(DF) MIDNIGHT STROLL? Well, sort of (part 3)

Walking down the hill proved much less pleasant than going up had been.  Not only was it more painful going downhill, but the downhill side was much steeper.  With traffic coming from both directions, it was also necessary for me to move back and forth across lanes to avoid passing cars.  The road ditch was much deeper (and with steeper banks) than it had been on the uphill side.

Before I reached the bottom of the hill, I encountered another concern.  Cars coming to meet me, would swerve across the other lane, in an obvious attempt to run over me.  As I would jump off in the ditch and scramble up the bank to avoid them, the drivers would honk, shout obscenities, and laugh before swerving back into their own lane.  It seems they were quite enjoying their drive to work.  This happened several times within the next couple of miles.  Had I been slower or less alert, I have no doubt that I would have been hit.

Another mile and a half, with the stars fading into the gray light of dawn, I walked past a mobile home and was greeted by dogs.  Not your average happy to see a stranger type dogs.  These were large mix breed dogs, one coming out in front of me and the other behind, teeth bared and hackles up.  One was barking loudly while the other just kept creeping up and snarling.  The barking brought the lady of the house to the door with a gun.  Did she call off the dogs?  Did she offer to call someone for me?  Did she even have a kind word?  Absolutely none of the above.  Instead, she shined a very bright, red filtered spotlight on me, and asked what was going on.  I told her that my vehicle had broken down and I was trying to make it home.  Her reply was simple and to the point.  "Well, I guess you better just keep walking then", she stated in a very rude tone, and went back inside.  No, she did not call off the dogs before going inside, so I had to maneuver very carefully to get beyond their territory.

Another mile and it was daylight, and by now, I was in an area where most people know me.  Imagine my disapointment when I started seeing people I was acquainted with speed on past like I wasn't there.  Even my former brother in law was going the opposite direction.  He smiled, waved and drove on.  Did he bother to call any of my family and tell them I was walking?  Of course not.

At the corner which marked the point of only three miles remaining, an old man had stalled his little pickup.  He had been taking it to the shop to have the starter fixed and missed his turn.  In turning around, it had stalled and would have to be push started.  His friends were coming to help and would be there shortly, so we had a few minutes of conversation.  When his friends arrived, I helped them push his truck to start it.  He told them that I had been walking all night and could use a ride, but they completely blew it off.  So I walked on.

About a mile from home, and only about a hundred yards from the gravel road I was dreading with my now sore feet,  my little sister came around the curve to meet me.  I was not really expecting her to stop, since she has not been willing to speak to me in over a year, but she did stop.  Actually, she acted like there had never been any bad feelings between us and we had a good conversation.  Very strange.

Finally, being home was great, but still lots to do.  I hurried inside to call Anna, who had been expecting a call about an hour after I left her house, to let her know I made it back safely (our standard routine)  She had left two messages on my phone just in case my call didn't go through to her cell phone.  This happens often and she doesn't get my message until she dials my number.  The third message, as calm and sweet as the other two, was letting me know that she was hoping it was just my phone not working and hoping I would get a good night sleep.  However, something in the tone of her voice said she was terrified.  In the absence of information, the imagination can do terrible things.  I quickly called her to let her know what had happened, then went to care for the animals who had missed their evening feeding.

These things done, it was time to take the truck to Anna's, hook up to the trailer, and haul the Jeep home for repairs.  The hauling went well, and by the time evening chores had been done, I was ready to crash.  Considering the walk, the hauling and the fact that I hadn't slept in about forty hours, I wasn't really doing all that bad.  I knew I would be sore in the morning, but it was good to finally get horizontal for a few hours.  Yes, I was very sore in the morning, but surprisingly enough, my body handled that walk and sleep deprivation about as well as it did in similar circumstances about forty years ago (except for the ankle injury), and with a much better appreciation of the stars than I had had back then.

Several lessons were also learned, as follows: (keep in mind that there are others but these are what comes to mind)

1.     We have become too dependent on cell phones.  Everyone
        expects that you have called  and  have help coming.

