Spending time with America’s Fire Fighting Heroes!

Posted: February 1st, 2012

A fascinatingly new chapter of the Walk has opened– where I’m staying with and learning about fire stations. I’ve stayed back-to-back nights with 2 fire stations, as I’ve finished up my thousand miles of Texas. They’re totally awesome guys– real American heroes– and learning more about who they are and what they do paves the way for greater appreciation for the countless contributions firefighters make to society. Smiling for the camera is Travis, of Orange, Texas’ Fire Station #3. I rode along with the crew twice last night– first to a freeway vehicle wreck where the driver was trapped, and next to a call for a structure fire. Pretty exciting to ride in the back of that big red firetruck (”engine”)– and worth losing the sleep after an exhausting 17-mile day through mosquitoes and dangerous bridges… Regarding the departure to the structure fire, see this 30-second VIDEO. See PIC of some of the kind crew members of Orange, Texas’ Fire Station #3, who hosted me last night.

One Door Closes, Another Opens (Giving up on that missing sleeping mat…)

Posted: January 26th, 2012

Ange, the mother of my current Beaumont Victoria House hosts, took the time today to drive me up and down the route I walked yesterday, in search of the missing sleeping mat. Michelle (previous host) also promised to keep her eyes peeled. We didn’t find it. No anger/frustration though– as unexpected challenges happen from time to time, and you never know what silver lining may be interwoven.
Well, I’ve been finding out:
First, I have to be happy for whichever homeless person likely found the mat, and now has a warm pad to sleep on for however long (s)he possesses it. Next, as I consequently wasn’t leaving town today, Ange enthusiastically took me to visit The Art Studio, which was founded as a non-profit in 1983, by local artists to encourage other artists to practice their disciplines in Beaumont and SE Texas. I was given a personalized tour by Greg, the founder, Ange’s former husband. The Art Studio is an inspiring place with bright people painting, creating ceramic pieces, making music, and much more… VERY cool! Greg told me that Janis Joplin and the Big Bopper hail from there area. A musically inclined family, he also told me he heard one of his kids was now part of another new band, Fat Gay Dads, this news was revealed to him by his son’s gf– a legitimate member of the band Scrotum. Through conversation, staff at The Art Studio actually altered my walking route: instead of walking through Vidor, I’ll now be walking through Bridge City to get to Orange and to the Texas-Louisiana border.
Finally, as Ange has learned that I have yet to see America’s Third Coast (i.e., the Gulf Coast), she thought it was very important I see it, and has invited me tonight to join her and her boyfriend tonight as they travel to a beach home on the Bolivar Peninsula– the very peninsula wiped out by 2008’s Hurricane Ike, the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in U.S. history They’re hooking up a dear Houston friend & me with a room in a local B & B tomorrow night, in neighboring Crystal Beach. I’ll join my dear Houston friend for the remainder of the weekend, procuring a new sleeping pad in the process, before returning to Beaumont and continuing with a two-day walk to Orange.
All that said, I was NOT completely discouraged from logging any walking time today: I ended up walking a six-mile loop to the southeastern edge of Beaumont: Lamar University. I left off at the campus library, from which I’ll continue walking this coming Monday, on a completely revised two-day route, new sleeping pad securely tied to the cart! I’ll take a deep breath as more miles are postponed through this weekend. For now, Third Coast, new friends, new places, and new supplies…

