8/6/2015
I found myself bundled in blankets trying to block out the throaty guttural growl of the Chevy in the vicinity. The truck eventually pulled out but I was already roused from my slumber and every little noise was amplified to my sensitive ears. Metallic carts reverberated and I knew I would not be allowed one more minute of shut eye. Crystal had arranged an interview with the local network affiliate and I was to give an interview at 2:00 PM. It was quite some time away and I didn’t want to go too far out of the area so I strolled for a good portion of the morning. I took plenty of photos and enjoyed the scenery. Even though my trail had ended the previous day, the sides of the road were still green and very wide. One thing I loved about this state is that I didn’t need to stop at lights and intersections. The straightaways carried me very far.
I stopped in the middle of the country roads in the town of Marathon City. It was more like farmland than town but I figured it was an appropriate place to give my interview. We had a couple of cool cheese sandwiches while we waited for Curtis to pull up.
Curtis had a youthful look and laid back demeanor. When he spoke I could hear the local accent. It wasn’t quite as strong as the Minnesota and North Dakota accents but there was still a little hint. He was efficient with his equipment and we shot the interview on the side of the country road. I got back on the road around 3:30 and I had covered around thirteen miles at that point. I had twenty-two to go. My legs suddenly woke up and energy surged through my body. I took a whiff of dairy farm air and I made tracks. The scent of nature is usually clean but every now and then those deep breaths cause the inhalation of a bug or two. I wondered, as the insects accidentally went down my throat, if this form of protein disqualified me from vegetarian status. I hadn’t consumed any animal for twenty-two year to date.
For some odd reason my legs grew stronger after every mile. I even wanted to continue past our destination. Since we had no accommodations for the second night, I was willing to push myself farther. Crystal nipped that idea in the bud. We found another parking lot in Abbotsford to spend our night.
After a cool restful night, a pounding on our trailer door made Crystal leap out of bed. As for me, I let her deal with the employee. He had come to ask us to move the trailer a few spaces. They were expecting an influx of customers for breakfast. We moved to a bigger lot and lingered around for a couple more hours. I realized my body wanted extra sleep because I neglected my midday nap the previous day.
I decided to make my way towards Stanley after a bowl of crunchy chia clusters and almond milk. I felt like keeping my body light. Just outside of town, my street turned into a dirt road. It was like a trail except I was surrounded by grazing cows, tall corn, and fields of soy beans. Occasionally a car would zoom past me. Dust would fly everywhere when they did. Large scary tractors and smaller horse drawn carriages were more common however. Crystal eventually drove past me and set up shop right on the dirt road. She prepared more food for me because she knew I needed more fuel than just cereal. The smell of fried eggs filled the trailer. As I ate, Crystal received word that we would cut the day short by five miles. The Fair Bridge Inn and Suites had generously agreed to donate a room for the evening. I felt blessed to have a hot bath and soft bed waiting.
Animals from both sides of the street took notice of the strange creature running down the street. I even spotted some muskrats acting funny in a ditch. When I reached the hotel in the town of Thorp I still had plenty of energy but I decompressed and sat into a hot salt bath. It knocked the energy right out of my body. I tried to read a short story and my eyelids started to grow heavy. It was a signal that my body was ready to recharge.
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