Since beginning the Walk, I’ve known with whom I’d be spending the night at day’s end, until now. After a pair of nights with John & Jodi Altendorf, today’s trail down Oregon Hwy 99-W led to Junction City. I set out with no idea of where I’d be resting my head for the night. I was ready to break out the tent for the first time, and simply camp wherever I thought I may be able to get away with it. Until today, my fully, heavy backpack had been carried forward for me by family, friends, and friends of friends. Now, the full weight of my new world was on my body, and each mile felt like several miles. I was no fan of all this extra weight, but knew I simply would have to grow used to it for the many miles ahead. I enjoyed walking across some very beautiful farmland throughout today, including green fields of a variety of crops, forested hills a couple of miles to the west, classic red barns, and the occasional goats that I could say hello to through a wire fence!

Ten miles into the day, I was tired, and truly getting a feel for the tremendous amount of miles ahead of me with this heavy backpack. This was a tough realization, though not a defeating one. I pushed on, and within just a few minutes, a soccer mom’s minivan pulled off to the side of the road to talk to me. The passenger-side window came down, and a fourteen-year-old girl unflinchingly asks me: “you need a place to stay for tonight?” I glanced across to her very caring mother, sweetly staring at me from the driver’s seat, and immediately profiling them as a good, safe, easy fit, “Yes. Yes, sure– thank you!” They got out and we introduced ourselves. They’d read my story in today’s edition of the Corvallis Gazette-Times. They were the Vandenberghe Family, and they lived just a handful of miles up the road. Fortunately, their home was actually on Hwy 99-W. Natalie, the mother, was on her way to taking Allie, the daughter, to volleyball practice. “Can I go ahead and leave my backpack with you now?” I asked, volunteering this heavy-duty loads off my shoulders at first opportunity. “Yes, sure. We’ll meet you back at the house,” they told me, having given me an address and description of their home, in addition to the family phone number. I met them at the house later, Mom & daughter, and also son Quin and Ken, their father. They gave me the kitchen + vegetables to fix a filling vegetarian dinner for myself, which I promptly did, appetite of an elephant. Though I didn’t get to meet Ken, the super polite father, till the end of the day, when he finally returned home from work, he and I sat up talking well after the rest of the family went to bed. Sadly, I was exhausted from the long miles on the road, especially with the weight of the pack on my shoulders through all those miles, so I didn’t make the best conversational companion. Ken was wide awake, and I was having trouble staying awake, my body craving rest. Nonetheless, I fascinatingly learned of Ken that, just as a “calling” to do something greater from humanity had led me to leave my job and ultimately embark on this Walk of Inspiration Across America, despite the fact that Ken makes good money working the local tech job he does, he also thinks about whether or not he’s making the contribution to society that he most would like to make. Through the many miles ahead, I’d come to learn this is far more common to be the case amongst the professionals, and across social class lines. Having begun my first day in which I had no idea of where I’d be resting my head at the end of the day’s miles, this was the very first of many end-of-the-day jackpots that I’d ultimately be hitting across the thousands of miles to come…

Spending two nights with John & Jodi Altendorf, in Corvallis, Oregon, was the first time I began to feel that walking across America in just nine months could be far too fast a pace. I hadn’t met the Altendorfs in person before arriving to Corvallis. I’d found and contacted them via the travelers’ social networking site Couchsurfing.org, and asked if they wouldn’t mind hosting me as I made my way through town. They invited me in with open arms and open hearts; they had been enthusiastically been awaiting my arrival for weeks. I first met them on the north side of town, just shy of downtown. They live a few miles west of town, so they agreed to play a support driver role for me back and forth to the point at which I’d left off. A recently retired couple with three kids of their own, we hit it off really well that evening over their delicious home-cooked vegetarian spaghetti dinner. I’d learned that John, a pole vaulter during his college years, had picked the practice back up in recent years, and he currently holds the world record at the master’s level, age class 60-64, at over 13 feet! John & Jodi took me to meet Mayor Charlie Tomlinson and the local newspaper, the Corvallis Gazette Times, the following morning, before hitting the road.

