Last night, after my 15.5-mile walk, Mr. T and I landed at the Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley for our first overnight stay. After a long and exciting day, we hunkered down, plugged in the RV and called it a night.
I’ve got to admit, when I woke up this morning, my body was feeling somewhat sore from yesterday, and the blister on my right foot was quite painful and uncomfortable, but I was looking forward to beginning day 2 of my journey. I know it’s going to take a couple of weeks to get my body conditioned to work properly for these long and strenuous walking days, but I have faith that it’ll get easier over time.
We met some lovely people from the Church who were extremely welcoming! They helped us get the water tank of the RV filled up so we could use the swamp cooler to keep the temperature cool in The Wolf Den. They fed us tasty bacon, egg and cheese ciabattas and coffee for breakfast as we shared fellowship time with some of the members.
Before we left, Senior Pastor Garry Leist blessed us in a prayer huddle, praying for our safety and the success of our movement. They even prayed for Abby, which touched my heart deeply! I felt so blessed to begin my day with such supportive and loving people.
I started day 2 of the walk at about 8:10am PT, gently easing my sore body back into motion. I had to stop several times today to tend to the blister on my foot, change my socks and spend a little time resting so I could adapt to these drastic changes I’ve been putting my body through.
Today I came across a number of memorials constructed along the highway. I stopped at each one to reflect and offer a moment of silent prayer for each of those souls and their families.
I had some unexpected visitors show up today. A man in one vehicle saw the “Caution! Walkers for Freedom Ahead” sign on the back of the RV then proceeded to pull over on the shoulder in front of where I was walking. He got out of his car, and with a smile on his face, handed me a donation. This blew my mind! I felt so encouraged by the kind gesture of having someone actually stop and show support for the Grey Wolf Walk Across America for Freedom movement!
Later, Mr. T pulled the support vehicle off to the shoulder to wait while I was walking, and a truck pulled up with two men inside. They stopped to see if the RV had broken down and asked if we needed help. I went up to talk to them and told them what I was doing. They smiled as they accepted the Walk business cards and listened attentively as I shared the mission of my journey. I, once again, felt encouraged by the consideration that my fellow Americans would take the time out of their day to check on the safety and well-being of others. Yet another highlight of my day!
Something else I noticed today were “abandoned” shoes at different spots. For the first shoe, I noticed it and thought “huh!”, but then continued on. The second shoe I saw belonged to a child. After that, a few of my subscribers commented about the shoes.
“The shoe is symbolic of the children thanking you and walking with you, Ron”
“Child’s shoe represents Save the Children”
Since it was such a long day and I was struggling with the pain I was feeling, I decided to listen to my body and cut the day short. Instead of walking the extra miles to get to the tentatively scheduled Silver Strike Casino in Silver Springs, NV, I came to the conclusion it would be best to head to the Wagon Wheel Pizza and Grill in Stagecoach, NV and make that the stopping point for the night. When I first arrived, I was greeted by a smiling server who, when I asked “You’ve been expecting me?”, she said, “Yes we were! Would you like your wings and pizza?” My daughter had called ahead and ordered our meal for us. Let me tell you…that pizza was amazing! While I was there, I continued to spread the word of my movement to the staff and other guests in the restaurant. All of them were receptive and supportive. It is my hope that they will spread the word with their families and friends.
Well folks…time to put ten toes up and head off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be another adventurous day!.
So great you had a nice dinner! Great work starting your walk!