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A Warm Welcome From Ohio…
Here we go again. Since leaving Indianapolis we have been having some great days. The only set back was Ant’s front wheel collapsing on the middle of a dirt road 17 miles short of our destination, which at the time was Greenfield, IN. The only option for him at that point was to tilt the stroller on the back two wheels and have the nose of the stroller sticking up. In order to walk that way, your arms have to hang uncomfortably low. On top of that you really can’t take a second off because the stroller would just topple over. Doing this for any amount of time would be annoying, hard, frustrating, agitating, and any other synonym you can think of. Unfortunately for Ant, he not only had to do that for the last 17 miles that day but three more walks, which included a 33 mile trek, until we could replace it.
That 33 mile walk took us to the edge of Indiana. We were literally a half a mile away from Ohio when we stopped for the night at the Hampton Inn in Richmond, IN. We have become quite the hotel connoisseurs and we were excited about the Hampton Inn, because they have a legendary continental breakfast. After a relaxing night we headed off to hit our ninth state. Before we entered Ohio we prepared at the nearest gas station, filling up on water, ice, and Gatorade. Some military guys happened to walk in as we were and we struck up a conversation. Mike, from Indianapolis, began talking to us and ended up buying our supplies for the day. While we graciously accepted, we both were uncomfortable with the whole situation because we were the ones who should be buying stuff for our soldiers. We had a quick conversation about it and then proceeded on the walk.
After entering Ohio we were set to get picked up and brought to Cincinnati by the Wilkening family, cousins of Mike Turnbull who we met earlier in Nevada, Missouri. When Alley came to get us with her baby son Asher we were looking forward to the night they had planned for us. Allie had mentioned some people were coming over for dinner and after a quick shower we were excited to see it turned into a nice little party. Matt, Allie’s husband was on the grill making his famous ribs and they did not disappoint. Matt is currently in Med school so a few of his classmates came over to meet us and enjoy some really good grub. Also, some neighbors joined to complete the guest list and we all had a really nice night.
One reason why we got hooked up with the Wilkenings is because their four year old son, Eli, has leukemia. He was diagnosed when he was two years old and has been battling ever since. Eli is doing really well and he seems to be handling the situation better than most adults would. I honestly don’t think I saw a smile fade away from his face the entire time we spent with him. It’s funny as we got dropped off by Alley where she picked us up the next morning she said we were an inspiration. We are obviously humbled and very appreciative when people tell us that but honestly I think it is the other way around. The people we meet have given us the inspiration and motivation to keep pushing through. So, thanks to Alley, Matt, Eli, and Asher for being great hosts.
The following day, our walk brought us to Dayton Ohio. The past few weeks, all of our hotel stays have been taken care of. Our mayor Joanne Cocchiola and Loren McCreesh have sent out letters to all the towns/cities we walk through and the response has been great. So, a long overdue thanks is definitely in order for allowing this walk to turn into something special. Between their letters and the people we have met along the way who have passed on word we have been pretty well taken care of. Today at the Double Tree Hotel in Dayton was another one of those nights where we were treated unbelievably.
Unbeknownst to us some employees were tracking our progress as we neared the Dayton area. When we finally arrived at the hotel we were met with our best reception of the trip. About 10 employees were there cheering on us. Some even had special pink shirts on in honor of the fight against breast cancer. Once we got in the lobby there was a sign welcoming us. The whole lobby was decked out in pink and after a lot of introductions and pictures we headed to our suite. There they had cold Gatorade and a huge gift basket stuffed with snacks and t-shirts. Shortly after settling in they told us they had Dayton Dragon tickets for us, the single A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The whole staff had been notified we were coming and they could not have treated us any better.
It is definitely a huge “pick me up” when get responses like that. It seems unfathomable to keep being treated like this, but people continue to surprise us and we are truly thankful each time. Another state down, a day closer to home, and another story to tell. -
Back on Jersey Time…
Aside from the nagging blisters and beat up joints, this has been the best stretch of the trip. Truthfully, we have been feeling much better and the pain is continuing to subside. St. Louis was a nice stop for us, especially the Cardinals game we got to see and the famous Gateway Arch. Just want to make a quick shout out to Gerald Stewart who we met at the Sonic in St. Louis.