Knowing that storms were coming, and that my super-comfortable running shoes were anything but waterproof, John engineered some waterproof covers for my shoes that would end up being a great help to me amid some of the very wet miles ahead. For the first time during these early days of the Walk, the Altendorfs offered me a support-driver type role: after spending the first night with them, they would allow me to walk as far as I could, south of Corvallis, till early evening. They then would pick me up, and return me to the very same spot the following morning, so that I could both spend another night at their place, and connect all of my steps. I happily took them up on their offer, and am so grateful that I did. I learned the important early lesson that spending more than just a single night with any given host can tremendously enrich the experience of connecting with fascinating new people in new places!! I truly look forward to returning to visit John & Jodi again someday!

Before leaving Woodburn to proceed into Salem, local reporter Rachel Cavanaugh of the Woodburn Independent spent an hour with me, recording my story and snapping some pics before I proceeded on foot to Salem and the Oregon Capitol.

Though I’d hoped for the mayor of Salem to meet with me, I hadn’t heard from her, and I was unconfident that she’d be contacting me.

An even greater long shot was the message I’d sent to the office of sitting Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, who was busy with a million responsibilities amid Oregon’s economic woes.

I didn’t hear from Salem’s mayor; however, halfway into the day’s miles to the Capitol building, Penny, Governor Kulongoski’s assistant telephoned me to tell me that Governor Kulongoski would like to meet and walk with me the following morning.

WOOHOO!!!

I quickly alerted a close handful of family and friends, and we prepared to meet Governor K the following morning. My dad in addition to some other family members came to town for the big meeting.

Today’s route:

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Frank Mickel has been a close friend of Ryan, my younger brother, since they met in the mid 1990′s. Frank & wife JulieAnn now live a few miles from Woodburn, and they offered to play a support driver role for me for the day: I walked from Canby to Woodburn; they picked me up and took me to their home for the night. The next morning, they dropped me off at the exact point at which I’d left off in Woodburn, on Oregon Hwy 99-E.

JulieAnn, Alyssa Renee & Frank Mickel

When the idea of staying overnight at the homes of people you only meet via the internet (and haven’t yet met in person) first reached my ears, my automatic response was to be highly skeptical, probably somewhat fearful. However, through my recent, earlier-in-2009 travels through Mexico and Central America, I kept running into some of the most trustworthy, fun and open-minded people who were directing me toward Couchsurfing.org.

Had I become some Silicon Valley techie multi-millionaire in my 20′s, and had I still decided to embark on this Walk of Inspiration Across America, I don’t believe I would have even considered an idea like Couchsurfing– scheduling homestays with people you’ve never met and have no connection to. I was walking on a needle-thin budget, however, and given that Couchsurfing had been so emphatically applauded to me by some very admirable friends, I decided to create my own profile and look up some potential hosts within Oregon, the first state I was to fully walk across on foot.
Looking at Canby for CSers, I found Mike & Wilma Bruno, who were my age and both spoke English & Brazilian Portuguese, languages I speak as well. I contacted them via the website, and they invited me into their Canby home for my first overnight stay on CS.
I was a bit nervous as I walked into Canby this Thursday afternoon from Lake Oswego, but as I arrived to our slated meeting point, Mike stepped out of his car to greet me with the warmest handshake in the world. The look on his face was one of greeting a good old family whom he hadn’t seen in a very long time. I was sold immediately.
Mike & Wilma treated me to dinner at one of their favorite local restaurants, before taking me back to their handmade home, in the woods outside of town.

Mike made the house they live in, which features an outdoor outhouse, ladder to the upstairs loft (where they sleep). The house is bound with wooden nails.
They made sure I had plenty of blankets for a comfortable night’s sleep on the downstairs couch, and I nodded off shortly after they retired upstairs.
After a very restful and refreshing night’s sleep, I heard a calm, gentle voice call my name: “George– George, are you awake?” at the breaking of dawn. I opened my eyes to the sound of an owl, hooting in the trees just outdoors. There was no one near me.

