Thursday, May 31, 2012

Its been a while...

Friday morning I got back on the road after staying with a family in La Center for the night. On the look out for a coffee shop, I happened to stumble across Stone Hill Coffee House. I tied LeeRoy outside and headed in to grab a quick cup before heading out. Once in I was surrounded by a group of moms that were so excited about the goat and wanted to hear my story. Come to find out, they were they "La Center Moms Group" that get together at the coffee house and chat every Friday. They bought me some coffee and called Katu 2 News to let them know I was headed to Portland.

After a little bit, we headed out towards Ridgefield, Wa but at a record slow speed. LeeRoy was not in the mood to walk, given we had just walked 5 days straight, however I wanted to get to Vancouver as soon as possible. We stopped at East Fork Cellars and were warmly greeted by the friendly staff there. They were so insistent on buying my lunch, giving me a bottle of wine, bringing LeeRoy in and taking pictures in the winery. I have to be honest, I was so warn out and tired I don't think I embraced the moment as much as I should have... didn't really take the time to answer all their questions and share the story. None the less, I was very grateful for the warm hospitality. I rested there for a few hours and tried to start walking again but I barely made it a mile when I knew it was just time to stop and take a few days off.

My friend came and picked us up, then we headed to Casey and Lauren's house in Portland, OR.
*Quick shout-out ! THANK YOU SO MUCH Casey and Lauren for letting us stay at your place and for allowing LeeRoy to eat all your plants. Any time you need a prune job, you give us a call!*



Thursday, May 24, 2012

@$#%$&* Pepper Spray........

Day 23

So yesterday I was walking from Longview to Kalama, WA when a guy pulls over on the side of the road (Orlando) and starts talking my ear off. We had a good time chatting for a little bit and before he drove off he handed me a large can of pepper spray. Now when I say a large can I don't mean something that will fit in your purse... not one of those little cans that hangs off your key ring. I'm talking about a MASSIVE can of pepper spray. He said that I might need it to protect me from bears and/or people. On the can it said "law enforcement strength". I told him thank you, put the can in a side pocket of my pack and continued on. A few miles later I was in Carol, Wa where Orlando happened to be waiting for me with a huge walking stick to "fight off dogs". This guy was super serious about my safety! We walked into a local convenient store where he introduced me to the owners and people who worked there. I hung out for a little bit, charging my cell phone when a gentleman walked in who claimed to be a "big revival pastor". He "activated me" (not sure what that means) and handed me a can of bear spray, saying that the Lord told him to do so.

I got back on the road, a little freaked out thinking maybe this is a sign that I'm going to get attacked by something. Whatever it is, its going to take 2 cans of spray and a stick to defeat it. I ended up making it past Kalama and pitched my tent a few miles north of Woodland. I found a small clearing surrounded by blackberry bushes thinking it was the perfect spot for LeeRoy given he eats blackberry bush leaves. I got in my tent and started pulling out my sleeping bag from my pack when....... my eyes started burning and I was coughing like something was in my lungs. I rubbed my eyes and they burned even more and THEN the light bulb went off, its got to be the pepper spray! I moved my pack to see where the spray was and immediately got blasted with a face full of pepper spray all over me, my bag and the entire inside of the tent. I was doing everything I could to unzip my tent, not being able to see anything. I finally got it unzipped and dove out of my tent straight into the blackberry bushes. I was coughing so hard that I just started to vomit everywhere. I honestly thought I was going to die! After about 20 minutes of coughing and vomiting, It began to subside enough for me to catch a breath. I laid there in the bushes and I have to confess I have never said the "f word" so many times in my entire life.

I finally pulled myself together and got up to try to clean the spray off. Lucky it was raining and I stood there letting the rain hit my face, hopefully rinsing it out of my eyes. I grabbed my bag of wet wipes and cleaned my hands, opened my tent and let it air out a good hour and half before I went back in.

On a brighter note, I finally got to bed thinking this will make for a great blog post!


Tuesday, May 22, 2012


We had a photo shoot last Thursday with Irene P. Photography ( Thank you Irene!) I think LeeRoy is officially THEE most photographed goat in AMERICA. Everywhere I go people are pulling out their cell phones and point and shoots. He's an EPIC Goat! Here are a few pics from the shoot.

Show her some love at facebook/irenepphotography & www.irenepphotography.com








Monday, May 21, 2012

RAIN RAIN RAIN...

