Kyle showed us the best way out of Azusa from his home. Before leaving, we exchanged info with Andrew, a former roommate of Kyle’s who also spent the night, and was inviting us to stay with him at his new home in Redlands.

Shay and I walked a combination of Route 66 as well as parallel streets to reach Claremont. Along the way, shortly after noon, the parents of a group of home-schooled children stopped us outside a park, inquired about the Walk, and asked if we’d speak to their kids, who appeared to be around 10-12 years old. Shay and I spoke to a dozen of them and their parents, answered questions, and enjoyed the experience. We are both very enthusiastic about speaking to more groups of kids.

Speaking of kids, I spoke to Mrs. Shamhart again today. Mrs. Shamhart’s 5th grade class, just outside Phoenix, AZ, has been following the Walk for quite some time now. The students wrote to a local running store and lined up a new pair of shoes for me upon my arrival to Phoenix. I’ve written to them, they enjoy the letters, and I’ve begun writing to them more consistently now. I’ll be sjpeaking to them upon arriving to the Phoenix area, and they are in the process of contacting other schools, as close as in Indio, CA, to encourage them to invite me while passing through as well. Both Shay and I love talking to the kids, and we’re excited about what’s to come of this!

Taylor is the name of our Couchsurfing host in Claremont. He lives in a cozy apartment above a dry cleaning business in the populated college district of Claremont, city of trees and PhDs. Taylor is a fun 24-year-old engineer, and invited us in for two nights. We plan to continue walking east tomorrow, but will return here by bus at the end of the day.

Comfy couches translated to sound sleep for Shay and me, again…