On day 77 I am sitting with my feet up at the Cottonwood Inn in Phillipsburg, KS. I have traveled 1532 miles. The rain is beginning to fall once again. I had a shorter day today, only went 15 miles and got to the hotel around noon. I am roughly 140 miles from the Colorado border and the Mountain Time zone.
Since my last update I left Belleville and walked 32 miles to Mankato. Along the way a woman and her son approached me from the shoulder. Her name was Amber, and we talked there for a few minutes. I love these roadside interactions. They instantly give me energy to walk more, like I feed off of them. It is pretty funny how that works. Four months ago I avoided human interaction pretty much whenever I could. I wouldn’t even feel comfortable ordering food over the phone. Now I talk to complete strangers all the time like they are my best friends. I think this speaks to the growing confidence I have found inside of me. I feel like I finally have something to say. Something worth saying. She took my picture and gave me a 2 dollar bill to remember her by. I headed into Mankato a few hours after this interaction and word about my arrival had already spread through this small town. I walked into a gas station as the sun was setting. The cashier told me she had seen me walking earlier in the day. Right after that the woman behind me said I know you from Facebook. This happened everywhere I would go in Mankato over the next 36 hours.
That night I slept under cover at the town park as the rain and wind continuously shook the trees surrounding me. Tornado warnings in the area kept me there an extra day and night. Hanging out at the park the next day I met Dustin who offered to let me stay at his place for the night. We spent the night hanging out discussing life over some Sailor Jerry’s. The highlight of the night was watching his neighbor break down his CD collection, including “Now 6.” Also witnessing this grown man belting out the lyrics to a Destiny’s Child song.
Throughout the course of this journey I have walked through hundreds of towns. Many of which I have felt welcome and right at home. Every once in a while though, this is not the case. Walking into Lebanon, KS on a Sunday afternoon an eerie feeling came over me. This town of 200 had one store which was closed. The only people I saw were all old and sitting on their porches. I sat down at the local park which was empty. Bugs filled the air, leaving me itchy throughout. Apparently, cell phones didn’t work in this town either. Two foxes appeared walking out of the bushes. They seemed so out of place here, like me. Our eyes locked and I began to wonder if I was imagining them. An older couple looked on from their porch. Being in such a different environment from what I am used to I felt like I couldn’t trust these people. I felt very alone in this moment. I began to think, where the hell am I? Everything about this place was so different from what I would consider normal. Nothing about this place was particularly scary, but I was scared to death. I packed up and kept on walking.
I walked 2 miles northwest where I reached the geographical center of the United States. It is basically a brick monument with a flagpole. There was a covered area with a picnic table. I slept there. At the center of the U.S.
I turn 25 on Thursday. In so many ways I feel younger now than I have in the past 3 years. I feel a childlike curiosity in me that I didn’t have before. I am in control of how my life will turn out. Everything feels new to me.
“You’re not grown up or old, stop living like your story has already been told.”
Side note (s)
I witnessed a boy, about 10 swing around a dead snake and have others jump over it as if it were a giant “Skip It.”
My right tire tube has been patched up with duct tape since yesterday. I re pump it up every 5 miles or so until I can get new tubes tomorrow. I had to get them sent to me since the towns have been so small. I couldn’t find a place that sells tire tubes anywhere within the next 100 miles on the 36.
A pastor from Burr Oak stopped to talk to me a few days ago. He told me his story and said it is never too late to turn your life around. He swore he had never pulled over to talk to anybody before. He said there was a force pulling him to stop. Before we parted ways he handed me $100.
I am still amazed at how some people react to me. In Smith Center, KS I was sitting on the corner of an intersection. An older couple in a tan Ford Crown Victoria, an exact replica of my Brother Eric’s car turned right in front of me. Going as slow as a car possibly can, looking on with their jaws dropped. This slower that walking speed continued for about 90 seconds. Looking back at me now from the rear view mirror, I stared back at them. Very slowly veering across the road they continued to stare at me as if I had no idea they were there. It was as if they had seen a ghost. The only thing that jolted them out of their daze was the impact of their car hitting the curb across the street.
The wind here is so strong, constant and cold. It has become very annoying. I often have urges to go inside just to get a break from it. This is rarely an option though. It also makes it very difficult to sleep. So cold. I could set up my tent to block it. So loud. It will be nice to sleep inside tonight on a bed. My entire left side has been physically sore for the last 3 days. I am assuming that is from sleeping on the ground every night.