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E1178        CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—Extensions of Remarks       June 23, 2010

RECOGNIZING RICHARD HUNSUCKER

AND

 THE WALK ACROSS AMERICA TEAM

HON. DARRELL E. ISSA

OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard ‘‘Ric’’ Hunsucker, a United States Marine Corps veteran, and the Walk Across America Team for their selfless efforts to bring awareness to disabled veterans across the country.

Mr. Hunsucker, an ironworker from Green Bay, Wisconsin, has completed a challenging yet worthy undertaking that has achieved great success—all in the name of disabled veterans. On Veterans Day, November 11, 2009, Mr. Hunsucker set out to begin his 202 day walk across America to raise donations and awareness for the struggles faced by disabled veterans.

Starting at the Duval County War Memorial in Jacksonville, Florida, Mr. Hunsucker and his support teammate, Jack Dixon, visited countless veterans medical centers and outpatient clinics to meet with disabled veterans, doctors, nurses, family members and the public. This 2,600-mile journey took them through four time zones and eight states, ending proudly at the Balboa Park War Memorial in San Diego, California on Memorial Day, May 31, 2010. He carried a 5-foot by 3-foot navy blue Disabled American Veterans flag the entire route. All donations raised went to the Disabled American Veterans organization, a nonprofit that advocates and assists those injured while serving their country.

Mr. Hunsucker trained for six months for his 202-day walk and has since gone through three pairs of sneakers and countless aches and pains. Walking an average of 17 miles a day, meeting the families of those killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan were among the most memorable moments. Mr. Hunsucker’s patriotism and desire to raise awareness for veterans was best explained when he recently stated, ‘‘You can build a memorial for those who have been killed, but how can you remember those who are disabled? You take care of them.’’

Madam Speaker, I would like to extend my personal accolades to the Walk Across America Team for such a remarkable and dedicated journey.

[Congressional Record: June 23, 2010 (Extensions)]
[Page E1178]
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VetWalking

Our journey has come to an end but the cause walks on. This adventure has generated $1000′s in pledges and now its time to turn them into donations. We will contact everyone we can by E-mail to thank them for their support. Eight states, hundreds of towns, thousands of people and 2534 miles and it seems like yesterday when we started our walk. We could not of done this alone and thank you all for making this possible. Check back because the Blog will walk on.

Day 197
 
Woke up early even though we have a day off. Less than a week and we will complete the walk across America. The time off is needed but all the things we have to do keeps us busy. Today we have a lot of interviews with the press and we will visit some VFW`S and American Legions. JC will guide us around the San Diego area. Its nice to have someone who knows the area . The traffic here gets pretty thick at times and you end up doing a lot of u-turns. Smile. After all the interviews I dropped JC off and headed over to Conor`s house to eat supper with them. His wife Claire is a good cook and there kids are fun to be around. Kegan and Ceanna are so polite and I brought each one of them a book. I will read them a bed time story tonight.  After reading them a story and getting some hugs and kisses it was time to go crash. Headed over to JC`S and crashed in the pace car. Its all good.

Day198
 
Woke up ready to head to the airport. Will pick up Carol today. Met a lot of vets at the airport. After leaving the airport we headed over to meet some Navy soldiers who are on active duty. They bought us lunch and all of them signed the car. Everywhere we went today we ran into military troops and Veterans. San Diego has  many military people in its communities and many bases. The weather here is fantastic. The DAV in California arranged for us a room while we are here. We will stay at the Holiday Inn next to the Marine base. Relaxation. Kicked back and put the feet up. Off to la la land. Its all good.

Day 199
 
Woke up with a visit to the VA Medical Center in San Diego. Upon arriving at the hospital we were greeted by many Veterans who were there to see and sign the pace car. We were given an escort to tour the hospital and talk to the patients. While we were there we were told that the last Medal of Honor winner from WW2 had passed away the night before. Another hero who dedicated so much of his life for our country. You will never be forgotten sir. Our tour of the hospital was so inspiring and was the reason we walked across America. The many disabled vets we met today not only were proud to serve but all said they would do it again. It was a very humbling experience. After the visit we hung around outside talking to vets and family members about there health care and ways we could improve to help them build better lives. After leaving the hospital we would visit a couple of Veterans organizations to meet more Veterans and troops who are serving now. At least the media is not following us today. Back to the room to freshen up for supper with Conor and Claire. She made a lasagna and we pigged out. Gaining weight for sure. Off to the hotel to crash. We will resume our walk tomorrow. Its all good. Thanks Claire and Conor. Your family rocks.

Day 200
 
Up early eager to start our last three days of walking. Will be walking into Poway,Ca. today. As we walked today many horns blew and people waved in support of the cause we walk for. We were humbled by the outpouring of support. We would like to thank JC Playford for walking with us since getting to California and for helping us get the media to support our cause. His help will always be remembered and honored. Had to slow him down at times because he could walk pretty fast and at this point in the walk I had slowed down. Smile!!  Finally started down the hill into Poway. What beautiful weather here and the scenery is what dreams are made of. As we walked the memories of the many miles were relived in my mind. Two more days and a little over 20 miles left as we finished our walk today. We headed over to the Hotel to clean up and relax. Ordered a Pizza and watched TV until falling asleep. The end is nearing. OOH RAH. ITS ALL GOOD

Day 201
 
Up early walking. We will be walking thru Poway and over to Waxie Way Rd. As we walked today we passed by the Marine Air Station at Miramar. JC walked and filmed most of the day. Perfect weather all day. Not much traffic on our route today but those who passed honked or waved. A lot of Vets stopped and signed the pace car. It was cool having Veterans and active duty soldiers signing the car together. The comradery was visible with each meeting. As we walked I thought about all the miles left behind and the few we had left. Walked fast today and with each step I thought about all the memories and friends we have made across America. After finishing our walk today we headed to the Grand Colonial Hotel in La Jolla, Ca. They donated us a room for the night. First Class Hotel and the staff were very professional. Laying on the bed looking out over the ocean was awesome. The sea breeze was so refreshing. Thanks so very much for allowing us the honor to stay at your hotel. After cleaning up we headed over to Paul Rising`s house to eat dinner with him and his family. The dinner was fabulous and I gorged again. We took pics afterwords and Paul signed the car. Headed back to the room and crashed out. One more day and we will be joined by Paul and his Cub Scouts. OOH RAH. ITS ALL GOOD.

Day 202
 
Couldn’t sleep last night. Really anxious to end the walk today. It’s been a long road and we have faced many challenges along the way. Our challenges only made us realize the everyday challenges faced by our disabled vets. We feel like we have made a difference but realize it takes all of us working together to make a change. As a team we can help our disabled build better lives and get honorable care when needed. A lot of horns honking today as we walk towards Balboa Park. Another beautiful day here. So many things going on this Memorial Day to honor those who honored us with their service. We did numerous interviews with the press as we walked today. At one point today our walk dead ended into a fence. Called Jack to figure it out. First time on our walk Google map failed us. Oh well. Jack told me a new route and we headed that way. Wasn’t long and we entered the park. We met Conor and his friends and they started walking with us. A little further into the park we met Paul Rising and his cub scout troop. Not much farther and we will achieve our goal of walking across America. As the memorial came into sight we felt so very proud of each and every person that helped us across America. So many places and faces raced through our mind. As we reached the Memorial I could only kneel down and kiss the ground giving thanks to God and all of those who helped us get here. It was all good. After taking pictures with everyone Channel 7 did an interview with us and many Veterans came by to sign the car and congratulate us. Thanks everyone for being there today. It meant a lot to us. A special thanks to JC Playford for all his time and help while we were in California. Semper Fi

VetWalking 2010

It all started in Green Bay, WI. and on Memorial Day, Monday May 31, 2010 we will complete our 202 day, 2,600 mile journey from Jacksonville, FL. to San Diego, CA. Our goal was to walk across America to raise donations, the level of awareness and the challenges faced by Disabled Veterans.

Our journey has lead us thru the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. We have walked through 4 time zone, 8 states, hundreds of towns and met 1000′s of people along the way.

We understand that our cause can be very emotional but we tried to keep it about Disabled Veterans and their challenges and not about any single person or political view. Sometimes, because of the nature of our cause this can be very difficult but regardless of the view it’s always about the Disabled Veterans.

Our Walk Across America campaign was full of humbling experiences that we encountered virtually every step we took. We used these experiences to give our lives a little perspective and to fuel our attempt to make a difference. As we approach the accomplishment of our goals it only defines a new list for our next project, but for sure when asked ‘what have you done lately’ we will have something to say.

Jack

Day 190
 
Up early and not many days left to walk. The next few days we have a long stretch of desert before we walk up a bib hill. No traffic and not many people out here. About halfway thru our walk we met Emilea and Marilea at the Blu-In RV Park. The store was closed but they opened up and told us to get what we needed and there would be no charge. Thanks so very much. We talked as we drank our Gatorade. Mike Tarpley called and told us to go back to Westmorland tonight because he reserved us a room. Thanks Mike and you’re the man. After finishing our walk we drove back to Westmorland and checked into the room. It was nice to lay back after the hot day in the desert. Watched a little TV and enjoyed the AC. Finally dozed off. Its all good.

Day 191
 
More desert and it will get real hot today. Sure will be glad to get to the top of the hill so it will be cooler. Glad we didn’t walk thru here in the summer. Drank at least 20 bottles of water today. Had 3 vets stop and sign the car today. Wasn’t much traffic on this road. We are walking thru the Anza-Borrego Desert. After finishing our walk we headed up the hill to visit the American Legion Post 468 in Julian,Ca.  Not only did we find an oasis, we found some of the nicest people. Dusty the commander had the cook make us a killer burger. We sat around and talked to all the members and the vets signed the pace car. Dusty told us we could camp in there parking lot and tomorrow we were invited back for supper. Thanks so much Post 468 you all rock. Set up camp and crashed out in the pace car. Its all good and soon we will be in San Diego.