Day 20

I walked from Winlock to Vader in record time. LeeRoy was running the whole way, he has finally found his groove. As soon as I put his pack on him, he is ready to work. I started adding a little more weight to his load and slowly altered his diet so he has a lot more energy and he's maintaining his weight. Its an interesting thing, taking care of a goat. We have gotten to know each other really well (I know that sounds weird) but I can truly tell when he is tired and starts to get fussy. He looks to me for security, much like a shy child that hides behind his parent. For example, like when there are dogs that aren't on a leash in the area and come charging our way, LeeRoy runs behind me to signal that they're coming. I immediately turn around and start yelling, kicking rocks, anything to get the dogs to back down. We make a great team!

We stopped in Vader to have a quick bite and rest for a few hours. An older couple paid for my meal while I was there without me knowing, what a blessing! We then got back on the road heading south towards Castle Rock. It seemed like every 1/2 mile, someone would stop me asking about LeeRoy, what we're doing and how they can help. Feels like LeeRoy and I are making friends everywhere we go! We walked till about 10pm in the rain, where we ended up camping in bushes. Needless to say, we didn't get the best nights sleep but woke up and walked on to Castle Rock. This stretch of road has been by far the most dangerous we've walked. Not only was it raining with low visibility but everyone was driving extremely fast. Multiple times I've had to grab LeeRoy and put my back to the car passing by closing my eyes saying "Here I come Jesus" … C R A Z Y!

It is currently around noon and we're at Lacey Rha's Cafe ( Thank you for letting us post-up for a few!). My gear finally starting to dry out however my "water proof" socks are still wet. The forecast for the next few days is RAIN RAIN RAIN so I'm debating on whether or not I want to stay here and sleep under the bridge or head out towards Kelso.


Sunday, May 20, 2012

Ready to get back on the road...

Day 19

Many of you are following my journey on this blog and have requested that I post more often.  I will try my best to do so, however a lot of times I'm out in the middle of nowhere and have little to no service.

A friend of mine was competing in a 3 day Equestrian show this weekend, so I took a few days off to let LeeRoy rest in a barn while I spent some time catching up with friends. Most of the time I hung out with my friend Michele Church, a woman I met while in bible college years ago. We used to go in groups to juvenile ditension centers in the Seattle area and do outreachs for the youth. Those were the days!

We spent a lot of time talking about what God is doing in Uzima and through needle2square. Michele recently had a birthday and was saying that she wanted to go on a mission trip to Africa but now feels to old with nothing to offer. She wished she had gone to nursing school earlier on in life and had received a degree to specialize in something that she could then offer on the mission field. It got me thinking about how many other people sit at home thinking that way... that they're too old to go out and do something for the Lord, that they too have nothing to offer. We talked a good couple hours about fear and self doubt.  One of the things she mentioned she likes to do is sew and that she's always wanted to go to Africa and teach people there how to sew but she didn't feel like it was important enough. I reminded her of all the people that thought walking across America was a bad idea/ insignificant and that bringing a goat was absolutely foolish. I reminded her that when God guides, He provides... its not about your ability but your availability. I think often times we hide behind the phrase "I'm waiting to see if its God's will for my life" but time passes by and we end up not doing anything.. not going anywhere. 

The next day we hung out some more, sat in the grass watching the horses as she asked me about my childhood. I think to a certain extent we all come from interesting families with difficult situations. I didn't handle mine too well. When I was 12 my dad passed away of cancer and my mom was maintaining a 4.0 GPA in college while struggling to keep her marriage together. My stepdad and I never got along (the typical disfunctional family kind of stuff) and I ended up making a lot of bad choices. At 15 years old I was sent to a desert program and then from there to an all boys ranch.  To be honest, looking back at it now those experience are something that I value very much. I learned to be independent and self sufficient, no longer relying on my parents.

 In sharing this with Michele, we started talking about the youth juvenile centers again and had the idea that as I walk across America I can stop and share about my story and how the God of the Universe who created the world in 7 days can also change their lives... no matter how far off the path they've gone...to inspire them not to give up.With that said...this is where I need your help!  Please pray for me, for the right doors to be open,  and the hearts of the kids I will be sharing with across the US. Also, if you know any chaplin or anyone who can get me in to these juvenile centers, please contact me at needle2square@gmail.com.

Its raining today and I'm planning on getting back on the road this afternoon. I'm heading down from Winloc to Vader, north of Kelso,Wa. Feeling refreshed and ready!


