase of snakes. So just ahead I spotted a gate going into the pasture. There was a dirt driveway going into it where it was clear enough to sleep. I didn't think any cars would pass by on the road either since I didn't see any houses or anything nearby.
         I made my camp up right up against the gate. I could see with my flashlight some pretty good sized beetles crawling around. So I zipped up my sleeping bag and bundled up. It was actually pretty chilly too. The weather said it might rain through the night so I got my tarp ready just incase. I set it on my cart so I could grab it easily. Sometimes when it starts raining out here, it just strikes very suddenly to a heavy downpour. So I was ready. I fell asleep around 9:30pm and slept pretty good.

     

Day 124, August 5, 2012

 I woke up around 7:30am. I had slept ok. I was comfortable and relaxed all night but at many points was just laying there half asleep looking up at the moon. When I woke up the sunrise was really awesome looking. I laid there on my sleeping bag and enjoyed watching it come up.
        I woke up and got myself ready. Brushed my teeth and put sun screen on. Then packed my things up and was ready to roll. I crossed the overpass and jumped on the shoulder of oncoming traffic (east bound).
       I started walking and my knees were still frail. They didn't hurt as bad but I could feel just enough to know if I pushed too hard they would cause me pain again. So I was walking really slow and taking my time. My knees staying healthy is going to be crucial to making the finish. So keeping a close eye on that.
        I walked west for about 6 miles when I could feel a slight increase of pain in my knees. So I stopped at an overpass to take a short break. I sat under the bridge in the shade on the dirt. As I sat there I ate some granola bars and almonds I had stocked up. I have been trying to conserve food since I've been running a little low.
          After about 20 minutes I got up and continued walking. It was warming up a little so I was drinking more water. Since I went through the Dallas area and faced very hot and humid days, everything after that has not felt too bad. Even though it is 97 out, the dry air makes it much more bearable, and I'm feeling adjusted to the heat now.
         I walked for 7 miles and finally came to a rest stop. There was nothing around me but open desert all day, so it was nice to see something. It's hard on my mind to see nothing all around for days on end. So even a structure of any kind is cool to come to.
         I crossed the freeway and walked off the exit to the rest stop. There was nothing really there, but a bathroom and some covered benches. I sat under an overhang on a bench and rested my knees. It was much cooler in the shade also and I was relaxed.
        I was planning to refill my waters there but I couldn't find any water source aside from the bathroom sink. I had enough to make it another day, and up ahead was a gas station that I would pass the next day. So I wasn't too worried about it. I could have filled up from the sink like I have before, but I would have had to use a smaller bottle to fill, then pour it over and over into the gallons. And there were a lot of people using the bathroom. So instead of the hassle I would just wait until tomorrow.
          I stayed there until about 5:30. I left there to try and get an evening stretch in and get close to 20 miles for the day while monitoring my knee pain. So I headed out. It was warm at this point and I was sweating a lot. I walked slowly all the way until sunset. It was such a pretty evening and as soon as the sun started to set it really cooled down and felt nice.
        After walking over a few more rolling hills and climbing uphill mostly, the sun was gone and it was getting dark. I was wanting to find a pull off or exit to find a spot to sleep. But no luck.
       I saw a tower over the next hill on the side of the interstate. So I figured I would climb one more hill in the dark and hope there was a driveway going towards the tower. I figure there had to be some kind of road to it for when the construction to erect the tower happened.
       When I came over the hill though, I saw something even better. It was just at the point where I didn't see a driveway and was going to have to settle for sleeping right off the shoulder where I would chance snakes and other critters. But just as I came over the hill and passed the tower, I spotted a white building in the moonlight, and an exit. I knew it was something abandoned since there are no houses out here like that off the highway by an exit.
         As I approached the exit I could see it was an old closed down gas station. So I exited on the east bound side and walked over a cattle guard and to the building. It was perfect! It was clean and even had a big concrete slab on the side where it looked like they were starting an addition and never got off the ground.
        I made my bed there around 9:30pm. It was a good clean spot and out of sight enough for what was around. No cars exited there so I didn't have to really worry about the roads around the gas station. I laid there on the concrete and fell asleep at around 10:30pm. My hips hurt and my knees hurt through the night from the hard surface and pressure on them. So I tossed and turned all night. But the mental element of not worrying since the spot was good helped me rest my mind. And out here that kind of rest is as good sometimes as actual sleep.