Day 192
 
Woke up to a cool morning and had to put on a sweatshirt to start our walk this morning. We will be walking up Banner grade (mountain) today. The hill is a steep one and the wind is blowing hard into our face. Midday the walk across America would take Vince to the bus station. It was time. He had pushed me to the limits to many times. After dropping him off we stopped in Romano to meet with JC Playford at Cheers. Met Sean the owner of the bar and he offered me lunch and fixed me a huge burger. JC finally arrived and we went over to the VFW Post in Ramona. Had some vets sign the car and afterward we headed back up to the Legion in Julian to eat supper there. The fish tacos were awesome and the commander gave us a few gifts for our journey. Camped out in the parking lot again. Good sleeping weather though. Off to sleep relieved not to have the worries and aggravation that came with Vince. Its all good.

Day 193
 
Woke up refreshed and relieved to have the burden gone. Suppose to be a day off but will make up the miles we didn’t do yesterday. We started walking up the hill into Julian and looked forward to walking down the hill knowing each step would get us closer to our destination. The traffic was heavy as we walked today. Lots of waving and horn blowing. Met Steven Pollock a cyclist as we ended our walk.  His dad was in the Air Force and was a bomber Pilot in WW2. He is buried in Arlington. We let Steve sign the pace car in memory of his dad and hero. JC Playford came and took us back to the pace car. Followed him home and he introduced us to his friend Julie and her two kids James and Rose. Gave them each a little gift and I spent 4 hours shining up the pace car. Took a shower and crashed in the pace car even though I could have slept inside. Thanks JC and Julie for your help and kindness. Julie’s kids were just adorable. Its all good.

Day 194
 
Slept like a baby in the pace car. It was real good sleeping weather and my headache has finally gone away. Would be eating breakfast with Connor and his family this morning. I would meet them at the cafe here in Ramona. Connor is Mike Tarpley`s stepson. We met Mike halfway into our walk across America and now we have the privilege to meet more of his family. Breakfast was filling and talking with Connor and his family was refreshing. Mike was very instrumental in helping the walk across America as we made our way thru Texas and now Connor and his family will be. True caring Americans. Thanks so very much. Connor invited us back to his house for supper tonight. Met up with JC and we would walk a little today so he can get some film for the media. After filming for a little while we headed over to the VFW- Legion Post in Escondido to meet with the members there. They were having a dinner and we were honored to break bread with them. The mayor and members of the DAV were there and many Veterans signed the car. After eating the steak and shrimp dinner we headed over to Connors to eat another steak dinner. Looks like I wont be loosing any weight around here. Its all good. Dinner was awesome and we were invited back to eat and sleep if we needed to. Thanks so very much. We will be seeing them again soon. Drove back to JC`s and cleaned up. Crashed in the pace car again knowing it wont be long and the walk we reach an end. OOH RAH!!

Day 195
 
Woke up to the most overwhelming day of our walk so far. JC took us to interview after interview with the media in and around San Diego. The day was hectic but the press for our disabled vets is very important for the cause we walk for. Not only did we meet the press all day, we met many Veterans as our day progressed. Met Dan who is a marine and already has done 3 tours in Iraq. He signed the pace car and went home only to come back to give us a gift. He gave me his Helmet cover he used in Iraq. He even signed it. When this was happening we were doing a story with the North County Times Paper. Awesome. Long day today and I am ready to crash. Thanks to all the press today. ABC channel 10, Fox 5 and the many local papers who have done stories about our walk to raise awareness for our disabled veterans. Thanks a million JC for your help and support. Your a friend for life. From one Marine to another. Semper Fi. Its all good

Day 196
 
Woke up still overwhelmed from yesterday. Today would be another one of those days. Started our day at Channel 17 a Spanish station here in San Diego. Our last Medal of Honor winner from Vietnam was Spanish American and 20 percent of the names on the Vietnam wall are Spanish Americans. Thanks for your service and love of our country. The day just got busier and busier. We were invited back to the Rick Amato talk radio show again tonight. We were there last night. The response was good so we will talk some more tonight. After talking on the show last night, we received a call from someone in New York saying they would be making a $100,000.00 donation to our walk. Thanks so very much. A $100,000.00 will help many disabled Veterans. Thanks Rick for letting us join you on 1170 am and get the word out. Went back to JC`S to crash-out. Its all good.

.

.

VetWalking 

Week twenty seven brings us closer to San Diego and less than 2 weeks left in our campaign. We walked 101 miles this week. The states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona are behind us. We have walked through 4 time zone, 7 states, hundreds of towns, met 1000′s of people along the way and walked 2,428 miles. Week twenty eight will be the last full week of our journey to raise the level of awareness and of the challenges faced by Disabled Veterans.

Day 183
  
Felt refreshed as I awoke this morning. Stayed at the Knights Inn here in Blythe, Ca. Our first day in California was awesome. As we walked today we had more farm equipment pass than cars. Walking thru farm country. Took us three hours to make it over to Palo Verde. Sure is hot. When we arrived at the pace car we were met by Sgt Mike from the Imperial County Sheriffs Office and some local vets. We talked for awhile and left to start back walking. The temperatures rose with each mile and we were glad to see our ending point. We did a huge tag with red paint and headed over to Arley and Shirley’s to spend the night and eat supper with them. When we arrived Shirley had us a huge meal prepared. Hot cornbread, beans/ham, hot wings and an assortment of other things. First class country cooking. After eating we took showers and did a load of clothes. Arley got a watermelon out of the ice box and we sat around talking as we ate the melon. It was good and cold. Arley was a rescue chopper pilot in the navy and served in Vietnam. His wife said he didn’t talk much about it, but as we talked he told me about some of the things he went thru while in Nam. His wife Shirley called us kids. I wish!! Shirley took us out to the fifth wheel camper to show us where we would sleep tonight. It wasn’t long and we were snoring. Its all good.

Day 184
 
Woke to find Arley waiting to show us where things were for breakfast. I made bacon and eggs. After eating and saying  thanks to Arley we headed out to start our walk. Thanks for everything, Arley and Shirley Plemming. No shoulders on the HWY. today. With every step the road got hotter and we got weaker. Only kidding!! Wondering when we will see a mirage. Heard some bombers overhead. They were circling and leaving vapor trails. It wasn’t long when a rainbow appeared and then another one. We took some pictures of them. Got a feeling something good is going to happen. Finished our walk and headed back to Palo Verde. We will be staying with JC Holford. He was a scout in the Marines. He had fresh catfish for us for supper. He caught them off his dock behind his house. His friend Jimmy was staying with him. Went down to the Colorado River to take a dip. Settled on wading, the water was darn cold. Went back to the house and JC cooked up some good grub while we cleaned up. After eating we sat around talking while they fished. Well its time to crash. I’ll sleep in the pace car tonight. Nice cool breeze as I laid there thinking about getting to the end of the walk. Dozed off with a smile. Its all good.

Day 185
 
Slept in the pace car last night. The fresh air was relaxing. Had to cover up around 3 a.m. got cool. As we started walking it was cool and we had a little breeze. It will get hot today before our walk is over. After walking thru the check point Sgt. Mistriel stopped to check on us. Said he would get some press out to do a story. Thanks sir. Not much traffic but everyone that passed blew their horn and waved. Was pretty hot as we reached Glamis, Ca. our ending point for today. Tomorrow we will walk thru the sand dunes. Headed back to JC`S to spend the night. Sat around talking while Jimmy shot off some fireworks. What a nice sunset. Not many days left. After dark I headed out to the pace car to get some sleep. Its not a bad bed. Thanks Tim Byrnes for the mattress. Off to sleep and its all good.

Day 186
 
Up early and ready to walk. We slipped out without waking JC and Jimmy. Drove over to Glamis to start our walk thru the dunes. As we started walking we got a pic of some people and their 4 wheelers. I’d rather be fishing than riding thru the desert. It got some kind of hot today. Pegged out my thermometer when I sat it on the pavement. After we finished walking for today we headed over to El Centro to visit the American Legion Post 60. The commander came over to meet us and they donated money for a room. Left to go get cleaned up and check in. We went to the Brunners Inn and they donated a free night. We’ll take off tomorrow and I’ll go to church. After cleaning up we headed back to the Post and talked to everyone there. They all signed the car. Talked with Mario a lot. Real nice guy. Well its time to go crash. Thanks Post 60 for your support. You rock.

Day 187
 
Up early so I can clean the pace car. Why am I cleaning it and not the pace car driver? Good question and all I can say is plum lazy. I’ll deal with it myself. You tend to learn a lot about someone when your around them. If I sat around waiting in a car for someone walking the car would be immaculate at all times. Been asking him to do a blog but he don’t even read the blogs I write. Makes you wonder about his motive. I’ll vacuum the car after church. Headed over to the Calipatria Community Church. Met Pastor Mike Mutado the other day and he invited me to join him in worship. After arriving I met America a young girl. Sat her on the pace car and got a picture. Pastor Mike gave an inspiring sermon and then introduced me and took up donations for our cause. Thanks so very much. It was an honor to attend church with so many wonderful people. May God Bless you all. Stopped and vacuumed the pace car. Got back to the room and Vince was watching TV. Thought he would at least go out and pass out fliers. No motivation at all. Said he didn’t want to lock me out. Like I can’t get a key to get in. Smile!! Well I’ll head up to Bombay Beach to the American Legion Post 801. Once we arrived at the Post we were served BBQ ribs. They were awesome. The commander gave us some gifts and we headed back to the room to meet with a reporter from the Imperial Valley Press. More press for our vets. We had a good interview and after he left I crashed out. Its all good.