Thursday, May 17, 2012

100 down, 3400 to go...

Day 15
A lot has been going on since I last posted. I want to start off by saying Thank You to the many people that are following my journey and donating to Needle2Square. I want to say again that every cent goes straight to the cause of building the orphanage, not to the walk.

 So, Sunday I sent Louie home and was reunited with LeeRoy who was so anxious to get back on the road. We walked from Tenino to Bucoda and LeeRoy ran, pulling me the entire way. I was glad to see that he was in great shape and spirits. Tuesday we woke up early and walked down to Centralia where I was warmly greeted by the locals. One question I was asked numerous times was, "Are you the guy that did this last year?" From what I have gathered so far the story goes, there was a guy from Centralia that was walking with a goat down to Mexico. He only made it to Longview before giving up after his goat got sick. Don't really know any more about it but I will for sure make it past Longview.

 One of the many people that stopped me as I was walking through town was a guy that asked If I'm in the paper. I said no and he immediately called the local paper to let them know my story. Not even a few minutes later, he got off the phone and said they've been looking for me and they're on their way to do an interview. Crazy right!? Chris from The Chronicle showed up and we had a great interview (thanks Chris). Shortly after we were back on our way and walked till dusk. We broke the 80 mile mark (which felt sooooo good) and set up camp out in a field off I5.

The next morning I realized we were out of water so we got back on the road in search of a spot we can refill. We happened to pass by a golf course where a Sr.Woman's Golf tournament was taking place and let me tell you, LeeRoy stole the show! I hung out for an hour or so sharing the story and taking pictures with all the friendly tournament perticipants. I feel like there is a bit of a pattern when it comes to walking into every town. I find a spot to rest and get some food, recharge my electronics and share about Uzima and Needle2Square with a few dozen curious locals. Its pretty amazing how fast word spreads. By the time I leave town people stop me asking, "are you the man with the goat walking to New York?" Its just crazy!

 Getting back on the road we headed south towards Napavine, walking back roads in the middle of nowhere. After dogging cars the first few days of the walk, I decided I wasn't going to do it anymore so now I pretty much walk against traffic in the middle of the road and just motion the cars to go around me. It makes walking with LeeRoy a whole lot easier then moving to the non existent shoulder. Passing by a few houses, a guy comes out of his house asking me the usual list of questions I get asked. He then goes on to tell me that he saw me in Tuesdays paper, with a big picture of LeeRoy and I. I had to get my hands on a copy!



 Meanwhile, Brittnay (from The Chronicle blog) happened to be driving down the road and pulls up next to us, also asking for an interview. She was driving by and just spotted us on the side of the road. You can't plan this kind of stuff…It has to be a God thing! The craziest part of the interview was when LeeRoy decided to full on ram her right at her side for no reason. I felt really bad but she took it like a champ, shaking it off just like any good reporter would (sorry again Brittany).

http://blogs.chronline.com/news/archives/146

 That evening I came across Loves Truck stop and took THEE BEST shower of my entire life! It felt amazing to feel clean again… till I had to get back in my dirty clothes… "Que sera sera". Wednesday morning, I walked into Napavine when a school teacher flagged me down and asked me to come share my story with her Elementary class (I will do an entire post on that story later). Shortly after Napavine we broke the 100 mile mark where we took a quick rest and I reflected on the last 100 miles and 3400 left to go. With all that has happened so far, I can't imagine what's to come!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Physical assessment...

Day 12 I'm almost 2 weeks into the walk and my body is not happy. My back aches from caring the extra weight from LeeRoy's pack. My feet are covered in blisters, my muscles aren't completely sore but they're definitely fatigued. I'm sun burned and covered in bug bites in places I don't need to share. Overall though, its not that bad... it sounds a lot worse then it feels. The hardest part of each day is when I first wake up and all my muscles have settled in ... like I have really been put through the wringer but after the first 1/2 mile, the pain starts to go away and I'm able to find my groove. Sunday morning I woke up in Tenino and went to service at First Presbyterian church. I was really excited to be a part of the service but what I enjoyed the most was communion because this time was unlike any other time before. The congregation walked up front to receive the bread and the wine that were being served by an elderly couple at the front of the stage. To each person taking communion they whispered softly "this is Christs' body, broken for you. This is Christs' blood, shed for you." Those words were not uncommon to me, I've heard them said before from the pulpit but this time they were more intimate and echoed in my heart for the rest of the day. These kinds of moments are what have made this trip thus far so amazing!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Stranger Danger...