After leaving St. Louis, our goal was to fly through Illinois.It was a 150 mile stretch that we really wanted to put behind us just because it was flat and there really wasn’t much around. To get out of the state, we had 102 miles that we planned to break down into four walks. However, after a little discussion we decided just to get it done in three days. The way it worked was 3 walks, each 34 miles long. Those extra four miles really take a toll on you, especially after the first walk knowing you have to do it two more times.
Yesterday we made it to downtown Indianapolis and now we are just about 700 miles away from Nutley. Ant was in heaven for a day because he got to see Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Colts play. We continue to get the royal treatment as we relaxed in a suite and the Hilton Hotel in downtown Indy. After a comp’d stay at the Crown Plaza yesterday, we just received an email saying we will be taking care of the rest of the time through Indiana. We really want to thank everyone who has contributed in any way to the success of our walk. There are simply too many people to thank because this has grown into something beyond both of our expectations.
During today’s walk out of Indianapolis we started talking to a few people as we were taking one of our breaks at a gas station. A couple struck up a conversation with us because they of course were curious of the baby strollers. After we told them we were doing they wished us luck. A little way down the road they beeped as they drove past us. Apparently, an idea popped up in their heads as they pulled over to the side of the road and waited for us to meet up with them. Once we got there they ran out to take a picture and asked for our autographs. That was definitely a first for us and we really appreciated it. A few miles down the road we took a longer break on a couple of park benches in the shade and then finished the final 12 miles to Greenfield.
Another boost for our psyche during this past week was crossing into Indiana and entering the Eastern Time Zone. We are now on the same schedule as everyone back home, which makes us feel even closer. We will be in Ohio in just a few days and will continue to get closer and closer. Our estimated arrival date is now Friday October 8. This will give us some leeway in terms of taking a few extra days off or cutting some long walks into shorter ones. Thanks everyone for following and once we have definite plans for our final walk we will let everyone know.
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Missouri, What a State….
Missouri has continued to be amazing. Since we left Nevada, MO, we have been hooked up the whole way. The Lake of the Ozarks, the jersey shore of Missouri, was a great place to relax. Ron Barks, a friend of Michael Turnbull who we met Nevada, showed us around the entire area during our two days of rest. We were even able to get out on his bass boat at night and get out on the lake before and after dinner. While we wanted to enjoy the lake a little more, we just took the time to relax and recover. Even when we had the energy to go out, the extreme heat made us just want to lay around in the air conditioning all day. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to enjoy the best part of the Lake of the Ozarks, which is known as “Party Cove”. But our plan is to eventually drive our route a few years from now, so we’re looking forward to visiting Ron and his wife Daphne when we do.
From the lake we headed northeast to Jefferson City, the state capital. There we were greeted by Dan and Jean Carpenter who set us up at the historic Plaza Hotel. After sharing a great dinner with them at the local Irish Pub, Paddy Maloney’s, we headed home to rest up. In the morning we had some media coverage and met with Barry Hart, CEO of AMEC, who invited some friends and employees for breakfast in the hotel. After a great meal, we snapped some photo’s and went on our way to Linn, MO. Halfway through the walk Jean Carpenter, who we met the day before picked us up for lunch where we showered and relaxed during the hottest part of the day. Even though we didn’t want to leave we had to get to Linn, so we continued to push. Once we reached the town we cleaned up and went out to dinner with Dan and Jean for some great steaks at a local restaurant, BJ’s.
We ended up staying at a rectory in Linn that night, where we were hosted by Father Medena. He was a really great guy and asked us countless times if there was anything he could do to help us out. We got there late so after some quick conversation we headed to bed and got some good rest. We woke up early, had some coffee and were on our way. The early morning clouds quickly dissipated and gave way to the unrelenting sun. Our socks literally became soggy as if we were stepping in puddles because we were sweating so much. The sweat was so excessive that we nearly drank 3 gallons of water each. By the end I was able to ring out my clothes and watched the sweat drain out of them.
On top of the heat I was dealing with a broken stroller and some pretty nasty blisters. For whatever reason my blisters refill with fluid each day and I can’t seem to fix the problem. I have tried all sorts of things but apparently the way I walk puts pressure in certain areas and the constant pounding of 30 miles is just giving me problems. Meanwhile, Ant is dealing with some really bad hip pain. Whenever we sit down for an extended period it is always a struggle to get up. We both have definitely aged about 8 years at least and are expecting some serious arthritis when this trip is over. These are just some things we have to deal with on a daily basis.