Day 188
 
Up early and we will be walking thru Brawley,Ca. today. Passed a lot of Sugar beet fields as we walked today. Truckloads of onions passed all day. Walked into Brawley and had Joselita from the Imperial County Press come to do some pictures for the article they are doing on us. Thanks Joselita and the paper for the press for our cause the disabled vets. Not much happened today. Got our walk in though. A little humid though. Drove back to Brawley to get a room. Got to work on our blog. Been asking Vince to write something but I don’t get nowhere with him. Oh well. Wants to be part of the walk but doesn’t let his actions show it. Won’t be long and the walk will be at its destination. Off to sleep with that on my mind. Its all good.

Day 198

Hi all, Jack here. Today is Tuesday and what I do on Tuesday is put together the daily email Blog’s that I receive from Ric (not a typo). When I got to ‘day 189′ email Blog it said ‘this blog is for you dude, put a pic of yourself on and tell us a little about you and the family’. OK I will.

Woke up to a cool but seasonable morning today with the weatherman guaranteeing it will be warm and he’s right, 72 and sunny, a beautiful day in May, in Green Bay. Did my thing with the daily early AM phone call with Ric to bring me up to date and then talk about the days walk. In addition to the day to day stuff we always talk about we are starting to talk a lot about San Diego and the end of our long journey . It’s a pretty good feeling to look back from where we started and knowing we are just a few  days from accomplishing our goals.

As Ric has said in past Blogs, I will be a grandfather in a week or so, this is also pretty good feeling. Riley, my daughter is having a boy and the due date is May 30th. She is very excited this being her first child. This is a good thing for all except Eddie, the dog. When Tenison is born Eddie will no longer be the baby of the family and he will be demoted back to dog

status. Where I wind up in the pecking order is anyone’s guess.

Today turned out to be a good one. Ric walked another 16 miles and I’m waiting for the nightly update.  It’s possible today he may walk into a no-mans land and his cell may not find  a connection. We are anticipating the possibility of some dead zones in the next few days. Well, that’s it. I’m not a GrandPa yet. Now I’m going to hang out with a couple of Welsh Corgie, Eddie my dog and Foxy a dog I’m babysitting this week.

That’s the Blog stuff for today, day 190. I will add it to the other six days, insert some photos and publish week 27 in the morning.

Cheers

 Jack

Week twenty seven will bring us into California. We walked 117 miles this week. The states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona are behind us. We have walked through 4 time zone, 7 states, hundreds of towns, met 1000′s of people along the way and walked 2,327 miles. Week twenty seven  will bring us less than 200 mile away from San Diego and continuing to raise the level of awareness and of the challenges faced by Disabled Veterans.

Day 176
 
Up early and refreshed from our time off from walking. Less than 30 days left and maybe we will go to Disneyland. Smile!! The anticipation is building for our arrival in San Diego. It’s been a long walk but every step was worth it. When we arrive in San Diego we will be proud of what we accomplished, but the mission can never end until every Disabled Veteran receives honorable care without red tape and as a Nation come together as a team to help them improve their lives. By teaming together with The Walk Across America we can make a difference and help these men and woman have a bigger, better and brighter future. The Walk Across America would like to invite every family to join our walk without walking 2700 miles. To join our walk all you need is one stamped envelope containing your families one dollar donation addressed to
 
Disabled American Veterans
attn. gift processing- 28127
P.O.Box14301
Cincinnati, Oh. 45250
 
then walk out to your mailbox and mail it. Then pass it on to family and friends and keep passing it on. By making this minimal donation we can make a difference.

Day 177
 
A little cool as we started walking this morning. It won’t stay cool though. High 90`s is in the forecast. Most of us won’t even go out of the house when it gets that hot. Just imagine if each of us had to endure the heat and conditions our soldiers are facing as they fight for our freedom. They won’t complain because they believe in keeping our nation free. Even though we all can’t be there along side them, we can be there in spirit. By showing our support for them makes their job a little easier. As a nation we can never do enough to thank them for keeping us safe. It takes them working as a team and all of America working as a team to support Disabled Veterans. One way we can show support is to fly Old Glory each and every day our brave men and women. When they return we should line the streets to just say thanks for a job well done. The heroes that don’t return, we must assure them they will never be forgotten. For the ones that return injured physically or mentally we must provide them the things that will help them improve their lives so they can have a brighter future. Donate to the Disabled American Veterans. Its all good.

Day 178
 
Up and walking early as we spend another day spreading awareness for Disabled Veterans. Walking thru Wenden and Salome, Az. today. Lots of people would stop today thanking us for what we are doing. This gives us motivation to keep going. Our soldiers get motivation from us showing support for them. Showing them we care is a valuable tool in keeping their spirits up. Walked 12 miles before taking a break at the International Inn where we stayed last night. We volunteered Vince to help the Manager Jose Leyva do some work around the Inn in return for a free room tonight and tomorrow. Jose’s wife Alma had food prepared as I got there for a break. Thanks so much and it hit the spot. After starting back walking and getting into Salome many people came out of their business’s to see what we are walking for. Its starting to get pretty warm as our walk was ending. Made it to the pace car and headed back to the motel. We stopped and bought some pork chops to cook for supper. Cleaned up after getting to the room. We relaxed some before cooking supper and pigging out. Laid around and watched T.V. before crashing out. What will tomorrow bring? Its all good.

Day 179
 
Going to get hot today, so we are up early walking. Headed towards Interstate 10. Walking thru Hope, Pioneer and Brenda, AZ. Not only is it hot but the flies in this area are aggravating. Never seen so many flies. Be glad to get out of this area. Stopped in Hope to eat breakfast. We met a couple and they offered to pay for our meal. Thanks a million for your kindness and encouragement. Took some pictures with them for the blog. Before getting started back walking a 6 yr. old named Owen came over with a donation. He was with his mom and was wearing a superman shirt. He was a little shy but we got him in a picture handing me their donation. The owners of the cafe, son just returned from his deployment. Started back walking and the flies continued to get worse. A marine named Doug Heard stopped to thank us. It was 99 degrees at one o’clock when he stopped. Made it up to the Interstate and that was a little farther than today’s walk called for. At least we had a little breeze or it would have been unbearable. Stopped and picked up some food to cook for supper. Made hamburger steaks, mashed potatoes and green beans. After the sun started going down we sat outside and talked about our walk with other hotel guest. Getting close to San Diego and we are getting pumped. Our flag is starting to get a little character. The top corner is starting to fray. I’ve thought about what to do with the flag when we are done. Today I made that decision. I’ve decided to give it to our  man behind the scene. Even though he couldn’t physically walk with us, he was always there taking care of the awesome website he developed for our cause. His faith in me making the walk was a lot of motivation and no one could have a better friend. Thanks Jack Dixon for everything. Well its time to crash and  I’ll see you soon Jack. Its all so good.

Day 180
 
Up early walking on I-10 for a few miles today. After walking a few miles and getting to the pace car I noticed a tire problem. At least we are on a exit but there’s nothing there. Finally a Marine stopped and gave us a hand. Thanks Sir. Oh well stuff happens. Decided to head back to the room. We’ll make the miles up tomorrow. Glad we walked extra yesterday. Not suppose to walk on the interstate but we got an okay but not on the pavement. There’s a lot of roads off the interstate but at points we have to get out on I-10 the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway. After getting back to the room I started washing the pace car. It was really getting dirty and we want to have it clean when we get into California. Jose’s wife cooked us supper. Thanks and it was awesome. Talked with Jose for awhile and we exchanged gifts. He gave me a silver Peso and I gave him a DAV coin. Well its time to crash so we can get up early to start walking to help make up some miles. We have 5 days to play with before we get to San Diego. Its all good.

Day 181
 
Started walking just as daylight came. Walking along I-10 till we get to Quartzsite, AZ. Another beautiful day walking across America. After getting off the interstate we met Marsha McFadden who was on an electric wheelchair. Stopped to talk to her and get a picture. What an awesome sweet lady. She was headed to mail a letter but we did it for her. As we got into Quartzsite we were asked to stop by VFW Post 769. Once we got there we were fed and invited back for supper after our walk. A lot of vets signed the car before we continued our walk. They arranged for us a room at the Yacht Club Motel. They even started a collection jug for our cause. Had to get back walking so we said good bye and would see them later for supper. Took the Cap Rock service road along the I-10. Finished our walk a few miles from the Colorado River. We will walk into California in the morning. Went and checked into the room and cleaned up. Went to eat at VFW Post 769. They served us steak and potatoes. The food was great and we got stuffed. After eating we were interviewed by a reporter for the Quartzsite Press newspaper. More press for the Disabled Vets. Thanks so much. Hung around and talked to the members before heading back to the room. The Post asked us to come for breakfast before starting our walk tomorrow. They wanted us there by 5 am. We will have to get up at 4:30 am. Off to sleep looking forward to leaving Arizona behind and walking into California tomorrow. Its all good. Thanks Post 769 you all rock!!