(Back story) Just after high school I had this group of friends that I hung out with and lived with off and on. I remember this one guy in particular named Dave (not his real name) who was a little strange. In our early 20's, life changed quickly and we all just grew apart. I kept in contact with some of my friends but Dave and I never stayed in touch. I heard rumors that he was into drugs, in and out of jail and had a possible mental illness. Fast Forward to Friday night the 11th. It was a long day of walking for me and I was ready to find a spot to crash. I saw a cop and asked if it was possible to pitch my tent in the city park for the night and he said it was fine. So I posted on facebook that the police said it was ok to camp at the park and headed to the spot. I started my routine and set up my gear, got comfortable and settled in for the night. At about 10:30pm a car pulls up and flashes its lights right at my tent and honks his horn. So I got up and got out of my tent. The lights from the car were blinding me and I couldn't see anything but a figure walking in my direction. A tall thin man approached me and mumbled a "Hey" before I could see his face. By the time he got closer I realized it was Dave from back in the day. I was utterly shocked! I greeted him with a awkward half side hug but didn't know what to say. My mind was filled with rumors that I heard from the past and I have to be honest, I was a little freaked out. We tried to break the ice but he would just mumble questions at me with no eye contact whatsoever. I asked him "how did you find me?" and he said that he was able to track me down from my last post on facebook. He mentioned that he had some camping gear in the back of his car that he wanted to show me so we took a look at it for a few minutes. As the conversation started winding down, I was ready to go to bed and asked him what he was doing tomorrow morning, maybe we could do breakfast... but he said he was thinking about staying and camping out tonight as well. I assumed he would sleep in the tent that he brought but as I walked away, he followed me with his sleeping bag and some shorts. I got in my tent and laid down, completely confused as to what was going on. Dave followed me in, moved my dog, spread out his sleeping bag and jumped in. The 30seconds of silence seemed like forever before I started asking him questions. He shared with me about his life, how he got into trouble, fought with cops and was taking medication to help him be less violent and more rational. He then randomly jumps up, runs out to his car and comes back with a brief case full of handcuffs, mace, random documents and what looked like a private investigator badge.....now if there was ever a point in my life when bells went off/ alarms/ red flags, this was it! He started telling me that he was a private investigator and all the crazy cases he's been on... that he works for the attorney general... I was struggling to believe any of it. Things just didn't seem to add up... but I chose to overlook it and focus more now on my safety. As he told me story after story of getting in fights, I made up a story of how protective Louie was and how he attacked this guy once for messing with me. Looking back now, I'm really embarrassed but at the time I was really scared and thought the story might keep him from messing with me. As the night went on we trade stories and he suddenly decided that he was going home. I mentioned breakfast to him again but also said I wanted to sleep-in and get some much needed rest before putting in more miles the next day. He went home but I stayed up thinking about all the stories he told me and if he could possibly come back to hurt me in the middle of the night. At 6am Dave shows up again, banging on my tent. I get up and he says he wants to take me for a short hike to a waterfall. So I packed up my stuff and agreed to go with him. We drove back to Yelm and I got us some breakfast at Starbucks. Then we got back in the car and drove another 20-30miles into the woods. When we finally got there, Dave grabbed a few items to take with him including a rope. I asked him what the rope was for and he said we might need it to climb down the waterfall... I didn't see any harnesses or anythings like that so I was pretty confused but didn't ask anymore questions. We started off into the woods and Dave reassured me it was only a few miles to the falls. At this point I was seriously scared for my life and started playing scenarios of what "could" happen to me out here in the middle of nowhere...but after a while I got to the point where I thought, if this is how I'm going to go then I might as well share my testimony with him. I spent the next 9 miles(not couple of miles) sharing everything that the Lord has been doing in my life, including confessing my deepest darkest secrets/sins. I could tell he was getting uncomfortable when we finally arrived at the water fall... and let me tell you, it was nothing to write-home about. We stayed there for a few minutes, then turned around and headed back. On the walk to the car Dave finally started opening up to me and I realized that all the creepy awkwardness I was feeling earlier was not him trying to be threatening but more like fear and shame... insecurities. Eventually the front he put on was gone and I felt foolish and guilty for thinking he would try to hurt me... this was my friend after all and he still is. You can look at this story as one of two ways. One, I made a lot of foolish decisions and am lucky I'm not dead or two, God set this up and I was meant to run into Dave. If I went with how I felt I would have missed out on this opportunity to reconnect with my friend again and show him that I cared for him.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Safety First.....

