A Break in the Action...Dammit!

The first week of my walk ended badly, I guess it is fair to say. Still, I did about 120 miles in 7 days, the last two of which were slower in pace due to the achin’ foots….
I spent night #6 at a motel in Swainsboro, Georgia, where I was suffering from so many bad blisters on swollen feet that I just wanted to get indoors for a night to recoup a bit and get a shower so I could assess the damage to my feet. I actually was going to camp in a small park near a WalMart, but a woman at McDonalds told me that the cops would hassle me there, and recommended a bigger, nicer park a half mile up the road. Besides, she said, there was supposed to be a huge thunderstorm coming an a few hours and in her opinion I wouldn’t want to be outside for that. With sore feet pounding I pushed my stroller up the hill for the half mile to the park she had mentioned, figuring that there were enough places to hide from the rain if I needed to for the time it took the storm to pass (in Georgia thunderstorms are usually short lived but violent affairs—very different from the ones I used to love in New York) but when I got to the park, it turned out to be a baseball field, and locked. And in an intersection that was too busy for my taste anyway. I headed back towards WalMart and saw the motel and just decided that 30 bucks for the room for the night was worth it, and except for the giant insect that greeted my entrance, it was. I swiped a pillow too, since I have not had one with me and I figured since the motel’s ice machine was out of order, coupled with the 8-legged uninvited room guest, that I was somehow entitled to that pillow.
The following morning, feet swollen and sore I set out for Kite, Georgia, a crossroads community about 15 miles west of where I was in Swainsboro. It took me all day to reach Kite, because of my aching feet and the 90 degree heat, which left me depleted and thirsty. I couldn’t find water anywhere, and need to learn to ration my supplies better in the future. Note to self: lay off the diet Coke, and stick with real water. Second note to self: Be real---You won’t stop with the Diet Coke, but drink more water!
After knocking on several doors of houses that looked to be occupied, and with no luck and no outside spigots, I found a nice man named Henry Carter who not only let me take as much water as I needed but also a photo of him with his hose. He informed me that Kite was only 2 miles away and that was a relief since another error I have made was to not have a map with me for perspective. A five minute drive in a car is often a two hour walking trek and if you stop to rest for a few it all becomes a little incalculable.
By the time I left Henry Carter’s, I was so sore and tired from fighting the pain that the 2 mile walk to Kite took two hours, interrupted by a few collapses on the side of the road and a total capsizing of my cart once. I knew I had a decision to make as to whether to continue or to call it a day. I quickly realized that to continue meant more pain and possibly a serious or permanent injury, so I decided that when I made it to Kite, where a gas station awaited me, I would call home and take the time to heal and re-boot. I also could discard what I don’t need and make changes to my route. I chose GoogleMaps’ walking route because it avoids interstates where pedestrians are not allowed, but it also sadly takes you down some very, very boring places, dirt roads, and into other, not so desirable areas.
While sitting at the gas station, called the Penny Saver, I was approached by two different individuals who asked me if I needed money, food, or a place to stay for the night. I was very surprised and pleased to hear that kind of attitude. My recent experience had almost been the polar opposite of the meaning of “southern hospitality” (Metter, GA—an awful place full of narrow minded paranoid people—at least on Rosemary Church Road) and this was a nice respite from the bad feelings….
The two ladies who ran the Penny Saver were kind and understanding of my situation and allowed me to not only allowed me to loiter til my ride arrived but also gave me a ten dollar donation, which I am forwarding to WhyHunger, along with a five dollar bill that a random driver handed me the day before.
Anyone passing through Kite , Georgia, can be assured that the Penny Saver gas station is friendly territory indeed.
My ride came, and I am now home for a few days, likely to return to the road on or about April 1st. No fooling.