The Great American Journey

GAP WALK JOURNALS - VIII

Wednesday - October 1,  2008  Day 210   11.8 miles

Total Delaware miles - 14.0        Walking Days - 97

Washington D.C. miles - 4.6        Cumulative miles 1723.1

This was a blessed day. I say that because I just felt so blessed
today as I walked through part of Wilmington, DE. Bonny was
blessed as well, so you see it really was a blessed day.

The walk began in Claymont, DE today. It was a beautiful
morning weather-wise, with the sun shining and lots of blue sky.
The temperature was comfortable, and I was enjoying the
walking on Hwy 13 (also known as Philadelphia Pike at this
point).

Coming into Wilmington I saw quite a few people outside of a
big building. I greeted several, and two gals were interested in
what I was doing, so I stopped and talked with them, and got
their picture. They were Audrey and Juanita, both with beautiful
smiles.

Soon Hwy 13 came into the main part of Wilmington, and was
now called Market Street. As I walked across the North Market
Street Bridge over Brandywine Creek I could see the tall
buildings of the city.

Soon I was in the downtown area and entered a large office
building to see if they had restrooms. The guard was hesitant,
but told me I could use it this once, but not again. I was very
grateful, and explained what I was doing and gave him my card.
He asked a few questions. When I came back out I went over to
thank him, and he began asking more questions, and we just had
a real good time. He told me about his church and that he was
glad I had come in. When I took his picture I found out his name
is Brother Tyrone.

Bonny was waiting for me at the side of the road just before our
next turn. I stopped and talked with her a bit, and as I turned to
walk on, a man asked if I’d like to come in and get a drink from
the drink case in Bill’s Meat Center. I thanked him and picked
out a diet coke.

They have a deli in the meat shop as well. John then asked about
what I was doing - he had been looking at the sign on our van. I
explained and gave him my card. He just couldn’t get over it,
and wanted to know all about how we worked it. Then his son,
John Jr., wanted to know if he could make us a sandwich, which
we accepted with much gratitude. The turkey and cheese
sandwiches were delicious!

Their business is celebrating 50 years, and they are doing some
remodeling in the front part. I also got pictures of Frank and
another employee whose name I can’t quite understand on my
camera. They were just a delightful group of men in there, and
so kind.

I continued on, turning onto 2nd Street which soon took me
under I-95, then up into a poorer part of Wilmington. Now I’ve
come to love these parts of the cities more than some of the
more pristine sections. People tend to mill around and visit more
in these areas, and I make it a point to smile and greet them with
enthusiasm. Most respond well. One gal called to me from
across the street, so I went over to talk with Diane and the
gentleman with her. They had the most beautiful smiles, and
were so much fun to talk with. Diane gave me a big hug when
she found out what I was doing, and we hugged again before I
left.

A little after that I turned onto Union Street. Bonny met me at
McDonald’s (oh, good another restroom) and I filled up my
water, then kept walking. By now the weather was changing.
Clouds were forming - big dark ones - and the wind was starting
to blow. I knew rain must be on its way.

About this time I checked my phone (I had it on vibrate for
awhile) and noticed I had missed a call. It was from Debbie, so I
called her back, and we had a good talk. It was so good to talk
with her. I really miss my friends and family back home.

Now I began the last segment of the day. This portion ended on
Kirkwood Hwy - which is also Hwy 2 - at the corner of Ferrand
Dr. These days when we pre-drive the route we pick out the
ending point ahead of time so Bonny knows right where to meet
me (this is very helpful since her phone was stolen).  Well
today’s end point just happened to be at Starbucks (maybe “just
happened” is stretching it a bit). It was definitely planned that
way.

We headed back “home” to our motel, stopping at the store to
pick up a frozen dinner to fix in the microwave. After dinner I
checked e-mail, and did the journal, and called Dave. Bonny
checked her e-mail while I showered. My computer works a lot
faster, so we’ve worked out a routine where she can use it while
I’m doing other stuff. Now I’m off to bed.