When I woke up I wanted to go to walmart since it was right across the parking lot from the dollar tree. I wanted to get a new loaf of bread since mine was just about gone. I use the bread and make peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast. I still had the same thing of peanut butter from the couple a while back giving it to me. I didn't realize how long it would last.
So I went into Walmart and got the loaf of bread. I also realized how cheap food is as I was in there. I was thinking it might be smart to stock up here rather than spend a little here and there and end up with less in the long run. So I ended up buying a bunch of ravioli cans that had pop tops. I still had a handful of plastic forks I snagged somewhere along the way.
When I checked out the total ended up being like $12. That left me with about $3 left in total. I had all I needed in food and water jugs and supplies, so I wasn't too worried. Plus I trust god has my back and won't just leave me stranded.
When I came out of Walmart there was an indian guy sitting outside. I gave him the change I had in my pocket and some other coins I had in a case I carry on my cart. I had $2 left after that.
I left there and got onto the interstate going west. I was on the side with traffic and was going to walk until there was a crossover. Those are little u turn deals in the center divide for cops to turn around and stuff. I sometimes do that to cut down distance and having to go over the over pass to the other side.
I walked a half mile or so when I saw a hitchhiker. I knew as soon as I saw him that I was gonna give him the rest of what I had. I went up and talked to him. He was trying to get to CA where he knew a doctor who was gonna check his eyes for him and do some work. He had cataracts or whatever. He couldn't afford gas and insurance to support the trip, so he decided to rough it and hitchhike so he could make it happen. He was a really nice guy and he loved my cart.
After I left there I walked on. I walked about 8 miles when I decided to take a break. I sat under a bridge for about 15 minutes and rested my knees. The short breaks always help my legs.
I continued walking and there was an exit another 8 miles or so ahead. I figured I would take my afternoon long break there. So I walked again and hit that stretch with no problems. When I made it to the exit I just decided since it wasn't too hot, since my solar panel was keeping my stuff charged pretty good, and since I had food, that I would just sit under the bridge and take my break. So I climbed up under the slope and sat under the top part of the over pass (just underneath it).
I stayed there and ate one of my ravioli cans for lunch. I sat there leaning up in the concrete and just watched the cars roll by. I was just thinking each time a car flew by, where they were going.? What were they doing? What was on their mind in that exact moment? It really put me into some deep thoughts and humbled me. There is a great big world full of people who are living their lives out there. Everyone is consumed with their own thoughts in their own daily activities. I wondered how some of them compared to mine. Probably way different. We are all pretty different even when we seem alike.
I left there after about 45 minutes. When I left I walked about a mile when a car stopped on the frontage road. A young guy got out and then crawled through the barbed wire fence to walk out to the interstate where I was. He handed me $20, a fire fighter patch, and a water. He said he saw me the last 3 days while he was driving back and forth for work, and that this was all from the fire department. I was so thankful! Again, I gave away my last dollar today, and here I am later that day getting help from a stranger who has no idea what I'm doing or anything. Before he left he also pulled the shirt he was wearing and said it was clean and to take it. It was a fire department shirt. The dude literally gave me the shirt off his back! I was really happy and in shock! What a nice dude!
I walked another 9 miles from there! I finally got to the next exit. Well actually I was about a mile from it when something caught my eye. I saw a man walking down in a dry creek behind some bushes. He looked like he was looking for something. When he saw me he sort of looked surprised. I waved to him and he gave a small wave back. It then looked like he was homeless maybe also.
When I passed him he came running up the embankment and asked if I was traveling? I said yes and he said he was too. He had a dark complexion and spoke very broken English. He was all decked out in what looked like nice cycling close and those shoes they wear too. He said he was riding his bike from Alaska to Mexico where his house was!!! Wow!! That's awesome! He flew to Alaska to ride home! He was such a nice guy. I started talking Spanish to him the best I could. He seemed maybe a little younger than me.
He said I could stay there with him, but I really wanted to get off at the exit and find a spot there. But we exchanged information and said good luck to each other! He called me Forest Gump too haha.
When I got off at the exit I saw a guy sleeping right on the off ramp on a hill going off the side of the overpass. He was pretty exposed but his clothes matched the dead grass. It was odd seeing that.
I didn't see much off the exit there. So I went to the north side of the freeway where there was a school. I looked around the property there, but it was all fenced in and I didn't see anywhere to sleep.
I noticed the frontage road had a few big rigs pass by, so I figured it must go at least to the next town. So I walked along it for another couple miles to find a spot. By now it was dark and I was using my flashlight to see. Finally I came to a few small bushy trees. I looked around them and there were beer bottles all over. But it had a couple small clear spots to lay down so I decided it was camp for the night.
I kicked some broken glass off the dirt where it was somewhat clear and smoothed it out a little before making my bed. I laid down and felt pretty hidden. Something about the spot still felt off though. But I was beat and had walked over 25 miles. So I knocked out around 10:30.
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