I enjoyed this afternoon’s brief conversation with Sonja Gantt of NBC Charlotte!

This morning’s NPR-Charlotte interview with Mike Collins went great!

Matt & Julieta brought in family and friends for a most delightful Thanksgiving dinner!!!
Matt drove up to Charlotte to scoop up Rocio & me from the home of Paras & Shivani Mehta. We’d scheduled this well in advance, and Paras & Shivani were fine with me leaving my Chariot at their home while I was gone. The arrangement worked out quite well, as Rocio & I reached Charlotte without stepping onto anyone else’s Thanksgiving plans. It was also really fun to introduce Rocio to some fellow Latin ladies: Julieta & Marina, her sister, in town for Thanksgiving.

Hanging out with them for two nights was truly a fabulous thirtysomething family-of-friends experience!!

Thank You, Matt, Julieta & Family!!!

A diverse and delightful Thanksgiving dinner was spearhead by Matt Heller, and we all head twice as much food as we needed– each bite of which was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!

…and beneath the table… 

Olivia, their 5-year-old black lab, is wonderfully friendly at all times, yet ESPECIALLY friendly when there’s any food around.

She’s back!!!

Rocio is on Thanksgiving break, and has caught up to me in Charlotte, NC!
Thanksgiving break lasts a week for Rocio, who teaches full time at Georgia State University. This of course translates to over a week of quality, wonderful days together!

I’m so happy!!!

Today, Rocio & I walked several miles through the southern stretches of Charlotte to reach the centralized “Dilworth” neighborhood, home of hosts Paras & Shivani Mehta.

Charlotte is known as the “Queen City,” and you’ll find many street signs denoting this, in addition to city guide signs with an embedded stencil of a queen’s crown. Charlotte and its resident Mecklenburg County are named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who had become queen consort of Great Britain the year before the city’s founding.

I’ve never been robbed, chased, assaulted nor had anything stolen across all my 4,100+ miles. I became rather concerned at one point this afternoon that all of this could change in a heartbeat, when two shady-looking fellas found me taking a break behind some trees. It all worked out very well, though– we ended up having a really great conversation, and we all walked away with brightness in our eyes and in our hearts.

I look forward to soon sharing the wider story–

It’s been quite a rigorous 17+ mile day,. and I’m exhausted. Off to bed to prepare for tomorrow’s 20k ;

Buenas Noches!!

Road Angels to the Rescue!
Despite having hosts lined up for most of the rest of the month November, I set off today with no known place I could rest my head tonight. I even shot a short video before leaving Kings Mountain Park, in which I stated I’d be happy with whatever was present itself of the day.
A few miles into the afternoon, Steve Cabinum roared past me on his homemade motorcycle, turned around, and stopped to say hello and ask about the Walk. We got to talking, and he invited me to his house for lunch. He lived a couple of miles off my route, and I wanted to reach Clover, SC, before dark, so I politely declined the offer. I told him I’d be more than happy to join him & anyone else for a meal in Clover, and we exchanged phone numbers. An hour later, Steve called me, offering to bring me lunch on the road. He also told me he’d like to introduce me to some people: his wife, her dad, and coworker. 20 minutes later, they all caught up to me on SC Hwy 55. Exchanging warm hellos, we all chatted for a few minutes, and they ended up offering both to host me tonight AND to play a support driver role to me for today. (Wow!)
I’d spent all of a few minutes with the quartet, yet was more than comfortable enough with them to simply load up all of my belongings into the back of their truck, say goodbye, and walk another six miles before dark. They reached me on the east side of Clover, took me to eat at a local, home-cooking restaurant (where the Baby Boomer waitress laughed at my not eating meat), and then to their cozy rural home, where we sat and chatted for hours in front of the fire, in the company of their two loving chihuahuas: Mercury and Venus.
Steve & Leah will return me tomorrow to the east side gas station where they picked me up, and I’ll finish my 17 miles to Yorkshire & Rocio from there.
I love the magic the road brings!

“You’re more than welcome to spend tonight here too,” Marti & Stormy noddingly told me this morning. I really like both Marti & Stormy, and really wanted to take them up on their offer, but I needed to walk at least some miles today, to complete at least a chunk of the 40 miles I must walk from their inn to the SW edge of the Charlotte metropolitan area by Sunday evening– for my scheduled Rocio reunion.