Day 182

Up at 4:30 ready to head over to VFW Post 769 to eat breakfast. They wanted to make sure we ate before walking today. Our last meal in Arizona. Its so cool that they are doing this for us so early this morning. We are honored and humbled. When we arrived at the Post they were there waiting for us. We started with coffee as they prepared a first class meal. It was one of the best post that we visited so far. The vets here really let us know how much they appreciated what we were trying to get accomplished with our walk across America. After breakfast we thanked them for there gratitude and kindness then we headed out to start our walk out of Arizona and into California. A little chilly as we started walking. It was nice to finally arrive at the Colorado River. Tagged the walkway and headed across the bridge. Halfway across we crossed into California our final state. Been looking forward to this for 181 days. After today we only have 20 days and about 220 miles. The next town we reach is Blythe, Ca. As we were walking into Blythe we received a call from the VFW Post 2987. They told us to stop in and let them know how they can help us while we are walking thru. A lot of people stopped and chatted as we were walking into the city limits. Once we arrived at the post we met Patricia Howard the commander of the post. Actually she is the first woman commander I have met on our walk. They all came out to sign the car and then gave us a c-note for a room and meal for tonight. After leaving the post we started back walking, heading for Hwy. 78. Right as we were finishing our walk we met Art and Shirley Plemming who invited us to follow them to there house for some chow. We talked while Shirley cooked up some grub. Really enjoyed chatting with them and hearing Art talk about his service to our country in Vietnam. He was a chopper pilot and did a few tours over there. The food was awesome and they invited us to stay with them tomorrow after our walk. Headed back to Blythe and checked into the motel. Thanks Post 2987. Cleaned up and worked on the blog. Went and got some Chinese food for supper. Finally finished the blog and watched some TV before crashing out. Its all good and thanks for everything Post 2987.

VetPedes, Semper Pedes

At the end of week twenty five we have resumed our walk after spending five days in Las Vegas. The states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico are behind us. We have walked through 3 time zone, 6 states, hundreds of towns, met 1000′s of people along the way and walked 2.210 miles. Week twenty six will bring us into California as we raise the level of awareness and of the challenges faced by disabled American veterans.

Day 169
 
Headed over to Denny’s to eat breakfast before we start our walk today. A lot of traffic today but not many people would stop today. The heat was on today, reached into the 90`s by the time we finished our walk. It wasn’t much on our walk today. Just a bunch of fences. After finishing we drove up to the American Legion Kelli- Draper Post 12. As soon as we walked in they asked who was the walker. They told us they took up a collection and had gotten us a room at the Westerner Hotel. We let the vets sign the car before going to the hotel to clean up. The Legion invited us back for supper and to socialize with the members there. They fed us a BBQ plate which was awesome. Hung around letting vets sign the car and talk about our cause. The members of the post made us feel like we’ve known them for years. Thanks Post 12 for all you did for us and our cause. Its all good.

Day 170
 
Up early and will be walking thru Wickenburg today. The winds are howling this morning as we started our walk. We need to get the pace car checked for a noise in our front end. Vince went to the Chevy garage to see if we could get in today. Called me and said they could look at it at 3 p.m. As I was walking into town I noticed a garage and called Vince to bring the car over. The mechanic checked it out and couldn’t find the noise. Oh well! Stopped at a Chinese eatery for lunch and ran into two ladies whom we met earlier and after finishing our meal the waiter said the ladies took care of the bill. Thanks so very much for your hospitality and gratitude. After thanking them we got back to walking the last few miles for today. Glad to get out of the wind. Drove back to the room and got cleaned up. Headed over to the post to have a diet coke and thank everyone for there support. Went back to the room and laid around before crashing out. We will take another 4 day road trip to Las Vegas to spread awareness and also relax. Went to sleep anxious for tomorrow to get here. Its all good.

Day 171
 
As we awoke knowing we had 4 day off was so refreshing. The drive up would take us across the Hoover Dam. It’s definitely one of man greatest building feats. What an awesome place for everyone to visit. On our way up we stopped to relieve ourselves. Had a brain fart and left my phone on top of the car as we drove off. Thirty miles later after missing it we turned around to go find it. Found it laying on the shoulder in three pieces. Put it back together and it worked. Thank God. As we were getting close to Vegas we noticed a Veterans Cemetery and we pulled off to make a visit. We took a lot of pictures and talked to some of the families that were visiting their relatives. You get a powerful feeling when you read about some of our heroes and there bravery. Finally reached Vegas and drove over to George and Doris Chavez`s house. They are the parents of my granddaughter’s husband Andrew a marine vet who now serves our country in the Coast Guard. Thanks Andrew for your dedication to our country. After eating with them I drove over to the poker room at the Bellagio. I would stay there all night and left with some winnings. No sleep but we would do a walk in Vegas. Its all good.

Day 172
 
Left the poker room and headed to downtown Las Vegas to do a walk today. We would walk from downtown, down Las Vegas blvd. to the Orleans Casino on Tropicana Ave. After our walk we stopped by the American Legion Post 8 to meet some Veterans and spread awareness for our cause. The marine who cooks there made us a super breakfast. To much food. Damn good chow and thanks so much. Had a lot of vets there come out and sign the pace car. They invited us back for Karaoke tonight. Left the Legion and headed over to the VFW Post 1753 to meet with the commander Marvin Wenson and the members. They all came out to sign the car and invited us to eat lunch with them. Got my camera broke as I was taking pictures. It got knocked out of my hand. After eating I was asked to speak to the members there. Sure am tired since I didn’t sleep last night. Headed over to George and Doris`s to eat supper. The food George and Doris prepared was awesome. Ribs and the works.  Went back to the Legion where we met the commander. He showed me around the Post and let me talk to everyone during Karaoke break. Thanks everyone for another humbling day as we spread awareness for our cause. Its all good

Day 173
 
Slept late and woke up to the smell of bacon cooking. George was cooking us a huge breakfast. After eating he showed me the way over to Best Buy to get a new camera. He wouldn’t let me pay for it. On the way back to his house he noticed the noise in the front end. He put the car on the ramps and soon had the problem solved. Thanks so very much sir. After fixing the car we paraded down the strip with the DAV flag flying. We got a lot of peoples attention. George and Doris cooked a killer supper. Pasta and chicken. Probably am gaining weight here. Smile!! Cheese cake for dessert. Mmmm. Off to bed early. We have an interview at AM670, KMZQ with Steve Wark. Off to sleep. Its all good

Day 174
 
4:30 came early as we had a radio interview at AM670, KMZQ with Steve Wark at 5;30 this morning before we walk again in Vegas. We had 16 minutes on the air and Steve said he would get the word out for us even after we leave. Thanks Steve for your support. Left the station and got our walk done by 10:00 a.m. Met with Chuck Flume at the Orleans Casino. He is running for congress in Nevada and is for Veterans and there rights. He had a photographer take a lot of pics. After meeting with him we headed back to Arizona to start back walking tomorrow. We really had a relaxing time here in Las Vegas and thank everyone for there support and encouragement. Hopefully the Veterans in Vegas will soon get a War Memorial to honor their brothers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Its time for Las Vegas to honor them for allowing them the freedoms to have such a city. The ride back went smooth and its time to start back walking. Its all good.

Day 175

Headed out of Las Vegas this morning after 4 days visiting their many Veterans Organizations and walking thru the busiest parts of town. We are headed to the Nevada State Veterans Home in Boulder, NV. When we arrived the staff thought what we were doing was awesome and they helped bring all the vets out to sign the car. We were honored to have a 101 yr. old vet sign the pace car. The Chaplain arranged for us to share lunch with our vets. I sat with Jerry Simmons and we laughed and joked as we ate lunch. His daughter was there visiting but we hit it off and I have a new friend that I will keep in touch with. We met Tom Reese who honored our country by serving in 3 wars. WW2, Korea and Vietnam. After leaving we stopped at the Hoover Dam where we met many vets. What a breath taking place. Got a room in Kingman, Az. and cleaned up to visit the American Legion Post 14. Wasn’t many vets there but they fed us Taco’s and they were huge. Met a 88 yr. old Navy vet who served on the Aircraft Carrier the Midway. He showed us pictures of when it was being sunk. After leaving there we visited the VFW Post 3516. They all signed the car and the Commander gave us a POW-MIA flag and a hat from the post. THANKS A MILLION. Went to the room to crash. Up early to get back walking. Its all good.

VetWalking

At the end of week twenty four we have resumed our walk after spending four days in Phoenix and Tucson. We have walked 51 miles this week. The states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico are behind us. We have walked through 3 time zone, 6 states, hundreds of towns, met 1000′s of people along the way and walked 2,178 miles. Week twenty five will bring us a 4 day road trip to Las Vegas to raise the level of awareness and of the challenges faced by disabled American veterans.

Day 162
 
Peeked out to see what the weather was outside as I awoke. Noticed a man admiring the pace car so I stepped out side to give him a flier and talk. He was from Viking country and we met some of his friends last night when they arrived at the motel. Putting away the rivalry issue we talked about our countries obligation to take care of our disabled Veterans. He made a donation and then the Packer vs. Vikings subject came up. Couldn’t say much but this is a new year and the Pack will be back. Vince drove me to our starting point and he went ahead to pass out fliers. Wasn’t long into our walk we came upon Freedom Military Surplus Store. The three ladies working there were so awesome. They called the press and was directing their customers out to sign the car. Bought a few things and started back walking. Noticed a disabled man across the street in a wheelchair. I crossed over to talk to him. His name is Billy (Preacher) Sample a street musician. He played a guitar as he sang. Really enjoyed listening to his music as I videoed him. Thanks Billy for keeping our day bright. Gods speed sir. Finished our walk and stopped back at the  surplus store. Bought a bunch of stickers and put them on the car. Had a 5 yr. old boy make a donation. He was so adorable. Earlier in the day after leaving the surplus store the owner found me walking and made a nice donation. Thanks so much sir. We then drove over to the Best Western Motel and checked in. The room was provided by Dan and Jean friends of our webmaster Jack Dixon. They are transplants from Wisconsin. After cleaning up we headed over to Dan and Jeans for supper. Dan made some chili and it was so so good. Had strawberry shortcake for dessert. As we talked we soon found out we have a lot of friends in common. What a nice evening which such good people. We really enjoyed our evening and would like to thank you all for everything and we will never forget our time spent together. Said good-bye and headed to the motel to crash out. Fell asleep with a smile. Its all good.

