Day 71 Del Rio to Brackettville 32 Miles

11/9/2014

The taste of cold pizza in the morning is common to college kids. I suppose it provides a fast boost of calories. I thought cold pizza was a thing of my past but when this morning rolled around I thought it was best to consume yesterday’s leftovers. We take nothing for granted and we try not to waste anything that gives us energy.

Just like in college, there are lessons to be learned on the road. On today’s run I passed so many animals that had been hit by cars and I wondered, were the creatures ignorant about crossing the dangerous road? Porcupines, javalinas, raccoons, deer, and armadillos were all victims of the speeding steel machines. I could smell the putrid rotting flesh any time I approached another casualty. They helped me pick up the pace every time.

Half way through the day the trees and grass appeared to be taller. As I ran next to the tall grass, after every few steps, hidden animals would rustle around. At first I was startled. I didn’t want snake venom in my precious legs. But after a while I realized I hadn’t seen a snake for a while. The noises must have been from harmless creatures. And really, most animals are more scared of you than you are of them. The exception to this the dog. Of course I’ve learned how to talk to dogs on this adventure. Most of the time they are all bark and no bite.