1/13/2015
I left a place of comfort to take on the unknown. Every day of this adventure has been about stepping out of that comfort zone to discover something new. On day 134 our destination was a speck on the map. We said thank you to Joe and Tallahassee RV and took our leap of faith.
Running through the state capital took a surprisingly short time. The straight road took me past a few miles of big retail stores. But, before breaking a sweat on this very warm day, the buildings began to vanish. Again magical forest surrounded me. I followed rows and rows of trees as beads of sweat began to form. As I headed east, slopes and hills began to find their way under my feet. Between every few miles of trees, I would run past tiny towns. These towns consisted of a gas station and a church.
It was at one of the churches that I found Crystal parked. She had prepared a perfect combination of protein and carbohydrates for lunch; beans and rice. The nutrients in the meal returned me to the road with plenty of power. Along with warm weather and a light overcast, excellent running conditions prevailed.
Under the diminishing light, a couple of miles before I reached the town of Capps, I ran into Crystal on the road. She said her legs were sore but she decided to fight through the aches. She grit her teeth and pushed until we reached our vehicle. I applauded her determination. The original destination was the town of Lamont but we found a great parking spot next to an old abandoned building. The town was one of the church and gas station towns I had mentioned minus the gas station. Somehow, this stop was big enough to have a stoplight. Atop the signal sat a blinking red cautionary light. The constant pulse of the blinking light penetrated our tiny kitchen window. It would be our only company in the desolate town of Capps.
Through the night there was a surprising amount of traffic that passed that intersection. The sounds of the engines indicated that big rigs were still busy at every hour. I slept soundly with the huge trucks passing but I woke up at 3 AM. I felt restless for some reason. Perhaps I had passed out way too early.
The warm weather continued into day 135. I dressed in shorts for the trek. I was able to have an intimate discussion with nature on this run. With very little between Capps and Perry, I reflected on the journey to date. I reminisced about all the kind and generous people that I was fortunate to come across. I thought about the people that had provided constant support. I was grateful for it all. There were still many miles to travel but for me, it was a day of reflection. Quiet solo runs are good for meditation and thought.
Crystal had waited for me on the outskirts of Perry. She wanted to pick me up if the darkness obscured my vision. I assured her I would make it to our designated meeting point. We would make it to the Perry KOA before the office closed. We arrived to a large campground. We were greeted by log cabins in the front. Beside the cabins was a miniature golf course. There was plenty to do at this campground but the surprise treat for me was a hot Jacuzzi spa. After thirty plus miles the hot tub was just what I needed. I was grateful for such simple things in life.
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