Our next stay was one of the nicest of the entire trip. We stayed at a bed and breakfast called Second Creek just north of Owensville, MO. Jack and Patty Wilson, who own and operate the B&B took extremely good care of us. They brought us a great dinner and cooked a wonderful breakfast in the morning. It was honestly one of the nicest places we have seen with huge open spaces and high ceilings. The B&B was built from scratch 9 years ago and the detail and décor were impeccable. It was just a real comfortable and relaxing stay with great hosts. Apparently, there is wine country in Missouri, so we enjoyed a glass of some local red wine. We really couldn’t have thanked Jack and Patty enough. We always would like to spend more time with everyone we meet but with our hectic schedule we really can’t afford to fall behind.
From there we headed to Union, MO, where we knew we had a free stay at the Super 8 on the east end of town. We went out to dinner with Joey Graves, who got us the hotel room, along with some friends including the mayor of Union. After dinner we went to Wal-Mart so I could pick up a new stroller because by that point it was completely shot. I could barely make left hand turns and I ended up working twice hard just trying to keep my wheels on the ground.
After some media coverage and breakfast we were off to Wildwood, MO, where we are currently resting in bed. At this point these walks are just becoming a normal part of our day as crazy as that sounds. We have to approach these walks like a job, albeit a painful job. People always ask how we consistently continue to push on to the next day and honestly we don’t have a good answer. We just know what we have to do and we get it done each day. Whether it’s listening to music or anticipating the next break there is always something to keep looking forward too. You have to break the walks down into smaller segments or else it would drive you crazy.
Tomorrow we hit St. Louis and at night we are going to catch the Cardinals game. Other than that we plan to see the famous Arch and do the Anheuser-Busch tour, which we heard was a highlight of the city. As you can imagine, the big cities are what we really look forward too. We also heard St. Louis has real good Italian food, which will give us a taste of home.
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On to Mizzouuuuu…
While we are currently sitting in a condo in the Lake of the Ozarks, we’ll have to backtrack all the way to Wichita to catch everyone up to speed. I am sure people know this has been one of the hottest summers on record and the middle of the country is where the heat wave hits the hardest. Ever since hitting Kansas the heat combined with the humidity has been a brutal combination. It literally weighs you down and walking on highways allows for no shade and the heat reflects off the blacktop turning the intensity up a little more. It would usually take us a few miles to start sweating and now it takes a few steps before we are completely drenched. Unfortunately, the heat has really taking a toll on us and we haven’t even taking any videos these past couple weeks.
Anyway, it is just something we are going to have to deal with the rest of the way home. Kansas was actually a somewhat easy state to walk through. While it was massive, the flat land provided good walking highways. Wichita turned out to be a really cool stop along our journey. Anthony and I would like to sincerely thank Mike Noller of the World Treasure’s Museum and all of the people who turned out in support of that wonderful museum. Mike was actually running an annual fundraiser one of the nights we stayed in Wichita and was really interested in our story. Anthony’s parents met Mike while we were walking and once we got there he immediately handed us 4 comped tickets for his fundraiser. I was also given the opportunity to speak to all of his guests, which we really appreciated. After saying a few words at the podium we received a great response from the crowd, including some donations.
We were pleasantly surprised with our whole Wichita experience. The old town had plenty of cool bars and the brick buildings provided a really nice backdrop. We thoroughly enjoyed our day off after about 3 straight weeks of walking. From Wichita, we were determined to get out of Kansas as quick as possible.
As we headed towards the Missouri border, we found ourselves in the small town of Eureka looking for any food we could get our hands on. Finally we ended up at the Lo-Mar Drive in. While we waited here for our meals, a few younger kids came rushing in for some food. They had seen us walking earlier in the day and had some questions for us as they laughed at our jogging strollers. A minute or two after they seemingly had left, Dylan (one of the kids) came rushing back in with a lime green bracelet that he handed to Ant. He asked if one of us would wear it for the rest of the trip, in memory of his grandmother who had died of breast cancer just last year. It was definitely one of those moments that we’ll remember forever. Below is a picture of the four kids with Ant -( from left to right) – Dylan, Matt, Ahn-Alika, and Kennedy.