Day 163
 
Woke this morning ready to walk in Phoenix. But first the Walk Across America would like to thank Captain Ed Freeman USAF for his brave and honorable service. This Medal of Honor recipient was laid to rest in Boise, Idaho last week at the age of 70. You’ll never be forgotten sir. As we walked today the thought of how far we have walked was constantly on my mind. We are getting so close. Midway thru our walk we went to visit VFW Post 720. The commander gave us a tour of the post and told us about the causes the post support. They are a vital part of the functions of their community. Called Jack and we talked about spending some time in the Phoenix area since we are ahead of schedule. We decided to spend 4 days here. Needed some time off from walking. Cool. Finished our walk and went and got a room for 4 days. It has a kitchenette and I cooked us some pork chops and baked potatoes. Pigged out till we were stuffed. Laid around and watched the tube until the lights went out. It’s all good.

Day 164
 
Woke up with a trip over to the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Once we arrived the public relations officer Paula Pedene met us and immediately started helping us out. She let us park the pace car at the entrance, made us 500 copies of our flier, and took pictures for a press release. Before doing an interview with her she hung around the car telling everyone of our mission. She also was a Veteran and still serves our country in her job helping Veterans build better lives. She arranged for us to visit the Veterans home and have coffee with many of our older Veterans tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. We would like to thank you Paula and all the staff for your support during our visit to the medical center. Visiting here and seeing the work you all do for our Veterans gives me hope that one day our nation can provide honorable care for all and help all our Veterans continue to improve their lives, allowing them a bigger, better and brighter future. Our time at the VA today was uplifting and everyone we met today that worked there had a smile on their face, an their attitudes reflected their love in working in the health care field. We were honored to have met each and everyone today and will remember this visit not only thru the rest of our journey but the rest of our lives. Thanks a million!! After leaving the VA we headed over to the VFW Post 720. I volunteered to be chef tonight for their Friday night fish fry and also pig out. Smile!! Cooked for a couple hours and had a good time with all the other people helping out. Sure do miss cooking. Don’t get many opportunities out here walking. Left the post and headed to DAV Headquarters. Met the ladies working there and they arranged for us a room for 4 nights while we are in Phoenix. Made us some more fliers and contacted the Tucson office to let them know we will be visiting the VA there. Thanks so much ladies. Your help sure means a lot. Left there and headed over to the DAV Chapter 20 to meet everyone. When we got there they were having bingo. A lot of people and during break they let us talk and passed a collection jug. We had all the vets sign the car. Was invited back for tomorrow night. Thanks everyone for your big hearts. We were humbled again on our walk across America. Time to crash so we headed back to the motel. A good nights sleep is needed. See ya tomorrow. Its all good.

Day 165
 
Woke up ready to meet the Veterans at the community home at the VA Medical Center. We were invited to share coffee and stories with our disabled Veterans. But first we would like to tell everyone about TSGT Walter Adell McCellan. During World War 2 he was shot down over Germany where he was captured, tortured. and later executed by our enemy. He was listed as KIA/MIA for over 63 years. Friday he was buried at Barrancus National Cemetery with full Military Honors, thus returning one more of our many MIA`S back to the home of the brave. Sir you will never be forgotten. Arrived at the living center and set up the laptop so we could show the vets some of the pictures we have took along the walk. The first person we met was a Native American who served during WW2 in the Pacific. He is a Marine and he played a vital role in America’s success during the war. Him and many other Native Americans provided our nation a code that only they knew to keep the enemy from understanding our communications. These brave Warriors were known as the Code Talkers. I helped him outside where he honored us with his signature on the pace car. After signing the car he looked up with the brightest smile and pointed down where he had signed. A smile just as bright came upon my face when I realized he had signed the car in code. Thank you and all the Code Talkers for there exceptional ability to help our great nation win the war. NBC Channel 12 came to do a story on our walk and visit to the VA Medical Center. We talked and had coffee. Many of the vets here were in wheelchairs so we helped them outside to sign the car. Took pictures of each one as they signed the car. Their gratitude and encouragement is what keeps you walking. After leaving the VA Medical Center we stopped and got the car washed. Bunch of youngsters and the littlest one told the rest of them this one is mine as we pulled in. It was neat standing there watching them admire the car. You could tell they were in awe. Did a good job washing it and we gave each of them a buck tip and a flag. Had to redo the white lettering and after finishing the car looked so much better. Headed over to the DAV Chapter 20 for karaoke night. Met a lot of vets there and had them sign the car. They had us speak and passed a bucket for donations. We hung around talking with everyone until 10:30 and drove back to the room to crash out. Its all good.

Day 166
 
Tried to sleep late but woke up early anyway. Day off from walking but we will visit a lot of our veterans org. around the Phoenix area. Laid there thinking about how close we are to the end of the walk but yet we have a lot of work to do afterward. Many people have asked us why we are only asking every family for one dollar? If every family donates one dollar not only will we raise millions of dollars, we will create a tremendous team of Americans that will help our nations Disabled Veterans build better lives. To support our Disabled Veterans we must work as a team and continually seek ways to help these men and women with their many needs after serving our great country protecting our freedoms. Well its time to head over to the AMVETS Post 5. When we arrived we met James Goode the Commander. He served us lunch and it was awesome. The cornbread melted in your mouth. Darn good grub. I seen some Domino’s laying on the table and was challenged by the Commander to a game. Kinda got the feeling that he thought I was going to be easy prey. The first game was close but I pulled it out in the end. He said I was lucky. No skill just luck. Next game I showed him what luck was. One hundred and fifty to twenty five. Smoked him. Told me, ‘f— you’, I ain’t playing you no more. Everyone in the place was giving him a hard time. The comaradery among these veterans was visible as we talked with them. Commander Goode ,the walk across America would like to thank you and everyone we met there today for your kindness, gratitude and support for our cause. Now that we met you all we consider you are new friends and look forward to coming back in the future. Chapter 5 you rock. We let all the vets there sign the car and got some photos before leaving to go back to the motel. Got to get up early tomorrow for our VA Hospital visit in Tucson, AZ. After cleaning up it wasn’t long before the lights went out and the snoring started. Its all good.

Day 167
 
Up early driving down to Tucson for a visit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The scenery on the way down was spectacular. We met John Atkins the commander of DAV Chapter 20 and he introduced us to the Public Relations Officer. They gave us a tour of the hospitals and let us meet with many Veterans at the hospital. After touring the hospital we went out to the smoking area so we can talk to the vets out there. Great bunch of guys. We were telling jokes and talking smack to each other. We helped them out to the pace car and they all signed it and took a group picture. After leaving the hospital we went to the Veterans Memorial and took some pictures after saying a prayer for our Veterans that gave the ultimate sacrifice. Was getting hungry so John took us to the Golden Corral and let us pig out. Everything was great and the fried catfish was the best I ate in a long time. After lunch we headed over to the DAV Cactus 2 Chapter. John introduced us around and arranged for us to speak to the bingo players during their break. They ran us off a ream of fliers and we really needed them. We have been passing out a lot of them. The bingo had a break so we talked to everyone and told them about our walk and cause. We would like to thank everyone at Chapter 2 for their support and help. Stopped at the American Legion Post 36 to meet the members there to have them sign the pace car and tell them about our walk. It was nice meeting everybody there and thanks for your encouragement and support. Its getting to be supper time so John took us to one last place. Went to the DAV Chapter 18 Rincon Renegades. They served us a wing dinner and we hung around talking to the vets there and let them sign our pace car. What a great day here in Tucson. Thanks Chapter 18 for everything. It was getting late so John took us to the Holiday Inn and got us a room for tonight. John we would like to thank you for providing us with the day we had. Without you showing us around our day would have not been as successful as it was. Thanks sir and we look forward to speaking at the DAV State Convention June 3rd. Said good-bye and we went up to the room to clean up and crash-out. Its all good. Thanks Tucson!!

Day 168
 
Up at 4:30 am to head back to Glendale where our walk stopped before taking these last 4 days off from walking. Really needed the time off. Got a lot accomplished by visiting the many Veterans organizations in the Phoenix area. Started our walk this morning to clear skies and a light breeze. The first ten miles was full of road construction and obstructions to go around. Around midday we took a break under a overpass because its the only shade around. As we were sitting there we were surprised by a Sgt. from the Surprise, AZ police dept. who stopped by to sign the pace car. We took a picture with him and after eating a potted meat sandwich we started back walking. The temperature kept rising as we watched the mile markers slowly go by. Smile!! The end couldn’t come fast enough as the temperature rose. Was happy to finally see the road we would stop at today. There was a Korean Vet with a hotdog stand set up. I ordered a dog and cola, but when I tried to pay for it he wouldn’t let me. He signed the car and we took a picture of him for the blog. Drove back to Sun City and checked in the Motel 6. Took a cool shower and set around working on our blog so Jack at mission control can update the website tomorrow. At 6:30 we headed over to the American Legion Post 62 in Sun City. The Commander set us up with a diet-coke while they were having there meeting. Got a few more signatures as we waited for James McCady the commander of the Post. After the meeting was over we talked to the James about making a donation for our cause. He said that would happen. We talked awhile until it was time to head to the room. Got to finish today’s blog. After finishing the blog I shut the lights out and laid there thinking about the building excitement on arriving at our destination, but yet wanting the walk to never end. This walk has truly been a life changing experience. The friends and memories we’ve made are Priceless!! and will forever be cherished. God Bless America!!!. And the Walk Across America Team says, its all good.