Ms. J, a local, had told me she’d assist me with support driving (letting me walk for miles without my Chariot, picking me up today, returning me tomorrow to where I left off walking). I took her up on her offer, and was off to walk from Grover to and through the miles-long, contiguous Kings Mountain National & State Parks.
On such luxuriously “supported” days, in which I get to walk without the Chariot, I take my traffic vest, my signs, cell phone, headphones, small amount of water and snacks, and few other small pocket items.
Nearly halfway through the day, a friendly & enthusiastic ranger waves hello to me. Ranger Eric & I chatted for a few minutes, and he recommended a trail route for me through the park, which would pull me out of sight of the pavement–a rare pedestrian treat! Eric offered me his personal cell phone #, in case I got lost or had any other questions. I’m often given just-in-case contact info from locals, and 99% of the time I don’t use it.
I did today though.
By sunset, when Ms. J was to be scooping me up and returning me to Grover, I wasn’t hearing from her, and I was also unable to reach her. I hear the local cell signal is spotty. Mine was, and perhaps hers was too. That said, after a over a half hour of trying to reach her, the cold autumn sky was well into its pink & purple cycle, and would soon be fully retiring to darkness. Ranger Eric then popped back into my mind: rangers patrol their parks regularly, and I didn’t feel it would be asking much to request a ride to, at minimum, the western entrance to the park– already many miles behind me. From there, I’d either catch a ride back to Grover or be at least 2 walking hours closer.
Ranger Eric was very, very helpful. He was no longer behind the wheel, but called upon a fellow ranger, Ranger Joe, who came out to retrieve me at a great time: it was dark, cold, and my phone battery was below 10%.
I left my reflective marker in place, ready to be retrieved tomorrow. Ranger Joe told me he’d be taking me to the western entrance of the park. I told him that was fine–I simply wanted to get as close to Grover as possible. As conversation ensued on the way, I enjoyed learning that Eric had made a career change to join the National Park Service. He’s now in his third year of being a ranger; he’s worked in the busy Blue Ridge Mountains, here, and would ultimately like to move to the western states.
We approached the western edge of Kings Mountain National Park, Ranger Joe slowed, and then suddenly turned onto a road unfamiliar to me. The road ended up being another way to Grover. Ranger Joe brought me all the way back to the front door of the Inn of the Patriots. What a guy!
Of course, Marti & Stormy are great and would have picked me up too, but I enjoyed not having to suddenly call them out there due to my plan gone awry.
Goodness, I hope that all is well with Ms. J ~

Thank You, Ranger Eric! 

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…I enjoyed some wonderful miles of trail walking today, across the King’s Mountain National Military Park.

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Thank You, Mr. Presley, for the wonderful local hosting, and for support driving for me !!

Nothing like a beautiful early morning stroll…

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Entering Central Gaffney on foot

Thank You, World Traveler Janet & Family, for your wonderful restaurant hosting experience, and for putting me in contact with the local FD! Janet had me feeling as if I’d joined the family while in Gaffney

Joe from the Gaffney Ledger arrives to take the story– one which he ultimately did an excellent job writing

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Firemen to the Rescue!

Firemen to the Rescue!
It’s been weeks since I walked into a day with an unpredictable ending. Such was yesterday’s walk to Blacksburg, SC. I began 16 miles shy of Blacksburg, along the way passing through the heart of Gaffney, a city much larger than my destination town. While in Gaffney, I was recognized by Janet Tsiknias, owner of a delicous local pizza restaurant, who wanted to treat me to lunch at her restaurant. I was very enthusiastic to take her up on her offer, yet not about to walk the miles out of the way it would take to do so. As we were across the from the Gaffney’s central fire station, and she knew the chief, she figured it would be OK for me to leave my stuff there while she shuttled me back and forth to a fabulously filling lunch. She was right.

After a couple of hours at Janet’s Greek pizza restaurant, which included meeting with a reporter from the across-the-street newspaper, Janet returned me to the fire station. While I was gone, Fire Chief James Caggiano had contacted Cline Gore, Chief of the Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department, and had arranged a place for me to stay for the night– in the station. Miles & hours later, I met Chief Kline and some of his younger volunteer firefighters, those in training to be the fire-fighting force of the future. Blacksburg has given me a very warm welcome, and I’ve stayed a second night. Once again, awesome people!
I’m about 35 miles from the North Carolina border; 50 miles from Charlotte, NC. I have invitations awaiting me in Charlotte, but none for the rest of this week, between here and Charlotte.

I’m enthusiastic to learn what serendipitous South Carolina surprises await through the rest of this week! (?) !

Luckily, the rain would shower in front of and behind me today, but not quite on top of me ~

~ A WONDERFULLY WARM welcome as I walk by ~

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Blacksburg: Iron City

Though I had an invitation awaiting me in Blackburg, SC, a delegation from this recently-opened workout gym, owned by the brawny fellow on the far right, invited me to spend the night here as well. Nice folks!!

Blacksburg VFD Chief Cline Gore & Family

Blacksburg Volunteer Fire Department

Anywhere I’m at, if I’m to spend a day or two, it doesn’t take me long to find/create and become fully immersed into any workspace!

The young volunteer firefighters at the Blacksburg VFD helped me “reflectify” my Chariot in new, ‘bold,’ artistic ways!!

Blacksburg VFD

Blacksburg VFD Lounge — this is where I slept for two nights