East of Wichita you hit an area known as the Flint Hills, which are as the name suggests, hilly. While Kansas is known for being flat we did have some serious hills to climb to reach Missouri. Once we got past those hills we had about 60 miles until the Missouri border. We finally hit the border and were thrilled to reach our next state. Just before we did, we stayed in Fort Scott, Kansas. There is a beautiful B&B there called the Twins Lyon Mansion, and we were giving a free stay in the suite room. They are two identical mansions, which have been converted into a bed and breakfast. The mansions were spectacularly decorated and the morning breakfast was out of this world. Thanks Nate for a great stay!
Missouri has already been a great experience. We got hooked up with Mike Turnbull from Nevada, Missouri, which is the first town we hit once we crossed the border. He showed us around town and introduced us to what felt like all of Nevada. The town is actually pronounced “Nuh-vay-da”. He brought us out to two great dinners, each having around 20 guests. He allowed us to stay in his home two nights, which was a really great experience. We also went out to a local bar and met really some interesting people. It actually felt like we were leading a normal life for the past couple days. If anyone happens to pass through Nevada make sure to stop at White Grill, a classic spot with unbelievable food.
Mike and his friend Deborah decided they wanted to walk some miles with us. Unfortunately, it was one of the hottest days of our entire trip. The thermometer told us it was 108 but with the 70% humidity and no shade, it had to be at least 120 degrees on the road. They both were able to stick it out for a while and we loved the company. Nevada definitely left an impression on us and gave us a good taste for the middle of America.
Now, we are relaxing in the Lake of the Ozarks and we are going to take a couple days off. It is the destination we have been looking forward to for awhile so we might take two days off for the first time the entire trip. Mike from Nevada continues to hook us up as we are staying with his cousin right on the water.
We will begin to video again once we head east from here. We are closing in on a 1000 miles. Hopefully, we will only have to endure this heat for another two weeks before it starts to cool down.
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Halfway Home…
We have blistered on to Wichita. It is amazing how we continue to get blisters, so apparently this is going to last the rest of the trip. The sun has been pretty brutal and all we can do is hope for some cloud coverage. I tend to look up the sky to see which direction clouds are moving and silently pray that they will move in the “right” direction to block the sun. It is partially my fault for not using as much block as I should but when the sun beats down on you for ten hours a day there isn’t much you can do about it. Also, you are never really in the mood to reapply suntan lotion even though you are supposed to every few hours. The only thing you can really do is just keep walking. Our pain tolerance has definitely grown as we continue to push ahead and put the discomfort out of our heads.
On the bright side, Wichita is a breath of fresh air. The converted brick buildings provide a really nice atmosphere in Old Town, Wichita, where the whole scene is. We didn’t really know what to expect but it has proven to be one of the nicest places we have seen. It is a small and clean walking city with plenty of nice bars and good places to eat. It is amazing how we can be in a corn field one day and end up in a city the next.
Continuing with the good news, today was finally a day off for us. After about 3 straight weeks of walking 25 plus miles, we were due for some recovery. It works out perfect because we can enjoy Wichita and get to explore the city. Right now we are resting in our hotel room and hiding from the sun because at this point, I never have to see that thing again.
Yesterday’s walk was pretty different because the local NBC affiliate of Wichita filmed us for about a half hour during our walk. They took plenty of shots from different angles and we gave an interview as we walked. As if we weren’t getting enough crazy stares from drivers we must have really caused a scene today. But we were happy to get the press and really hope to get a flow of donations from it.
From here we are heading dead east towards Missouri. Our first walk out of Wichita will mark the halfway point of our entire journey! Just 9 miles into the walk we will reach and cross that monumental point. We should be out of Kansas in less than a week.
It is great to keep moving closer to home but the humidity is getting worse and worse. We have been sweating instantaneously as soon as we begin our walk, but it’s definitely a trade-off we are willing to accept as we get closer to home.
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Lets get the hell outta Dodge
Colorado really seemed like a blur as we walked through the Southeast corner in just 5 days. We were really excited to hit Kansas and finally get out of the Southwest. Kansas has been the state we have been looking forward to for a few weeks because we saw it as the turning point of our walk. We knew once we reached here everything would be better.
Kansas has really been everything we hoped for. It is extremely flat, which has really helped heal our joints and feet. Also, it has been surprisingly more populated than we expected. We have not run into any trouble where our destination has been too far to reach in a day’s walk.
