02/21/08

Narrow Shoulders, Big Trucks and Rain

The route on Hwy 72 was challenging until I found Hope - Hope, AZ that is.

This stretch has been not quite as pleasant as the past few days. It was great, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t trade it nor would I wish to go some where else. Yet I had some challenges. I stopped earlier than normal for the evening because I wanted to sleep in a bed and take a shower. Actually I would have preferred a bath but the little motel that I stayed in only offered showers. I went to bed at around 10pm and woke up at 3 am and began running at 3:45 am. I wanted to get past the turn off to US Route 10 ASAP. Apparently the truckers use the road I was on regularly. When I run after dark in the late evening or early morning I feel safer because I can be seen and there is a lot less traffic. Last night I had my diner bought for me by some one that had seen me on the road earlier. This morning I was welcomed just beyond Hope AZ. Buy two woman Frankie & her daughter Lynne who had tracked me down and drove over 60 miles to find me running in the rain. Thank you SPOT. They gave me some cash for breakfast and I asked them to join me. They changed their plans for the morning and met me in Salome. They wouldn’t let me pay for our meals with the money they gave me. We chatted about living your dreams. Lynne and her husband travel in there 38’ double slider RV back and forth from San Diego to Savannah regularly. She felt that she had to meet me when her mom and dad (Dick) mentioned that they had seen me in Parker, AZ yesterday and after they went to the website they decided to track me down.

This is the second time some one has used the website & SPOT to find me on the road. I met up with fellow runner Rick (we met at the Across the Years running race a couple of months ago) outside of Palm Springs. Rick was driving to Phoenix to visit with family. He also mentioned that he wants to run some when I get to Phoenix. Which by the way I am way ahead of schedule. I should arrive there Saturday morning. I will probably stay in Wicksburg tonight and leave early in the morning like I did today.

I don’t know if I can keep this pace up but I am going to “up level J” my goal to 100k per day average so that I don’t run away from the teams that are running with me. I know that it will be more difficult out of Phoenix, so I am trying to bank some miles before I hit the hills.

My camera battery died today so some of the photos that you see were taken by Lynne & Frankie.