 VetWalking

At the end of week twenty three we are just east Phoenix, Arizona and we have walked 116 miles this week. The states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico are behind us. We have walked through 3 time zone, 6 states, at least 310 towns, have met 1000′s of people along the way and walked 2,127 miles. With 40 day left in our walk this puts us just under 6 weeks away from San Diego.

Day 155

Grabbed some biscuits and coffee at Mc Donald’s before heading out to walk this morning. The day would be absolutely spectacular as we walked thru the Salt River Canyon here on Hwy. 60 in between Show Low and Globe, Az. Talked to many people at the viewing areas along side the road. The walk down into the Canyon had us stopping frequently to snap pictures. The wild flowers are blooming and everything is green. Had a older lady take my picture out her car window. Met her at the next pull off. She gave me two apples and 20 dollars. She took some more pictures. Thanks so very much for your kindness and encouragement. It wasn’t long before we met Kristian Saile and Thomas Dolaskie from U.P. Overland. They do guided adventures in the wilderness of Upper Michigan. Thomas was a vet and signed the pace car. So cool meeting so many people as we walk across America. Finished our walk at the bottom of the canyon and tomorrow we must start the climb out headed towards Globe, Az. Headed to the motel to relax and get pumped up for tomorrow. Soaked in the tub and near about fell asleep. Ordered a Papa Johns Pizza and pigged out. Turned the lights out early. Hard walk tomorrow. Tough walks make you realize how hard our disabled vets have it each and every day. Its all good.

Day 156

Up anticipating our uphill walk out of the Salt River Canyon. A little chilly as we started our uphill battle. The temperatures rose as we came up and out of the canyon. The legs were screaming, the dogs were barking and I was grasping for air. Smile!! After taking a breather we starting back walking and walked into another scenery change. Walked into the Tonto National Forest. As we looked ahead in the distance a cross was visible on a mountain top. It took awhile to get close enough to get a picture. Lots of waving and horn blowing today but no one stopped. It’s all good though. After finishing the walk we drove to Globe and got a cheap room in a dive. Vince went and got us some chicken and a couple of baking potatoes. Before falling asleep I thought about the daily struggles that our disabled veterans face. Walking out of the canyon was a struggle for me but I don’t have to face it each and everyday. For our vets that can’t walk I can tell you from what my eyes seen, that the scenery was spectacular and beautiful. As we walked today we thought of ways our nation can help you all build better lives. Donate to our Disabled Veterans. Thank You. The Walk Across America Team.

Day 157

Starting to warm up pretty good here in Arizona. Have to start walking earlier to beat the heat. Was getting coffee at the Circle K when a lady started talking to us about what we were doing. Good way to start the day with a donation for our cause. Had Vince drop me off at our starting point 14 miles east of Globe, AZ. Sent him into Globe to pass out fliers and contact the newspapers. A lot of flowers were blooming along the highway. As people passed us the horns blowed and people waved. That really motivates us to walk hard. Sometimes we would get an occasional salute and a middle finger. Oh well. All downhill today and that was welcomed. As we got to Globe two local newspapers were there to interview us. After the interviews we went and checked in the Motel 6 for the night. Vince said we were invited to walk in the parade in Miami, AZ. We cleaned up and headed over there. Couldn’t find any beaches as we arrived in Miami. Ha!Ha! Met the Legion Riders and they all signed the car. They invited us over to their post to eat and chat after the parade. The parade allowed us to spread awareness for our cause. It was cool and we even won some prize money for the pace car for the non-profit category. Awesome. After the parade we headed over to the American Legion Post 4 to eat and chat. Met Forrest the commander and he made out a check for the DAV. Thanks so much Post 4. Ate burgers and chatted with everyone there. After talking to all of them we said good-bye and headed for the room to lay back and relax. What a humbling experience today was. No plans for after the walk but at the end of the day America opened a door to provide us with good, lodging and comradery. Would fall asleep thinking about that cross on top of the hill the previous day. Its all good.

Day 158

Oops slept a little late. Usually start walking at 7:30 but didn’t wake up to then. Our walk starts right outside of the motel, so I hurried and got ready. Left to start walking and sent Vince ahead to the car show in Miami, AZ. They gave us a free entry. A good place to pass out fliers and raise awareness for our disabled vets. Started getting warm early today. As we arrived in Miami we were met by two young ladies who would escort me to the senior center for a ham and pancake breakfast. The breakfast was super. Best pancakes in a long time. Met a lot of seniors and they were thanking us for what we were doing for our vets. Went and talked to Vince before starting back walking. After finishing our walk Vince dropped me at the motel and went to the Globe car show to pass out fliers. Worked on the blog while I waited for Vince to get back. Took a chair out on the balcony waiting for my car so I could go eat. Got a good picture of the sunset. Went back inside and laid back watching TV. Must of fell asleep and woke up around midnight and had a hard time sleeping the rest of the night. It’s all good

Day 159

Starting walking early to beat the heat. We are in the Top of the World. Wouldn’t be long into our walk we would start down in Devils Canyon. No shoulders and we walked behind guardrails all day. Rough terrain at times especially by the ravines. The scenery was enlightening all day. The rock formations are unbelievable. Some rocks looked like they would fall at any moment. Finally got to the tunnel. After walking thru the tunnel we walked into Superior, AZ. Found an American flag on boat light pole. A lot of waving and horn blowing as we waved it on our walk to the pace car. Finished our walk and went to the motel for the night. Ate some chili dogs and cleaned up. Maybe I can sleep tonight. Its all good.

Day 160

Woke up at 4:30 but fell back to sleep. Woke up again at six and headed to Saddle Ridge Road our starting point for today on our way to Gold Canyon. The highway is starting to get busy and has turned to four lanes. Finally walking out of the hills and canyons. Bye- Bye Cedar, Salt River and Devils Canyons and hello flat land. Bye- Bye cool temperatures and oh my the heat has arrived. Only a few people stopped today but had heard about us. Thanks for coming out and joining our cause. After finishing our walk we drove into Apache Junction. Perky Olson from the Legion Riders told us to visit the American Legion Post 27 there and the Riders would be there tonight for their monthly meeting. When we got there we were signed in by the President of the Riders. He introduced us around and the place was packed. They were having Bingo. The commander of the Post introduced us and let me speak to everyone there. After speaking they took up a donation. Thanks so very much for your generosity and kindness. After bingo we attended the Legion Riders meeting. What a great organization full of people that donate so much of their time helping the many needs of their community. They do many different types of fundraisers and host many events in this area. Post 27 and the Legion Riders Rock, thanks for the 100 dollar donation to our Disabled Vets. Many Veterans signed the pace car while we visited Post 27 and we were honored and humbled. Thanks again for not only the donations and encouragement but for your brave and honorable service to provide me the freedom to walk across and raise awareness for our countries number 1 cause, the Disabled American Veterans. It was getting late so we headed to the motel to eat and crash out. Ordered a Pizza Hut Pizza and some wings. It won’t be long before we will smell the ocean. Smile!! It’s all good.

Day 161

What a beautiful day. The sun is shining and there is a light breeze. Suppose to get into the 80`s today so we are starting our walk early. We will be walking thru Apache Junction, AZ and into Mesa. Not long into the walk we got off of hwy 60 and onto the Old West Hwy. Not many people stopped as we walked but there was a lot of waving and blowing. A lot of flags at business’s on this road. The patriotism is strong here and they support their Veterans to the fullest. Seen a shoe store so I stopped in and got a new pair of Nike Monarchs. The pair I am retiring has 1516 miles on them. Felt good putting the new ones on and putting the old ones in the box to send back to Nike for their archives. Smile!! Maybe we can get them to make a donation to our cause. Finished the walk and headed to the motel to work on the blog. Ate a whopper from Burger King for supper. Cleaned up and crashed out. It’s all good.

VetWalking

At the start of week twenty two we were just east of the Arizona/New Mexico and we have walked in to Arizona and now are southwest of Show Low. This week we walked 98 miles and entered a new time zone. The states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico are behind us. We have walked through 3 time zone, 6 states, at least 300 towns, have met 1000′s of people along the way and walked 2011 miles. Two states to go and the journey to San Diego will not be denied.

Day 148
 
Woke up and checked out of the motel. We would be walking into Arizona today. Stopped at McDonald’s to get some biscuits and coffee. Headed to our starting point. Had to put some extra clothes on because its chilly this morning. We had to walk a couple of miles before we get to the Arizona border. Bear from y100 radio in Green Bay called to check on our progress.  Thanks Bear and everyone in Green Bay for there support and donations. Keep up the support. Finally could see the pace car and the border. Six states down and two to go. Had some people we met earlier on our walk stop by. It’s cool to see them again. The Senior Vice Commander from the VFW Post 8987 stopped to invite us over to the post tonight. Walked into Springerville this afternoon and had some people waiting to see us walk thru. We walked past our stopping point to get a jump on our walk tomorrow. Tagged the road and went and checked into the motel. Dropped Vince off at the newspaper because he was going to dinner with Karen and her neighbors. I was suppose to go to but since the VFW wanted us to talk I thought it was important that we go visit with them. Once I arrived at the post I was asked to speak to the members there. They made a donation towards our cause. Thanks very much post 8987 for your support and kindness. Hung around and talked to the people at the post. Left and went to the motel. My legs hurt from the hills we walked today. Feel real old today. Fell asleep watching TV. It’s all good.