Currently, we are in Dodge City, about 120 miles into the state. We continue to push ahead as we have put together a string of impressive walks. With the help of my brother Mike and his girlfriend Christina, we were able to keep moving without having to worry about anything. Now that they have left we have Anthony’s parents to keep us going until we hit Wichita. Hopefully, we don’t run into any tornadoes but we are in tornado alley so they will be able to follow us in case any bad weather arises. We have already seen some of the craziest lightening in our lives.The one negative I do have to say about Kansas is the smell is pretty awful. We pass 18 wheelers carrying livestock all day and the stench is putrid for about 10 seconds after each one passes. The smell seems to permeate the air and the only way to escape it is to get inside. I do not understand how people can possibly say New Jersey smells but I guess will save that for another day.
Apparently, we decided to walk across the country during the hottest summer ever recorded in history. 100 degrees has pretty much been the norm for us. As we head further east we are hitting more humidity and more flies. We have had a few gnat and mosquito attacks on our last few walks. That can be real frustrating when you are tired and sweaty and then you have bugs flying all around you.
All in all the whole process of the walk has gotten much easier. We are just under halfway through and feeling really good. We have learned to deal with the aches and pains and have picked up our pace tremendously. We may actually be able to get home closer to our original date then our new date, which would be awesome.
Thanks for reading and following and please help us by telling everyone about our mission.
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Out of the Southwest, Finally.
For now I put up a video of us eating dinner in Branson the other night. The main video will be up by tonight. Sorry for the delay. Hope you like the blog…
It’s been about a ten days since our last blog so I’ll try to touch on the more exciting parts. The last couple days with Rob’s mom and aunts were spent in the Taos, New Mexico area where we had an awesome experience at a Native Indian Pow Wow. For anybody who doesn’t know, a Pow Wow is basically a Native American Indian celebration of dancing and singing It’s also a spiritual celebration for the natives. There are many variations of Pow Wows, but the one we attended was actually competitive with prize money. I could probably go on forever explaining the scene, but hopefully the pictures do it some justice (i’ll try to upload a video soon too). I can honestly say that it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. Just want to thank Rob’s aunt Cassie again for speaking with the announcer and having our names called over the loud speaker. The entire night was really enjoyable.
After Eagle Nest, it was time to say goodbye to our support team for the week and it was back to the grind. Twenty five miles took us into Cimarron, an old western town with a minimal population. We knew we had a free stay at the St. James Hotel that night, but we definitely weren’t aware of the history behind it. The hotel was first built in 1872 by Henry Lambert, personal chef to President Abraham Lincoln. the St. James was visited by many famous lawmen and notorious outlaws and was the scene of many murders. A favorite saying in the area became “It appears Lambert had himself another man for breakfast.” and the usual question around Cimarron was “Who was killed at Lamberts last night?” The hotel is said to be haunted and the original bullet holes from the saloon are still in the ceiling of the bar area. It was pretty cool to see and learn about. (Thanks for setting that up Loren)
Sorry to bore you with history, but I thought some people might enjoy learning a little something new.
Anyway, from Cimarron we had 43 miles to get to Raton. We originally planned for it to be a 2 day walk but we just didn’t have it in us to pitch a tent that night. Instead, we walked all 43 miles (our longest walk to date) and crashed at a hotel around midnight. Event though we paid for it the next morning with some sore hips, we also bought ourselves a day off. The Motel 6 was pretty gross the night before so we headed to another hotel in the morning (which strangely had steam showers that we took advantage of). After a day of rest, we were able to walk 37 miles to the ghost town of Folsom pretty easily. Expecting another miserable night in a tent, we had an unexpected encounter with a woman named Amy who let us sleep in a trailer she used to live in next to a church. A few dead bugs on your mattress doesn’t matter once you’ve experienced a restless night in a tent. The trailer also saved us from waking up in a puddle because it poured that night.
