As the days go on, I've realized my entries have become less and less frequent.
With every step I take, I experience more and more of what America has to offer. Whether its the weather or people with distorted perceptions of reality, there's been this process on how to best present it to you, and not allow myself to fall into a bias.
Though there are struggles to this walk, I'd like to focus more on the positive.
The walk from Walsenburg to Pueblo was the first time I'd been on the road in ten days, and I felt it. My feet were killing me by the time I made it to Colorado city, but I kept going, knowing it was all temporary. I happened to stop at a local pizza place, and was immediately greeted by one of the cooks. He asked what I was walking for, and when I said it was for veteran welfare, he informed me of his active duty status in the Army, and how awesome he thought the cause was. The entire staff was bubbling with excitement that I had stopped by, and made me feel more than at home. When I left, it looked like it was getting ready to storm, so I stopped at the KOA campground and went to sleep.
The next day, I got up and headed towards Pueblo. It's a strange feeling you get when trying to outrun an approaching storm. Seeing the dark black clouds forming over the mountain and begin producing lightning is a bit unnerving. I made it to the shelter downtown, and though I was late, they found me a spot and let me stay for a couple nights.
Monday morning I headed out from Pueblo, towards Colorado Springs. The route I took, happened to be home to some type of biting fly that seemed to be unaffected by big repellent. With every step I took, one fly would land on the back of my leg, and bite until I swatted it away. When I'd move my hand back, another would land on a different location and repeat the process. This went on for a good hour, before I lucked out and it started to rain. I hastily built a shelter with the tarp, by tying the ends to someone's fence, and took cover. The rain quickly passed, and I continued walking.
The day produced more rain/flash floods, and I grew more and more impatient with my progression. Finally as the night began approaching I knocked on the door of someone's house and asked if I could set my tent up on their yard. He introduced himself as Randy, and after we talked for a while he allowed me to sleep in his garage, on a cot no less. I thanked him, and I'm the morning he sent me on my way with coffee and a dozen hard boiled eggs from his chicken coop.
In Colorado Speings I stayed with Kyle and Jacki, friends of my Uncle Marcus and Aunt Jana. They made me feel right at home, and in the morning, Kyle dropped me off in Monument to help me beat the approaching storm and actually make some progress. By the end of that day, I had 3 storms pass over before I stopped and set up camp. I will admit, being in my tent and seeing the flash of lightning and sound of thunder happen simultaneously scarred the crap out of me. Eventually I relaxed, probably from sheer exhaustion, and fell asleep.
Thursday was awesome. I met up with my parents in Sedalia CO, as they were in town on their way to Iowa to cycle across the state.
It was awesome to see them, considering we hadn't been together since April when I was in Blythe. The day was spent exploring downtown, updating eachother on what has happened in our lives, and trying different styles of drink at World of Beer. I also received a jogging stroller that they had bought off craigslist, and yes it has 3 wheels. I'm already enjoying it way to much. Since they left Friday morning, I've been enjoying downtown Denver. I've been staying at some of their hostels, and just taking in the sights. I plan to head out Monday morning, and start actually walking the American Disvovery Trail.
It's amazing to think that we're almost at the end of July, and I'm almost halfway done with the walk. There's still so much more ahead, and I can't wait to share.
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