The Great American Journey

GAP WALK JOURNALS - VII

Thursday - September 4,  2008 Day 183   20.2 miles

Total Connecticut miles - 116.3    Walking Days - 92

Washington D.C. miles - 4.6   Cumulative miles 1640.3

Good steady walking, hot temperatures with some humidity,
bright sunshine - it all made for a pretty good day. It was a little
late when we started, but not bad.

During the first segment I walked past an antique store and
heard a voice ask, “How far are you walking?”  I turned to see a
man putting out his OPEN banner. I stopped and explained to
him what I was doing. He was fascinated, and we talked some
more. Then he asked if I needed to use a restroom or anything
else. So many places the past few days have denied access to
their restrooms (and then there were those who graciously
allowed access), but it was refreshing to have someone offer it
without me asking.  We talked some more before I left - mostly
about what we need in this nation.

His name is Guy and he came from Italy in the 1950’s if I
remember right. We talked of the opportunities people had in
those days, and how it is so different now. I talked about how I
am praying for our nation, and shared II Chronicles 7:14 with
him, sharing how we as a nation need more than anything to
turn back to God. Basically we were in agreement about many
things, though some things were a bit vague. I really enjoyed
talking with him. Finally I said good-bye and headed on down
the road.

I’m walking mostly on Hwy 1 these days now. A little further
down a man drove into a driveway right in front of me and
stopped. He was curious about what I was doing. LeRoy had
some very good questions and concerns that I promised him I
would pray about for him. I asked him if I could pray with him
right then, and he readily agreed, saying, “I will never turn down
prayer.” After I prayed we talked some more about his
relationship with Jesus Christ. I left promising to keep him on
my prayer list, and letting him know he could contact me via the
e-mail on my card if he needed me to pray for anything else
specific.

I left with a real burden for this man, and continued to pray for
him throughout the day. I also realized that all the delays we had
this morning were likely God making sure I was at the right
place at the right time. I never cease to be amazed at how God
works. Please pray for LeRoy .

Soon I came to where Norma was waiting in the Ethan Allen
parking lot. She told me that the ladies in the store wanted to
meet me, so as soon as I restocked my stuff I went inside with
Norma. One of the gals had evidently gone to lunch, but Patricia
was there and I enjoyed talking with her. After taking her picture
and shaking her hand again I headed back out.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, with a stop for lunch
at Taco Bell, up and down a few hills, and around many bends,
ending the day at a Starbucks (imagine that) where Norma (bless
her heart) was waiting for me. After getting my gear off and
changing my shoes we went inside to get our favorite drinks.

We drove back via Hwy 1 to see how our route would turn and
shift for tomorrow. Mostly it is pretty straight forward, but it
does have a few tricky turns (these are hardest for Norma
because she can’t just stop and ponder the map and the road as
easily as I can walking). The more we can go over it the easier it
is for her.

As we neared Darien we looked for a place to eat. After some
searching for the right place we found a pasta restaurant. They
served delicious food, and we both took enough home with us
for tomorrow night. It’s always so nice to have a refrigerator and
microwave.

I got ready for my shower as soon as we got to our room.
Tomorrow I must remember to turn the water on earlier to fill
the tub (did I mention that our tub is a Jacuzzi tub?).  It always
feels so good to be clean again.

With Cindy McCain speaking in the background (last week we
listened to the Democratic Convention, and this week it is the
Republican Convention) I worked on the journal. Then I called
Dave before heading for bed.