It was nice waking up the next morning knowing we only had a 16 mile walk over the border into Colorado. We had been in contact with Branson, CO weeks before and we knew they were going to take care of us once we arrived. As we approached the border a reporter named Tim Keller was there waiting to take some pictures of us as we crossed into our fourth state. When we made it to Branson we met the mayor, did an interview with Tim for a local newspaper, and met with Rachel Snyder. Rachel is an author who is also heavily involved with rebuilding the town of Branson. She did so much for us in the couple of days we were there. She even made her latest blog post about us which I really enjoyed reading. Not just because it was about us, but more because it was a great piece of writing with so much truth behind it. I’m leaving the link here for you to click on – it’s definitely worth taking the time to read.
what two guys from new jersey can teach you about ‘inspired action only’In Branson, we also had what might have been our best experience of the trip so far. Rachel introduced us to Willard and Mary Ann Louden, an older married couple who are also both artists. They showcase an art gallery in their attic that Willard built with family a little while back. Unfortunately for Willard, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease recently, but that hasn’t stopped him for doing what he loves. He’s the kindest, gentlest man and his spirit shines right through. Aside from his artistic talents he’s also a geologist, a world traveler, and even knows how to fly a plane. We probably could have sat there for hours listening to stories of his life experiences.
We first planned to stay in Branson a second night after Rachel had offered to do a pick-up and drop-off but our friend Casey, who we studied abroad with in Florence, came to visit from the Boulder, CO area. Although we only had lunch planned, her and her friend Cara showed up with a bunch of food and supplies we needed too. It was a huge help because we weren’t going to see civilization for a couple of days. The following day they dropped us off at Kim, CO where we had 52 miles until Springfield. We wanted to walk 35 miles that day but a thunderstorm forced us to pitch a tent in an abandoned house 8 miles short of our goal. Another terrible night of sleep in the tent, 102 degrees of blistering heat, and ridiculously boring scenery made the rest of the walk to Springfield a living hell. On the bright side of things, we’re now only 34 miles from Kansas.
Not only are we looking forward to reaching our next state, but we also get to see family over the next 10 days. Rob’s brother Mike, along with his girlfriend Christina will be here tomorrow for a few days and my parents get here this weekend. It’s unfortunate they’ll have to suffer with a Kansas vacation but I’m sure they’re going to be thrilled to see us healthy.
Rob and I would like to dedicate this blog post to Theresa M. Cucinello, a Nutley Thriving Survivors Member who passed away earlier today after a long struggle with breast cancer. She was a lifelong resident of Nutley and graduated from NHS and raised her family in Nutley as well. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.
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New Blog Coming Monday Morning…
We’ve been in the middle of nowhere for quite a few days now. Cell phone service has been minimal. We’ll finally have solid internet connection to blog on Sunday night when we reach a hotel in Springfield, CO. Sorry for the wait…
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On the Way to Santa Fe…
This past week we really have been moving. We knew New Mexico was going to be one of the longest states we were going to be in because we had to walk through the middle and then work our way up north towards Colorado. This past week we covered just shy of 200 miles as we kept putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes we had to sleep under the interstate and other times we had the luxury of sleeping in an actual hotel. Anthony and I would like to thank Marissa Ryder for giving us a much needed night in a hotel in Grants, NM.
We have continued to be amazed at the generosity of randoms strangers that we have met along the way. As we walked towards Albuquerque, we encountered our first thunderstorm of the trip. Fortunately, we were on a stretch of I-40 where there happened to be some houses just off to the side of the road.Luckily, a lady’s dog happened to be stranded out in the storm seeking refuge under the same shack we were standing under. Without hesitation she motioned us to run into her house where she proceeded to make us coffee and give us towels to dry off.
After forging through Thoreau, Grants, and Laguna, we finally arrived in Albuquerque. It was the first major city we have hit since Phoenix and it was twice as sweet because my mom and two aunts flew out to meet us. We have been spoiled beyond belief and I am pretty sure we have put back some of the pounds we had lost in our first month. Albuquerque was a huge city as it spanned about 16 miles wide. It definitely wasn’t a vertical city but the sprawling city had plenty of casinos, food, and sites. The city was nothing special but it provided us with exactly what we needed.
Needless to say we were excited to leave Albuquerque because we really wanted to see Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a very artsy city and definitely our favorite place so far besides San Diego. The pueblo houses give the city a very distinct look and the narrow alleys and shops give it a European flare.The food has been great and having my family out has really allowed for Anthony and I to recover as they have helped us every step of the way this week.
In Santa Fe we also met up with Bill and Jane Magaletta, family friends of the Nakashians of Nutley (Dave, thanks for setting that up). They provided us with a great dinner and treated us to some drinks at Cowgirls, a local bar in Santa Fe. Again, it was another pleasant experience with people we didn’t know before this trip started. Bill, we hope you were serious about that 500 mile radius because we our keeping that card in our back pocket.