Mike & Wilma proceeded to make me a delicious lunch for the road the following morning, before returning me to last night’s stopping point.

I’m eager to stay in touch with Mike & Wilma across the miles, and visit them again upon finishing the Walk.

Thanks So Much, Mike & Wilma!!

Mike & Wilma Bruno, and their newborn baby girl. (This pic was taken a year after they hosted me in Canby.)

Here is a three-minute video in which I speak about my Couchsurfing experiences. The video was made in South Carolina, in the fall of 2012, by aspiring documentarian Daniel McCord, three years after this first Couchsurfing experience, with Mike & Wilma Bruno.

I hadn’t planned on taking today off, but due to the August foot injury, and the fact that I was just now reconditioning my body as my miles were getting underway, I took Sam & Isil up on their ultra-hospitable offer to host me for longer, and I spent my birthday with them. As I would not be carrying any laptop, they allowed me to catch up on communications and web planning from their home computer.
They treated me to a delicious local Thai food restaurant later that evening, and nicer than my gear, Sam gave me his sturdy yellow-and-black rain jacket, which I remember him wearing through his college days, a dozen years ago. I would wear this honored gift for nearly a thousand miles before trading it up for something newer, lighter, and more waterproof.

Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, who served from 1994-2002, joins me for a mile of walking from Portland's Pioneer Square, the heart of downtown.

A solid team of family & friends behind us, John Kitzhaber & I walk past Portland's World Trade Center en route to Salmon Springs Fountain at Waterfront Park.

As we finish our morning mile, Kitz & I conclude our discussion on the urgent importance of preventive health care. John Kitzhaber is also a medical doctor.

Once we arrived to Waterfront Park, multiple local TV & radio stations greeted us for the interview.   Click here for the best-produced local TV story.

After meeting with Kitz and local media, Pastor Michael White, pastor for my mother’s 1985 funeral, who had joined us for this morning’s walk, took time out to say a prayer for me, calling for divine guidance, protection and providence for me across all of my upcoming miles. Pastor White’s prayer was powerful and effective.
Headed away from downtown Portland, I walked several miles up busy (and dangerous) Oregon Hwy 43, to reach Lake Oswego, home of my friends Sam & Isil. Isil is from Turkey, and she prepared an authentic Turkish dinner for me– which honestly turned out to be one of the most very delicious meals I’ve ever eaten!  I’m so much more inspired to visit Turkey sooner!

Sam

Isil

After getting at least a few minutes of sleep last night, energized all night long for the hours-away first step of this project of a lifetime– which had been on my mind all day, every day, for nearly a year– I awoke to join my parents and Grandpa George for breakfast before heading over to my childhood neighborhood of Oakbrook, where I was slated to take my first steps of the journey.
Though I was to meet the crowd at Oakbrook Park,  I asked Dad to drop me off a few blocks away, at the eastern edge of NE 35th Street; I planned to walk to the park from there. On my way to the park was my childhood home, where Mom had taken her final breaths of life on June 18, 1985, two days before her 34th birthday. Today, September 20, 2009, is two days before my 34th birthday– and from this highly symbolic point of life, I will begin taking many millions of steps across America, aiming to inspiring others to begin taking steps forward in their personal lives– starting with something so simple as a daily walk.

Though we’re unfamiliar with the current occupants of the house, I briefly set foot on the property, paid my respects, and moved forward to the crowd waiting at the park.

Donated by a locally-owned running store, these perfectly-fitting athletic shoes are ready for Day 1 of the Walk.

A couple dozen sweet souls, family & friends, greet me and prepare to join me for the first mile of the Walk.

Good Morning, Laura!