Huffman to Liberty, Texas

Posted: January 18th, 2012

Monday’s 12-mile day ended in Huffman.
Well out of Houston, Huffman feels like a tiny one-horse town. I was invited in by Ben & Frieda Sessions, who are in their late 70’s. Last night was my second night at their place. Ben is a retired high school German teacher. He met Frieda in Deutschland, just a handful of years after the fall of the Third Reich. Frieda was working in a counter-intelligence position for the Americans at the time, and as this brought her to be shunned by many in her home community, it made it easier for her to meet Ben, who was stationed in her native Bavaria at the time. Unlike the United States, in Germany it’s very common to ask “strangers” if you can join them at their semi-occupied restaurant tables. Ben & Frieda met when she took a seat across from him in a local restaurant. The two ultimately married and moved to Texas. They’re in their 54th year of marriage here; they have 10 kids, 20 grandkids, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Each has broken an ankle in recent months, and I was delighted to help them today with changing light bulbs, raking leaves, water plants, and relocating stuff on the porches of their cottage. Their three acres is on Luce’s Bayou, and it fascinates me to hear that they see an alligator every so often.
Ben offered me a ride to the next town, as so many other friendly hosts have done. While I love such generous offers, I must continue to turn them all down– otherwise I’m not WALKING across America. That said, 18-19 miles of Hwy 90 await me today, as I walk from Huffman, through Dayton, to Liberty, where the local Luxury Inn has invited me to a complimentary night’s stay. Forecast is for sunny skies, no wind, high of 61 F– EXCELLENT walking weather!!

18 Seconds of Great Basic Food Advice

Posted: January 6th, 2012

Nutritional therapist Jennifer Doctorovich took some time out of her busy schedule to meet with me yesterday afternoon in Houston, to provide valuable nutritional advice. Recently in Houston, local naturopath Renald Stettler and nutritionist Faith Arch have done the same.
Though I’ve deliberately kept my outward message bumper-sticker simple, the broader message surely goes beyond taking a walk every day. Advocating a daily walk is basically a simple way to begin taking the first steps into an overall healthier lifestyle, which also includes healthy eating, and stress prevention/reduction.
Often, people I stay with and groups I speak to have nutrition-based questions for me. Though I’ve definitely collected some useful nutritional knowledge, I also feel least informed in this realm– so I’ve begun to reach out to professionals like Jennifer and many others, who’ve been responding quite favorably to me, meeting with me and taking their valuable time to provide me with useful guidance on how to craft a general message of healthy eating to groups I meet and speak to.
Though you’ll find differing recommendations from individual nutrition professionals, there are also many common denominators (e.g. drink enough water– clean water), which I’ll write more about in the future.

Though I’m a vegetarian, I loved this quick, broad, all-encompassing, 18-second, what-to-eat message Jennifer shares: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U95cFQE9N7E&feature=youtu.be

As Jennifer and so many others say, the more you eat foods that grow, the less you eat foods that come in packages (especially with long lists of unpronounceable ingredients), the better!
(Note: anything relegated to a miserable life in a cage also doesn’t meet the criteria!)

Transitions

Posted: December 31st, 2011

Be thankful for very uplifting and soul-expanding experience of 2011. Keep in mind what leads to precious moments of Light, Peace, Strength, Love, “Bliss…”
Leave the darkness behind, in 2011. Whenever it tries knocking on your door in the future, no response is the best response. This takes practice, dedication, devotion, commitment. Despite how long it takes, however, I’m working to prove to you that when you take determined steps in a given direction, as many as need be, you WILL ultimately achieve great goals!!!
Carry forward, nurture, and multiply the seeds of enlightenment within you.
BRIGHTEN your life story in 2012!!!

Slowly Understanding Why…

Posted: December 30th, 2011

Never having visited before, on the map Houston looked like nothing more to me than just some big, oversized, oily metropolis. I had no interest in coming here, and my intention was to walk days to the north of H-town. But the Angels of Light & Love have guided me here to Houston. I’ve stayed for two weeks, and I’ve had the greatest time getting to know the wonderful locals. I’ll be heading out this coming week, yet holding on to the merry memories for all my years…

Hibiscus Hill Plantation

Posted: December 28th, 2011

Jeffrey & Errah Lannah gave me a sunset tour of Hibiscus Hill Plantation, in Waller, TX, an organic (WWOOF) farm which supplies local businesses and sustainability-minded grocery stores with a variety of locally-grown organic products. I’ll be spending the night here, and receiving a fuller tour in the morning. Waller was not on my route, and so Jeffrey is shuttling me back & forth for this off-the-route excursion. (My walking cart is still at I-45 & I-610, in N Houston.)
I’m quite a fan of the general concept of World Wide Organization of Organic Farms (WWOOF), whose farms truly are spread throughout the world and offer countless work-trade-learn opportunities, a concept from which many youths have tremendously benefited.
HHP is owned and operated by Rick & Georgia, owners of Houston’s Georgia’s Farm-to-Market Grocery Store.