We are less than a week away from being out of New Mexico and honestly can’t wait. We have another climb of about 3,000 feet to Taos, NM,which would bring our total elevation to 10,000 feet. My asthma has been holding up but we will see how it handles that high of altitude. This will be the highest elevation we will be on the whole trip.
Once again enjoy the videos and I am sure you will enjoy the interview of Anthony Richard Greco Jr. Thanks to everyone for following and we hope you were able to listen to our interview on WLIP.com this afternoon. If you didn’t get the chance to listen, it will be airing again on Monday Morning (very late Sunday night) at 1:15 a.m eastern time. Just go to the website (wlip.com) and click on Listen Live on the right hand side of the page. It lasted about a half hour and it was a great opportunity for us to tell our story.
Also, a special thanks to John Slenes at the Indian Hills Inn for giving us two complimentary nights in Taos the next couple nights. We really appreciate it and we’re looking forward to our stay there.
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On to the Next One…
First, we’ll start with saying sorry for the delay. The past week has been a little hectic; a couple of hotels and a bunch of nights in a hotel. Okay, so from Forest Lakes, which was when we last blogged, we have made quite a few long walks which have taken us over the border into New Mexico. Since then, we have walked nearly 150 miles and spent some uncomfortable nights in a tent on the side of the highway behind bushes , next to a dumpster, and in a trucker rest area along interstate 40.
Apparently, between the eastern end of Arizona and the western end of New Mexico there isn’t much civilization. The only refuge we found was usually under the overpasses we came across on I-40. Although we weren’t supposed to be walking on the interstate, the police have been pretty cool about it.
One cop however, took down our information because he said, “In case you guys get splattered on the road we will have a starting point to identify you.” I am sure he didn’t mean to make it sound the way it came out but it was pretty absurd to word it like that. I have to mention though that he did sort of redeem himself because when we got stopped on I-40 he apparently contacted the interstate police to tell him we would be coming down that way.
From Holbrook we cruised 39 miles on I-40 and felt surprisingly good coming off a day’s rest. We pitched our tent behind a shed next to a dumpster at the Navajo Travel Center. From there, it was a tough 34 mile walk on little rest to the border of Arizona/New Mexico. Again, we stopped for the night at a gas station/rest area where we pitched our tent on a rocky road next to a fleet of tractor trailers. Thankfully, we were able to shower at Speedy’s Trucker Stop so we didn’t have to go three days without showering. The third day we were pretty banged up but motivated to walk the much shorter 18 mile walk into Gallup, NM.
Along the way to Gallup, we walked historic Route 66, which runs parallel to I 40. We were greeted by about 8 bulls who just were grazing on the side of the road. Our hearts were racing to say the least, as each one of their eyes were focused on us. Sorry we didn’t bust out the camera for that one, but making any sudden movements at that point in time probably wasn’t the smartest move.
While there is nothing really enjoyable about these long walks in the wilderness, we did have a few highlights. If anyone happens to be travelling near the ghost town of Chambers, AZ, make sure you stop at this wonderful restaurant Apple Dumplin’. It was a pleasant surprise, which served a great breakfast and even better apple pie. Look for the picture of Anthony with the owner (she’s wearing a red cowboy hat), in our photo section. Strangely enough, we had a ton of conversation with her and somehow never exchanged names. Great woman though.
Also, in Gallup we have been graciously been put up for the night by Lynn Perkins, a member of the Holy Spirit Church here in Gallup. We are anxiously awaiting dinner with her and her husband tonight at their home in Gallup.
Lastly, we also have to thank Jackie and Arlene (Thelma and Louise), for seeing us walking down the street in Gallup and offering to buy us lunch at the famous El Rancho Hotel. Great friends from southern California, these two women packed their bags last week for a cross country road trip together. Gotta love it. Thanks for a great meal and even better conversation and have a great time on your trip.
As we are happy to have entered our third state, it will be even nicer once we are out of it. Thankfully, my mom and two aunts will be out here to help us get through a big chunk of the state. These Southwestern states are just so massive and there is only so much desert and rock you can look at. We are now about 130 miles west of Albuquerque and 190 miles from Santa Fe. After New Mexico, it will be a huge relief to be out the southwest as we begin to enter the more populated part of the country.
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