Chris & Justin, friends since high school, each of whom I'd lived with for five years, join me for the Day 1 send-off. Huey, my six-year-old dog, has been living with Justin for over two years, as I've been engaging in a number of projects and excursions that often take me far from home for long periods of time. These guys are the best-- I love 'em!

Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard comes to see me off. He's interested in the details of my plan.

Before taking off, it's time to take a minute and briefly explain to all how preventable cancers and chronic diseases have already cost us far too many lives, and how each of us can and should begin taking steps forward to live a healthier lifestyle.

And AWAY we go!

Almost through our first mile, surrounded by the goodness of fine friends. I've also been walking happy little Huey the entire way!

As our first mile concludes, we meet and chat before the group splinters and I prepare to go it alone.

A month ago, while training on my 16-mile loop route in rural Oregon, my foot slammed into a nearly-invisible roadside spike and I was unable to walk (even to the mailbox) for nearly a week. The pain grew in intensity whenever I pushed too hard to get back to a multi-mile pace, so I made the very difficult decision to simply not walk any long distances until Day 1 of the Walk. I would have to physically condition myself all over again on the very day the Walk began. The plan worked out, for though I definitely had to work to achieve them, I couldn’t call Day 1′s first 15 miles overwhelming by any means.  (Click here for today’s route from my childhood home in Vancouver to downtown Portland.)

Day 1 was so beautiful that for the first time in my life, I suffered a sunburn this late in the year in the Pacific NW. A freshly-shaved, milky-white scalp of course made me an easy target for sunburn amid fifteen miles outdoors on one of summer’s final days.

The day ended at the home of my friend Jim, a man a few years older than my father with whom I’d worked for several years.

I sustained a serious puncture wound over a week ago, while on my 16-mile training loop for the walk. With a steady, swift pace forward, my left foot stabbed directly into a very sharp, split, knocked over, nearly invisible steel roadside marker. Thank goodness for the athletic shoes, and the strong point of where the shoe met the sharp point of the steel marker, or I may have risked the spike-like steel spear piercing directly through my foot.
I was only about four miles from the farm house, and though part of me felt this warranted a call home for a ride, another part of me knew that I’d be running this roadside risk across the thousands of miles of America. I therefore toughed it out, and walked home in pain.
Though I felt “accomplished” at the end of the day’s walk, later that night, I would pay dearly for the decision to tough it out earlier in the afternoon– as I awoke to go to the bathroom and found that my left foot would NOT allow me to use it– screaming in pain at any attempt to place even a pound of weight upon it.
I was relegated to hopping on my right foot till morning, and then found my way into some crutches. Nearly 72 hours in, the pain was still intense, so I bit the bullet and, without insurance, exercised the only option available to me: I visited the ER of the local hospital (ouch!). They took some x-rays and ensured I’d broken nothing. The expert diagnosis put me at ease– for starting September 20, I would still begin walking across America. Within a few days, the pain slowly proceed to dissipate, and I ultimately transferred from crutches to cane. The progress became good that a week after the injury, I jumped the gun a little by going for a five-mile day– only for my foot to follow up by loudly screaming: “Knock it off! Let me heal first!” (spoken with a serious spike in pain which endured for days).
I didn’t like the idea of this, but I would be needing to suspend all serious walking-related physical conditioning till the morning of Sunday, September 20– the very day I planned to begin the Walk itself.
Luckily, the patience ultimately paid off– as I would ultimately feel some residual pain upon beginning the Walk on time, but having taken the time to heal kept the foot from any serious, start-of-the-Walk suffering.
Given how the injury occurred, I knew there would be many other roadside hazards amid the miles ahead. The overwhelming majority of roadside hazards, from spikes to snakes, would be spotted and evaded well ahead of time. However, I knew that unless I were to adopt a sloth’s pace on the road itself, I’d run the risk of sustaining another debilitating roadside injury. Luckily, it took thousands of miles for that to actually come to pass…

FYI: this blog written & updated well after the fact…