We have hit a few bumps in the road this week... but that's ok. I'm back on the road and about a mile outside of Roy, Washington. This morning when I woke up, I packed LeeRoy in the car and was driven back to Spanaway Lake. I had received my new goat pack and was eager to try it on him minus the pack weight (so just the saddle and empty bags). We headed down the road slowly, paying close attention to LeeRoy and his stride... making sure he wasn't limping at all. Later that afternoon I noticed that he started walking uncomfortably and decided it was best for him to get more rest so I had him driven back to the barn while I walked on. I called the vet and arranged for him to be examined/ an all around check up and am waiting on the results. Meanwhile, Louie (Plan A) is keeping me company on the road. No packs, just walking along side. He'll be with me till Thursday of next week then he'll head back to the barn. As long as LeeRoy is ready for the road, he will join me once again on Sunday the 20th. That will give him 10 days to rest and receive more training. I want to say thank you to all who have expressed concern for LeeRoy and want to reemphasize that he is being well taken care of and his health closely monitored. I am currently taking a short break and cooking up some maple/brown sugar oatmeal for dinner.. yum! It looks about ready so I better get going! -Later.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Problems and situations...

Day 5

I woke up behind a grocery store, by a dumpster in a sleeping bag without a tent... it honestly was not that bad. I felt like I got a pretty good nights sleep. I've been worried about LeeRoy cause it seems like he's struggling a little bit. So i decided to take some of the weight he's carrying and put it in my pack. We started off very slow and only made it a few miles before he started to limp. I immediately was concerned... feeling his legs, muscles, making sure there wasn't anything torn or broken. He didn't give me any indication that he was hurting, so I assumed it was probably his feet. I was faced with a decision to  either get to a spot where we could rest for a couple days or send LeeRoy back to Seattle where he can get checked out and relax while I walk on. After giving it much thought and prayer, I decided it would be best to send him back so I called my friend Sarah, who happens to be an equestrian coach, to come pick LeeRoy up. Once she got out here, she also looked him over and we agreed that it was his feet. She thought that he would be fine if we made some shoe like booties to protect his feet. The new plan was to drive LeeRoy to Spanaway lake while I continue walking there. I was hoping we could camp out there for a few days to give his feet a break but once I got there I realized it was a day park and there's no place to camp.

Mean while I got a text from Darren (a guy I met earlier in Puyallup) who volunteered to pick me up and take me back to his house for dinner, then take me back to Spanaway lake. I shared with him about my goat problem and he offered to have the both of us stay with him and his family at their house for a few days. So here I am with Darren, his wife Corey and their 4 amazing kids taking a much needed rest. After staying up and chatting late into the night, we got to know each other really well and have a lot of things in  common. We both go to the same church (Mars Hill) and grew up going to the same concerts (Tom Fest)... we immediately hit it off.  I am so grateful for them and their hospitality... what a blessing! We will be staying here another day and heading out Thursday morning. This is truly special time for me and I believe that I have found a lifelong friendship with Darren and Corey.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Bold Move...

Day 3
When you pitch a tent anywhere other then a camp ground, its a BOLD MOVE. I pitched my tent on the side of the interurban trail with no shame. Instead of hiding in my tent, I sat out front with LeeRoy and greeted every single person that went by (jogger, Biker, walker)... I admit I look crazy yelling out things like "I like you bicycle" however once they see the goat, we get to talkin, everything seems to be "a Ok". To my surprise , I had a lot of visitors that night, friends that came out to see me ( Sarah and Joe Carter). There are few men that I respect in my life or even look up to, but I have to say Joe C is one of those guys. He came out to see me, brought his family, brought me food/coffee at like 10pm at night out on the trail. With that said, people we're knocking on my tent till late at night, wanting to pet my goat and to find out what I was up to. A very sweet lady named Kim crossed me a couple times on the trail and ended up coming back late at night to give me a donation for Needle2Square and to check up on me to make sure I was safe. Its people like her whom I've never met before this walk that show me so much kindness and support. Its extremely humbling and inspiring at the same time.

