I made it to Salem, AR around midnight. 36 miles today. My feet are a little sore today. I am taking the day off and doing laundry and relaxing my feet.
The day started off a little tough walking. Holiday traffic was on the road. Again, the safest place was the middle of the road.
I was able to attend church at the River Bible Church. Next door is a little cafe, Brenda’s. Doug and Tom said I had to get there by 9:00 am. I went right after church and got there at 10. They were correct. The place was full and 30 people waiting for a table. Next time.
When I got out of town and in the rural area, there was a great shoulder to walk on. The scenery was beautiful. There were so many green area and the clouds were awesome.
I passed over the Norfolk Lake. It was a beautiful and large lake. It was pretty cool to see all the people out enjoying the water.
As I was leaving the town of Geep, Anthony stopped and asked if I needed any water. He opened up his ice chest and gave me three waters and a Dr. Pepper. I drank a water and and soda so fast. It was warm out and high humidity.
A little further I met an incredible young man, Rowan. He is 14 years old. He came running out of his house with three cold waters. As he came up to me, he asked, “Would you like some water Sir”. Absolutely. Rowan said he was in Henderson and saw me walking. He had been watching out his window to see when I was passing. He was very inquisitive about what I was doing. It was awesome as every question ended with “Sir”. What was also special was he did not know if I was homeless or just walking and still showed respect when encountering me. This young man was raised with a good heart. I walked away feeling so overwhelmed.
Then reality hit as I was chased by a pit bull. The owner came out of her trailer nonchalantly and called back the dog.
I walked for about 4 more hours in the dark. I had on all of my lights on my cart. It kinda looked like a Christmas tree. I made it to the hotel and immediately soaked my feet in eucalyptus Epsom salts. I obtained a few blisters as the humidity had drenched my socks. I had even changed them earlier. All of my clothes were drenched with moisture. Today will be a day of relaxation.