More information on who they are and what they do is found here: http://www.txgrassfedbeef.com/store/pg/15-.aspx

Happily Hobbling into Houston

Posted: December 11th, 2011

I didn’t leave the Parker household, in Katy, till about noonish. Theresa’s daughter, son-in-law, and grandson had arrived from San Antonio during the morning, and it was thoroughly enjoyable to be able to spend some time getting to know them before hitting the road. Having moved here decades ago from Gary, Indiana, Theresa gave me some tremendously helpful advice regarding how I would be able to best arrive to today’s destination, Houston’s Woodway & Voss, home of hosts JB & Glauce, with whom I’d be spending the next three nights. (Link: Today’s Route.) I left Katy, and entered Houston via the nation’s sixth largest city park, George Bush Park, which, covering nearly 8,000 acres, is nearly ten times the size of New York’s Central Park. I walked a handful of miles atop a 20-foot-tall dike on the northern and eastern perimeter of George Bush Park until reaching Briar Forest Drive, an arterial that added a mile or two to my day’s travels, but featured a sidewalk for the vast majority of its span. According to the Houston Chronicle, Houston ranks 8th nationally in most dangerous cities for pedestrians, one of the main reasons being a paucity of sidewalks, and especially given that I’m pushing a hundred pounds of possessions across the country with me, it’s definitely worth it to go a bit out of my way to find that friendly sidewalk.
Despite maintaining a smile as I was completing a 17-mile day into Houston, a noticeable cramp-like pain began developing just below the ankle of my right foot as I was stepping into this massive city. It’s not uncommon for innocuous little cramps or pains to appear here or there, and for the most part, I simply push right through them– they’re usually gone within a few minutes. That said, some pains will sometimes also choose to last a little while longer. Today’s foot pain definitely fits into that latter bracket; the pain grew steadily over the last half of the day’s miles.
Jeremie, a polite 23-year-old French man whom I’d met over a week ago on Hwy 71, near Fayetteville, lived in Houston, and suddenly decided to come and join me for the day. Jeremie was coming from the opposite end of the Houston metro area, and didn’t have his own transportation, so we had to rely on our phones over the course of the day to find and meet each other. Instead of taking public transportation, Jeremie hitch-hiked his way to me, and walked the last 4-5 miles till our paths converged. By the time we met, we both were within five miles of the Woodway & Voss intersection where we’d be meeting JB & Glauce. Jeremie is a sharp guy, and I really enjoy his insights and companionship. That said, he also didn’t have a way home for the night, nor any specific plan on where he’d be sleeping. Having recently come off a three-month road trip across America with a friend, Jeremie was broke. As Jeremie’s fun appearance arrived all of the sudden during the day, I hadn’t told my hosts I would be arriving with a friend. I informed Jeremie that even though I’d been on the phone with Couchsurfing hosts JB and Glauce for well over a week, we had yet to meet in person. We were all soon to meet at the Pei Wei Asian restaurant, close to their home. Knowing Jeremie had no solid plan for how to end his day, I informed him that I’d not feel comfortable suddenly adding someone new to the hosting request I’d made weeks ago, and I asked him to not ask JB & Glauce to be hosted. He nodded in agreement. Though it’s true that the experienced road traveler Jeremie is, and he’d probably host anyone in a heartbeat, he also understood that not everyone is a seasoned road traveler– nor are they comfortable inviting just anyone in off the road on the fly.
We met JB & Glauce at PeiWei late– at about 9pm. We all immediately hit it off really well. JB & Jeremie enjoyed chatting in their native Française. Glauce and I talked a bit in português as well. We stayed nearly an hour, till they closed. As we were headed out, I asked Jeremie if he had any plan.
“Maybe a nearby church?” he asked me.
I pointed to JB & Glauce, who’d best be able to point out to him which churches were in the area. Jeremie then uttered something to JB in French, JB nodded in approval, and we all just proceeded to their classy apartment for the evening. Jeremie had obviously asked JB if he could stay with him. The vibe was good, so I didn’t meddle.
I was hobbling upon arriving to Pei Wei, and the kind friend Jeremie had stepped in to push my cart for the last couple of miles, which really helped me a lot. An hour or so later, when we were all to walk the last mile together, my foot wasn’t feeling any better, and as I limped alongside in pain, the guys not only pushed it all the way for me– they carried it upstairs to the second floor apartment. Wow! What a tremendous help!
JB & Glauce set up two sleeping spots in their guest room, and though we’d be up a while longer, we ultimately settled in to a very rejuvenating night’s rest…