 Day 5
I'm currently in Summit, WA around 38.5 miles from the Space Needle. Yesterday, I was flagged down by some people in front of the Meeker Fellowship building in downtown Puyallup. They said they wanted to see my goat! Through a series of interesting events, I ended up staying the night at a hotel instead of camping out. This hotel allowed pets (dogs) but not goats however I managed to sneak him in anyway. BOLD MOVE #2! It felt so good to sleep in a bed, freshen up, charge my gear and be ready to get back on the road. I checked out out late, and headed to a laundry mat to wash my clothes. I brought LeeRoy in with me, BOLD MOVE #3, and got to washin all my clothes including the ones I was wearing (don't ask). You should have seen the look on people's faces when the saw a goat in the laundry mat... it was awesome. I'm now back on the road headed south towards Spanaway. - Side Note- LeeRoy is struggling a bit today and not wanting to walk. It might be because of the heat but I'm not sure. Please keep us in your prayers.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Blisters on my feet....

Day two was rough. LeeRoy and I got soaked to the bone and had to find a spot out of the rain. We came across a bridge by a train track and decided to stay there for the night. I pitched the tent and went to sleep. I woke up in a frantic panic every couple hours from the high speed trains shaking the ground and the blaring horns as they went by. I pretty much got no sleep. Add insult to injury, my feet are an absolute mess right now... major blisters everywhere. I put some moleskine on them and continued on but I have to admit I'm blasted... hurting...wet... ready for bed. Gonna post up for the night.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Rookie mistakes

Last night I got to the place I wanted to set up camp at and realized it was a bad idea so I moved on. I ended up walking another couple miles and found a strip of land with power lines and decided to camp underneath them. Being my first night, I tried to find a place away from the roads so I could be relatively safe.... boy was I wrong! As I'm setting up camp, I hear sirens, cop car after cop car pulling up just on the other side of the fence.... and I'm freaking out "THIS IS IT, I'M GOING TO JAIL, THEY'RE TAKING MY GOAT!!!" All together around 13 cop cars with dogs show up all rushing into this group of houses. About an hour later I see them bringing a guy out, walking him to the car and then taking off. I sat there thinking... Is this a safe place to camp... but ended up staying hoping it was an isolated incident.

I organized my tent, cooked some food, read my bible, tied LeeRoy to a stake in the ground and got in my tent. The next thing I know, LeeRoy pulls out the stake and takes off running across the field. I fly out of my tent barefoot, chasing after him on sharp rocks and thistles at least 50 yards away from the tent. Time for PLAN B. I tied the rope around my waist making sure he doesn't get away again and went to bed. At some point in the night, I hear howling and barking right outside the tent. LeeRoy is awake with the rope tugging on my waist. I grab my flash light, throw my boots on, jump out of my tent and start yelling "GET OUTTA HERE!!!" I grab a few rocks and pitch them aimlessly into the field hoping to scare away whatever is out there. I decided to let the goat sleep in the tent with me to keep him safe from all outside predators.

After that incident, I was out and slept well through the night. I got up early in the morning to a tent full of goat poop. What a disappointing start. I unzipped my tent to pouring rain and my only pair of boots full of rain water. What a rookie move!

Needless to say, the first day was amazing however the night.... not so much.


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Day 1...

I am absolutely over whelmed by all the text messages, phone calls, facebook messages, etc that I have received from my friends and people supporting Needle2square. I am beyond grateful! Last night it really hit me that I'm walking across America with a goat. I actually got scared... couldn't sleep... mixed feelings of stress and excitement... but now that I'm on the road I am soooo jazzed about it! At 8:30 this morning I touched the Space Needle and started my walk.

The response on the streets has been crazy. People stopping asking questions, city buses full of passengers pulling over wanting to know what I'm doing. I've been handed money, coffee, food, gotten offers of places to stay across the U.S. all in the first hour. I met a unique man along the walk who gave me a birthday candle and told me to make a wish. He also told me to remember that time travel is real and that I really haven't left yet. I actually have a video of the entire thing and will post it soon. I've learned you meet a lot of interesting individuals on the streets.

I am currently at Starbucks in south Seattle 4.4 miles from where I started. Which puts me at about 1 mile per hour. That's a disappointing pace however I've been sharing all morning with people about Uzima and Needle2Square, which is the whole point of why I'm doing this in the first place. Looking at it like that, its been a very successful start!

In my previous post, I said I would share about why I chose to leave May 2nd. Exactly 20 years to the day, my father passed away of cancer. I was 12 at the time. Leaving May 2nd is my way of including him on this journey. Dealing with the death of a loved one is never easy and even years later it still effects me heavily. With that said, I get to spend a lot of time thinking about him as I walk today.