Day 149
 
Ate breakfast at Karen’s house. She is the newspaper reporter in Springerville, Az. We drove over to our starting point and started walking west on HWY. 60 towards Show Low. The scenery changes so often in this part of our country, we are in awe all the time. Crossed over the Little Colorado River as we walked and when they say little they mean little. It’s no bigger than a stream. Smile!! Hills all day and my legs are screaming. As we climb these hills we think of the challenges our disabled veterans face everyday when they awake each morning and sometimes when they try to sleep. When we start up each hill there’s no stopping till we reach the top. To hard to get started back up if you take a break. It’s nice with the Walkman. Turn the country channel on and get in a rhythm as you walk. I listen to other music but something about the rhythm of country. A lot of waving and horn blowing today. That puts a smile on your face. Finished our walk and headed to the motel. Stopped and picked up some fried chicken because once we get to the motel we are not leaving until its walking time. Took a long soak to loosen up the legs muscles. Pigged out and laid back to watch TV. Wasn’t long till the snoring began. It’s all good.

Day 150
 
Got up early eager to start our walk towards Show Low, AZ. Stopped at the Espresso Coffee and Sandwich Shop. Got a coffee and a bacon & egg sandwich. Thanks Springerville for your support and gratitude. Semper Fi  VFW Post 8987. Started walking uphill right away this morning and it will be that way all day. What awesome scenery today. Only one visitor today. Walked hard today and just as we finished our walk two young ladies stopped and said they were members of the local Dav Chapter 9 in Show Low. As we talked and we told them about our walk they called their Commander to see if the Chapter would get us a room. They told us to meet Herb Hoadley the Commander over by the VFW Post 9907. One of the ladies a vet signed the pace car. Her name was Pat Walker. So fitting. Smile!! Drove over to the post and met some vets as we waited for Herb. They all signed the pace car and we took some pictures. Herb showed up and asked us to follow him over to the Days Inn. We went in and they got us a room for three nights. He also took us into JB’s Restaurant and introduced us to Gregory Boger the manager. He said he would take care of our breakfast and dinners while we are in the area. Thanks so much Greg and Herb. Herb invited us to the DAV meeting at ten a.m. tomorrow morning. Went to the room and got cleaned up before going to eat. The food was real good and we once again made pigs out of ourselves. Met a bunch of Army Troops from the National Guard Troop 1404 here in Show Low.  After eating they all came out to sign the pace car. Took a group picture with them. Some of them have been in Iraq. Thanks for your service and love of our country. Ooh Rah. After eating we stopped by the VFW and the women axillary gave us a t-shirt that they sell to raise funds to help the community. Thanks and it was cool being red the color of the Marine Corps flag. Went to the motel and worked on the blog before falling to sleep. My last thought was how we had talked about camping out tonight and at the last moment of our walk we were gifted with food and lodging for three days. Amen

Day 151
 
5:00 a.m. and wide awake. We will be walking into Show Low today. Ate breakfast at JB`S Restaurant before getting started walking. Thanks for the meal sir. We will walk until 9:45 and attend the DAV meeting before resuming our walk. They swore in their new officers and then asked me to talk. It was an honor to talk to and meet these vets. After talking they took up a collection to help us with gas, food and lodging as we continue our walk. Thanks so very much. Returned to the Hwy. and resumed our walk. As we were walking some vehicles pulled up and out came some of the troops from the Guard unit and they had their guide-ons with flags and joined in our walk across America for our disabled brothers. We were in awe. I can use enough words to express the way I felt as we walked down the Hwy. as cars passed waving, blowing and saluting us. Oh, what a memorable moment, priceless. Once we arrived at the Armory we were invited in to break bread with our soldiers. An invitation one could never turn down. As we ate they all kept praising us for what we were doing but the praise is to them for defending our freedoms and their battle against terrorism. Meeting each and everyone of you was a honor and we may never see  you again but you have supplied us with an awesome memory that will allow us to never forget each and everyone of you. As we left to start back walking the emotions of the day made the walk into Show Low very special. Today we could have walked forever and conquered the biggest of hills. Thanks Troop 1404, your service, bravery and compassion for those who served before you is so honorable. God Bless and stay safe. The rest of the walk was like floating in air. We were accomplishing the things we set out to do as we walk across America for our disabled Veterans. Today we seen what someone can do to make a difference and these soldiers made a difference. What can you do? The horns were blowing as we got to Show Low. A lot of people stopped and we stopped by many business’s as we walked thru town. Finally finished our walk and we went to the motel to clean up. After cleaning up we went and ate. Got back to the motel and as I did our blog we felt the energy that our mission is creating. Fell asleep happy and content with every step taken so far for our disabled Veterans. Its all good.

Day 152
 
Up early and ready to start our walk towards Globe, AZ. The skies are clear with a light breeze. Today we would enter the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation. What beautiful land and scenery. As we walked the thoughts of the many brave Indians who have served our country. We would like to thank you from our hearts for your commitment to fight for our freedoms. It is an honor for me to walk thru this amazing mountain range and meet the many Apache that stop in support of our cause. The most heart felt moment in our walk was when the Native American family stopped ahead of us and held their hands on their heart as we walked by. It brought a tear from this old tough guy. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life. Thank You and one day I hope we can meet. We walked all day without stopping at the pace car. 19 miles saying thanks for the outpouring of support as we walked thru this amazing land. Close to the end of the walk we came upon a U.S. Marine plate for a car. Took a pic of it and retrieved it for a memento or to pass on to a marine somewhere along our walk. What a neat find being a marine. So Coooooll. Had a few people stop but it was hard because there’s no shoulders. A lot of waving, flashing lights and horn blowing. The coolest though is when the police go by and light us up and turn the sirens on. Finished the walk and headed over to Karen’s house for a BBQ. She is the reporter for the newspaper here. She had a bunch of family and friends over. Gave the kids there some hats that we have accumulated. They really liked that. They were amazed in how far we have walked.  The hamburgers were awesome. The comradery was so cool. Everyone supporting our greatest cause our disabled vets. Karen let us do a load of clothes while we were there. Thanks Karen and everyone for allowing us to be part of your day. Said good-bye and went back to the motel. I’m exhausted and after soaking in a hot tub the bed is inviting. Off to sleep,so we can wake to walk another day. It’s all good.

Day 153
 
Actually slept in till 9:00 a.m. this morning. Decided last night due to exhaustion and soreness to take this day off. We’ll walk tomorrow. It took a team effort to make the walk possible. When I first decided to walk across America I wrote on the top of the page. FAILURE IS NO OPTION. To commit to our countries greatest cause our disabled veterans meant so much I could not and will not let them down. I was willing to except my mission with pride, dedication and honor. Knowing I could be successful walking across America I needed help. I approached a friend of mine named Jack Dixon and told him what I wanted to do. He was a little skeptical at first but being disabled himself and I was walking for disabled vets he agreed to help me by developing a website for our mission. With a vengeance he created this website and started teaching me the things I needed to know about computers to help in keeping America informed on our mission and progress. Without his ability and knowledge this mission could not reach the heights it has reached. Our daily talks and his encouragement has helped me with each and every step. As he developed this sight my enthusiasm heightened to begin our walk across America. He tells me all the time how proud of me he is and I am so proud of you Jack for your friendship and support in raising awareness for all disabled Americans. I can never thank you enough, not only do I consider you my friend, You are my best friend. Thanks a million for your super effort to make our walk across America successful. We have a little over 600 miles left and hope your 1st grandchild comes before we reach San Diego so you can be there together as a team. It’s time for America to meet the man behind the scenes. Semper Fi my friend. Pet Eddie (the dog) for me. Smile!!

Day 154
 
Woke up anticipating our walk thru the canyon today. Stopped and picked up some coffee and biscuits before leaving Show Low. The drive up to our starting point was spectacular as the sun was rising. As we started our walk we had a light breeze blowing the flag towards the road where everyone that passed us could see our cause. The horns blowed and people waved all day as we walked thru this unbelievable scenery. When you walk theirs nothing that isn’t seen. Looking down in the canyon was mind blowing. Took a lot of pictures as we walked today. Some of the wild flowers are in bloom. Found a car mirror and we did some photos with it. We will hang onto the mirror. Numerous times today we would sit and rest and look down in the canyons. Took a picture of a Raven setting on her nest as we were resting. Would never get that picture driving. Finished our walk and drove back into Show Low. Susan Loth from the DAV in Cincinnati sent us two 50 dollar gift certificates from the Golden Corral. We had to pick them up from Herb Hoadley the DAV rep here in Show Low. Met him at the Dairy Queen and he had a present for me. It was a G.I. Joe Jeep. So cool and it had General Patton in it. Thanks a million Herb. You rock and again I’m humbled on our walk across America. Thanks everyone from the Golden Corral Office and restaurants that have supported us with free meals as we walk for our disabled veterans. Our number one place to really pack on the calories to only burn off the next day. Smile!! Went and got a room so we could get our blog done tonight and Jack could post it tomorrow. Jack has something coming up on the blog this weekend, so check it out. Bought some wings for supper. Maybe I should have got the kind that could help me fly over these hills. HA!HA! Took a soothing hot bath and pigged out on those wings and some mac and cheese. Typed the blog and sent Jack some pictures to post tomorrow. Well it’s time to go and the snoring won’t take long to start. But first we must thank all our veterans past and present for their brave and honorable service ,that provides me the freedom to carry this flag on our walk across America. Goodnight John Boy

VwetWalking

At the end of week twenty one we are 2 1/2 miles east of the Arizona/New Mexico boarder, and we have walked 121 miles this week. The states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas are behind us. We have walked through 2 time zone, 5 states, at least 295 towns, have met 1000′s of people along the way and walked 1913 miles. We are looking forward our walk through Arizona on our way to San Diego.