2.      People are afraid to help strangers.  In fact, they seem afraid to
         slow down, as if expecting a rock through a windshield.

3.     There are now people out there who will make sport of trying to
        hit you with their car.

4.     If you are not in contact with your own personal support base,
        whether it be friends, family or some other support, you are ON
        YOUR OWN!!!

5.     A good star and meteor show is hard to beat, whatever the
        circumstances.

6.     Just because I am older, doesn't mean I am not just as tough.


I hope you have enjoyed my midnight stroll.  Thank you for reading.

UPDATE:  I was partially correct as to what happened to the Jeep.  When I pulled the head, I found that the head gasket was really badly blown.  However, I also found that one of the pistons has a large hole in it.  If you are like Anna and have no idea what that means, it simply means that the engine no longer works and must be rebuilt or replaced.  A lot more work and expense than expected, and much longer before we can afford the parts.

(DF) MIDNIGHT STROLL? Well, sort of (part 2)

Leaving the small town convenience store, and turning toward home, there was still hope of assistance.  The highway bypasses the town, but I still had to walk over a mile to be outside the jurisdiction of their law enforcement.  Many people call that stretch of highway a speed trap, and maybe it is, but whatever the case, I seldom drive that stretch without seeing at least one police car.  Not this time!!!!

That's right, in the time it took to walk the mile and a half to the edge of their jurisdiction, not one member of the local police force passed me.  On the other hand, within that mile and a half and the two miles to follow, three different ambulances passed me, apparently making transport runs (no lights or sirens).  I had hoped the local police would make their rounds and at least make a call for me.  Then I had hoped that at least one of the ambulance drivers would radio law enforcement to let them know there was a late night walker and an abandoned vehicle.  It seems that neither scenario was in the offing.

Not to be brought down by such trivial matters, I continued to walk.  A beautiful star filled night should not be wasted, and a meteor shower is always a rare treat.  My quiet walk and star gazing was only interrupted by the passing of cars, always accelerating and seldom moving to the other lane (this part of my walk was on a large divided highway).  A few miles down the road, I passed another convenience store that is the highlight of a small community at a major intersection.  There was no need stopping, since I already knew that they close at 10 pm, so I continued walking.

Another three miles and I reached the shortcut which connects the highway I was on with the next highway north.  The shortcut is actually a very highly traveled paved county road.  Narrow and only two lane, I would have to be careful of two way traffic, but at least for the moment, most of the cars were going my direction.  Were they more likely to stop than on the big highway?  IT SEEMS NOT!

By the time, I had reached the shortcut, I was beginning to get tired.  There had not been much rest for a few days, and the hour was truly getting late.  An old leg injury which had left a misalignment in my left ankle joint was beginning to ache a bit as well.  The fact that I had not walked more than a mile at any one time in quite a few years did not help much either.  Oh, but those beautiful stars, meteors and warm, gentle breeze.  Such a truly beautiful night for a stroll.  Slowly but steadily, I continued walking, stepping into the road ditch each time a car approached (this is a narrow road and the cars were not slowing down or changing lanes).

About four miles further along the shortcut, I could look to the east and see the morning star rising, telling me it would be daylight soon.  It would be a while yet, but it was coming.  With the approach of morning, I knew that the traffic would soon change.  The majority of cars would be coming to meet me instead of going my direction.  At this point, I was also approaching the bottom of about a two mile long hill.  Not really all that steep, but steadily up hill.  Fortunately, with the particular ankle problem I have, up slope is easier than down slope.  My hope was to reach the top of the hill before the direction of traffic changed, and I would worry about the steep slope down the other side when I got there.

With the morning star high in the sky, but still no daylight, I reached the top of the grade.  For the first time since leaving my Jeep behind, I stopped for a very short rest.  By this time, the pain in my left foot and ankle was significant, though not unbearable.  Traffic had changed to a good mix of directions and with only about ten miles to go, I prepared to start down the other side of the hill.  Yes, I was still enjoying the stars, and the meteor shower had intensified as dawn approached.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you for reading, and please stay tuned for part 3.  There will be lots of excitement, frustration and lessons learned.