1/5/2014
Swirling winds howled through the night. The powerful gusts rocked the trailer side to side like a baby’s crib. The swaying motion and warm covers sedated me. My heavy eyelids overpowered my eyes and knocked me into a peaceful dream world.
My early morning appetite was evident from the deep growls coming from my stomach. I fueled my body with a stack of buttery French toast covered with blueberry syrup. The soaked pieces of bread melted in my mouth and had me excited about the day. I was ahead of the game because I had covered extra ground on the previous day. I hadn’t had a day off in a while but my body had plenty of energy. I knew nutrition had kept me moving forward.
Crystal returned me to my stopping point and then headed back to the Geronimo RV park. I looked up to discover the sun looked like a blazing ball of fire. I found it strange that the temperature was icy. It didn’t take long for my body to heat up though. As I ran, both sides of the 98 housed some large shops. The commerce lasted for miles until I hit a patch of preservation land. As I ran in the area of densely packed trees, the air seemed to smell cleaner. My lungs loved the way the oxygen ran quickly through my body. The fresh air had me running like a machine. Since our vehicle was parked fairly close to the route, we planned to have lunch there before packing up. Reheated spaghetti tasted better the second time around. I was glad I returned to Geronimo because I wanted to thank Tome again for his generosity. After eating, I was able to snap a photo with him. He was such a friendly soul. He saw us off with a prayer and a firm hug.
The second half of the day brought more trees. I was in a trance watching the passing trees. I didn’t even realize I had run twenty two miles when I spotted Crystal at a gas station. She was scrambling on the internet in search for a place for us to park for the evening. At the same time my mouth was dry and I needed hydration. I spotted the South Walton Visitors center and figured they would have a cold water fountain.
When we went inside, I not only quenched my thirst, I also discovered a gem of which I had no prior knowledge. The staff of the center were very welcoming. There I found out about taking a more scenic route than the old 98 that I had been running. The next day I would take a detour and run on 30A. Crystal told them about what we were doing and they showered us with Visit South Walton items like a football, some shirts, a bag, and even a monopoly board for the nights when we had to park in the middle of nowhere. They even allowed us to park at the center overnight. We ended with a look around their conference room. We wanted to check it out because of the wonderful artwork they had on display. I knew I would have a great time the next day running through and discovering all the gems of South Walton.
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