Day 141

Woke up at 5:30 am. this morning. Turned the morning news on to listen to the weather as I shaved. They are calling for howling winds today. Oh well. Went and ate the breakfast the hotel serves. Headed out to our starting point for today. As we drove you could see the moon right above the mountains. I took a picture to share with everyone on the blog. We don’t have cell phone service out in this area. It’s something we will have to deal with all this week. As we were walking past this ranch, a lady waved and hollered to me to come over. When I got over to her she thanked us for what we were doing and told us she would get us a room for tomorrow night in Magdalena, NM. Thanks so very much for your thoughtfulness and kindness. Humbled again as we walk across America for our disabled veterans. Tough walk uphill into the wind. Had to suck it up and grind it out. Finally made it into Magdalena. Just as I was getting up to the pace car three Harleys went by but pulled in to the store where the pace car was parked at. They were from Charlotte, NC and were going cross country. Their names were Lyle Davenport, Jane Whitley and Larry King. Lyle was a retired vet who served our country for 25 years. He signed the pace car and we took some pictures. They said they were going to get us out to their facebook friends. Jane said she heard about us awhile back on the news but never expected to see us as we were walking. Got humbled when they said meeting us was the highlight of their trip. They made a donation towards gas and food. Thanks so very much and we hope your trip goes well and safe. Started back walking and was glad we only had 5 miles left for today. Conquer the wind and hill and go back to the motel to soak my weary body. Was glad to reach the ending point for today. Was sucking wind pretty good as I got there. We are at about seven thousand feet elevation and the air is a little thinner. Once we got back to the motel Vince went and did our laundry while I soaked in the tub. We had to go to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies to carry us over once we get out of Magdalena. One hundred plus miles of nothing till we get to Springerville, Arizona. Camping out along the Highway for 4 nights. The sign in Magdalena says welcome to the end of the trail. Smile!!. Well we will have to continue blazing a trail as we move forward raising awareness for our Disabled Veterans and our ultimate goal of San Diego, California. We are getting closer to San Diego and we are excited but yet we don’t want this walk to ever end. I wish everyone who follows us could meet the many people we’ve met and experience the many humbling acts of kindness for our cause. Unbelievable!!. What a life changing experience. Well its time to snore and I’ll probably do a lot of that tonight because I’m exhausted. It’s all good though. 

Day 142

Woke up and ate breakfast at the motel. We will head into Magdalena, NM today. Susan Hahn who we met yesterday arranged for us a room tonight at the High Country Motel in Magdalena. We are also invited to dinner with her and her friends at the Magdalena Cafe at 5:00 P.M. Vince dropped us off at our starting point and the winds were starting to howl. Oh well we’ll have to deal with it again. Seems like the winds only quit after dark. Had to roll the flag up for the last 5 miles. Gust up to 50 mph. Finally reached our ending point and we tagged a post next to the highway. Drove over to the motel and checked in. Thanks for the room ladies. Cleaned up and went to the cafe to meet everyone for dinner. There were over twenty people there. Supper was fantastic and talking to everybody was awesome. Humbled again as we cross America for our disabled Veterans. No cell reception out here. Went back to the room and relaxed till we crashed out. It’s all good.  

Day 143

Burr as we awoke this morning. What a change in temperature. Stopped for coffee and gas before leaving Magdalena. As we started walking you see the mountains in the distance. Some where ahead is Datil, NM. What a long flat stretch right away this morning. Would be passing the VLA today. It’s a large array of antennas. You can see it for twenty miles. Had a 90 yr. old vet who fought in the Battle of the Bulge come out to the highway to sign the pace car. Thanks sir. His name was John Lawton. The winds were strong again today. By the time we finished the walk today every muscle in my body ached. No hot tub tonight. Staying at the Datil Well Campground here in the Cibola National Forest. Mike Fuson was the caretaker and he is a veteran. He hosted us for the night. No charge. Thanks dude. To windy for a fire. Really wanted to roast some hotdogs. Had to settle for boiled dogs. Vince set up his tent and I’ll sleep in the pace car. It’s been awhile since I slept there. Fell asleep knowing its all good.

Day 144

Woke up at 6 a.m. and it was pretty chilly as I got the water boiling for coffee. Woke Vince up. He slept in the tent last night. No wind as we started walking this morning. We will be walking thru the Cibola National Forest today. The scenery was breath taking. We were in awe all day. Just as we reached the sign saying leaving the Forest a biker going cross country to Virginia stopped to see what we were walking for. Thanks Mike Dart for the donation. Started back walking and it wasn’t long before we reached the Continental Divide, Elevation of 7796 feet. We are now in Pie Town, NM. We stopped at the famous Pie-o-neer Cafe for a piece of their pie. It was really good. The owners were nice and didn’t except any money from us for our bill. Thanks so very much for the kindness. Met Jay Carroll who owns the Pie Town R.V. Park. He was an Army vet. He let us have a site for free. Thanks Jay. Met an 88 yr. old army vet George Allard who was in seven amphibious landings in the Pacific Theater during W.W.II. Vince asked him to sign the car and he would drive it closer so he could. George told him if Richard could walk across America for him, he could walk over to the car to sign it. His wife fed us home-made chicken rice soup. Boy was it good. We sat around and chatted with George. What a history lesson. What a honor to listen to his story about serving our country. Thank you sir for your brave and honorable service to provide us the freedoms to walk across America for our disabled veterans. No cell or internet service. Crashed out in the pace car feeling humbled again. It’s all good.

Day 145

Woke up to a rooster crowing. So cool. Made some coffee and got ready to start our walk to Quemado, NM. Drove out to the road to start walking when Jay Carroll came out to get us to tag his campground sign. He let me use his phone to contact Jack up in Green Bay. He gave us some traveling money and invited us to a pancake breakfast and fellowship this morning. We don’t mind getting a late start for that. We followed him to the service and breakfast. We met a lot of people and got to talk about our walk and cause. After leaving we started our walk into Quemado. As we arrived in Quemado we found out Jay called ahead and the owners of the Largo Cafe and Hotel had donated us a room and he had paid for our supper. Talked to a lot of people in front of the motel. We had a lot of vets sign the pace car. Met Richard from the veterans organization here. He called the Mountain Mail Newspaper and they would meet us after we eat. Took a hot shower and went to eat. Being Easter we had a big Ham dinner. Boy did we pig out. Huge piece of ham. Saved a slab for a sandwich later. Met with the reporter and she did a story and took some pictures. Thanks so much for the press for the vets. We would like to thank all the staff at the Largo Cafe and hotel for their support and generosity. Good damn food and a real nice room. Caught up on some blogging and fell asleep full in every way. It’s all good.

Day 146

Was awake at 5:30. Shaved and got ready to eat breakfast at the cafe when it opens at six. Was going to pay the bill and was told the staff took care of it for us. Two customers made 20 dollar donations for food and gas. Thanks so much. The staff also said we could have the room again tonight. Awesome good folks. We have two guest walkers today. Christopher Vliburn and Josh Beauchamp. Josh is from New Zealand. He came over a couple years ago. He loves being here. The winds started howling right away and they kept up with us. We were so proud of their determination to make it all the way. Had three people stop and thank us for what we are doing. Finally made the ending point. Tomorrow we will reach Arizona and leave the Land of Enchantment behind. We hope the winds don’t follow us into Arizona. Smile !! After our walk they took us up to the Apache National Forest. What magnificent scenery. We took a lot of pictures and took a hike up the mountain. What beauty. Drove back to the motel to work on our blog so we can catch the NCAA Championship game tonight. Went and ate at the cafe. Really give you a lot to eat there. Again thanks for everything. Watched the game and then crashed out thinking about walking thru Arizona in the coming days and weeks. Ooh Rah and its all good.

Day 147

Woke up and ate breakfast at the Largo Cafe. Our meal was paid for by Jay Carroll from the Pie Town R.V. Park. Thank you sir and god bless. Started walking and the winds weren’t so bad today. Our walk was uneventful as we made our way closer to Arizona. Our original arrival date to walk into Arizona was the 13th of April. Ahead of schedule and some steep hills to walk over still but very confident in getting to San Diego on time. Finished our walk just shy of the Arizona border. We drove into Springerville, AZ. and stopped at the American Legion Post 30 to visit the vets there. They gave us a tour of their hall and signed the pace car. The commander Tom Cosgrove arranged for us a room at the Reeds Motel. Thanks post 30 for what you did for us and what you do for your community. Had a visit from Karen who is a reporter for the Independent newspaper. More press for our cause. She also invited us to stay at her place tomorrow night. Said she would feed us and get our laundry caught up. Thanks a lot. We drove over to the VFW Post 8987 and met all the vets there. Got a lot of signatures on the pace car. They invited us for Taco Tuesday tonight. So cool. After leaving there we met two cyclist traveling cross country. They were staying at the same motel. We invited them to eat with us tonight. Cleaned up and we all headed over to the VFW Post to chow down on some tacos. The people at the post took care of our meal tab. Had some good conversation with everyone there and it was nice telling about some of the many things we have experienced on our walk across America. We had to get up early so we said goodbye and we would see them tomorrow as we walk thru there city. Went to the motel and did our blogging before crashing out anticipating walking into Arizona and leaving the great state of New Mexico. Thanks everyone for your support as we walked thru your state and we will always remember The Land of Enchantment.

VetWalking