Columbus to Sealy, TX. 26 miles upon my return to I-10 after many months and hundreds of miles

Posted: December 7th, 2011

14 miles into the marathon, I checked my phone and e-mail for any possible late messages that may’ve come in from Sealy. I’d written to the Chamber of Commerce, the only two local motel contacts I could find on line, and a handful of churches (with on-line e-mail addresses). No response. It was time to make some phone calls.
I did a search for “churches” on Google Maps, and over a half dozen dots appeared on the map. I started calling from west to east, just as I’d be arriving. First up: the Lutheran church. I got a machine and left a message. Next: The Shepherd’s Way Church. TSW answered live and in person. I explained my project and request (for a safe place to camp or floor space in the church in which to sleep) to the nice lady who answered, and she asked me to hold for the pastor. After three minutes, I hear a charismatic southern voice in my ear: “Hello, this is Pastor Lucas.”
“Hello Pastor Lucas, my name is George Throop. I’m currently on a Walk of Inspiration Across America, from my home state of Washington to Washington, D.C. The Walk is designed to inspire to live healthier lifestyles, and thereby reduce the risk of developing cancer and other chronic diseases. I’m nearly 3,000 miles into the Walk, and the reason I call you today is because I’m currently walking the marathon distance between Columbus and Sealy. I’ll be arriving to Sealy this evening, and I’m simply searching for a safe spot to place my tent or possibly floor space within the church to sleep overnight before continuing east tomorrow…”
“Well I’ll tell you what, how about we get you a motel room here in town– that way you can shower and sleep well overnight!”
“Wow– I really don’t need that much. Floor space somewhere would work great.”
“We got a ministerial alliance here in town, and we’d love to do this for you.”
We continued in conversation for a few minutes, and he told me that I simply needed to arrive at the church before 8 PM to receive the voucher from him (he lives 17 miles away).
“I’m a mile away from exit 709– putting me at 12 miles away from you. It’s 3:30 now, and I’ll definitely make it there before 8 PM.”
Well, though a nice, hour long break would have been nice after 14 miles, I had to return the road immediately so that I could make it to The Shepherd’s Way Church in time.
I showed up at 7:30 PM to a very warm welcome from Pastor Frank Lucas. We sat chatted for over an hour, about life, about spirituality and Scripture, and about listening to the “God Compass” within us.
Pastor Lucas gave me a voucher for a room at the Super 8 motel, and a meal voucher at Tony’s, the local truck stop restaurant– where I stopped short of finishing the greasy football’s worth of grateful food they piled onto my plate.
Though I was very ready to spend my one night in Sealy without any mattress, I’m now nestled in a warm motel room as the chilly, glove-wearing day dips into a 27-degree night.
Thank You God