12/20/2014
The constant flow of water from the sky kept Crystal and me inside the entire day. We went to a coffee shop to catch up on work. She was busy on the computer and phones searching for an RV park that would donate a stay for the evening. A gentleman dressed in hospital scrubs overheard Crystal’s attempts on the phone and gave us a few suggestions of where to look. David ended up donating the money for a night’s stay and he bought some books for his son. It was a blessing. Despite the downpour, we spent a cozy day in the trailer. Hands down, it beat trying to go up against some of the maniacs behind the wheel.
With yet another day of rest completed, my body was once again like new. It was time to push myself. I slipped on a new pair of Saucony shoes to resume the journey. A cold chill hit my face when I opened the door of the trailer. My hands numbed when I stepped outside and it prompted me to run back into the trailer to grab my gloves and jacket.
While I ran, the cold air added a chill to my damp body. The humidity remained high and I found myself switching shirts every seven miles. It upside was that I was running strong and the shoes felt great. Halfway through my day’s mileage I encountered my first alligator. It was a baby and it had been hit on the road. It wasn’t easily recognizable but after staring at the skin and feet for a minute I concluded that it was the body of an alligator. For some odd reason, I had a sense that I might see one on this day.
The sky remained overcast for my entire run. It was nice to reach Lutcher because we had arranged to stay at Stumps RV park. We plugged in, turned on our heater, and started to dry my damp clothes. When I switched into a dry set, we headed out to see the bonfire boats that the residents of St. James parish had built. These wooden structures range from eight to twenty feet tall. It is part of a ritual unique to this area and the town of Lutcher. The bonfires are lit on Christmas Eve to light the way for Papa Noel. We discussed driving back in a couple of days to witness the spectacle. It is supposed to be an amazing sight that people from all over the world come to see.
My stomach growled as we inspected the different pieces so we decided to search for food in town. Once again we found a Pizza Hut with a friendly manager. Myra arranged for a large vegetarian pizza with a Hershey’s chocolate chip pizza cookie for desert. Sitting in the restaurant and smelling the baking pizzas roused my hunger even more. By the time we took the meal back to the trailer I could hardly contain myself. It was a delicious treat enjoyed with nice conversation. A warm bed called my tired body to rest.
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