One Year Ago
Aug 25th, 2009 by Lyn Hanush
GAP WALK JOURNALS - VI
But before I tell you about today I need to go back to tomorrow and tell you about a detail that I forgot. How could I forget this?? When we went to dinner at Chili’s yesterday the hostess commented on our flag scarves. I explained that we were on a prayer walk along the whole east coast, and that we are heading toward Washington D.C.
Now Rebecca was really interested in the fact that we were prayer walking. She told us she had just returned from Washington D.C. herself where she had gone for “The Call.” The Call is a prayer time that goes to different cities where huge crowds gather to pray for our nation. Lou Engles heads this up. Some of you may remember that I was on a prayer walk in 1995 with a group headed up by Steve Hawthorne where we walked to all 21 California Missions. Lou Engles was on this walk for the first part of it. So I was really excited to hear Rebecca say that she had been at The Call in D.C.
Now back to today. We got a little bit of a late start this morning, but not too bad. I started out a little slow - pretty typical, but before long began to step it up a little faster. That’s the way I like to do it since it helps to warm up a little slower, then start going faster until I get up to my speed of between 3 and 3.5 miles an hour.
As I came into Glocester Town a man was pulling out of a driveway, and called to me. I went over to talk with him. He figured I didn’t want a ride, and that I was walking for exercise. So I explained to him what I was doing. He was great to talk with, and I got his picture.
The morning went well with quite a few people waving and a few honking. At the second segment we stopped in Chepachet, RI. This was a mail drop for us and I was looking forward to getting my mail. I knew I had two packages and a few letters. Thanks everyone for your letters. I really appreciate the notes.
I was really excited to see the packages - I knew what was in both. One held two new pair of walking shoes - badly needed. The other was a new magnet for the car - one that has a picture of the book on it and the map of our 2003/2004 walk across America with a few details about that. We had three of these large magnets before, but two had fallen off someplace in Maine during the rain and wind storms.
The clerk who waited on me was excited to hear what I was doing. I mentioned that I take prayer requests, and she immediately gave me one to add to my list. It’s times like this that I know that I am in the right place at the right time.
We made a couple other stops in this cute little village. One at a computer place where I got a copy made of one of my maps for Norma. There I met Josh, Teresa, and Madison, and had a delightful conversation with them before heading on. We also stopped at the Town Hall for restrooms - better than the woods with all the poison ivy.
As I walked on down the highway I heard a voice calling, and turned around to see a man trying to get my attention. He was walking also. I stopped to talk with him, and Lloyd told me he had seen me earlier when he was driving. Now he had to know what I was doing. I told him about the GAP Walk, and he was very interested. I walked with him as far as his house, where I took his picture and talked a bit more. He told me of a great place to eat our lunch called Shady Acres.
Walking on I passed a house where several children were playing outside. Some of them were looking my way, so I waved to them. Then I continued walking, but heard a child’s voice saying, “Hey, person.” I turned back with a smile to see two little boys waving and calling to me. I didn’t see an adult around, so I didn’t go up the driveway to talk with them.
A little later I came to a produce stand. I asked the lady there how much it would cost to buy one peach. She weighed one and told me seventy-five cents. I purchased that peach and told her what I was doing. She said she knows that God answers prayers because she just had a big one answered about right timing for her husband’s shoulder surgery. Terri then gave me a ride in her electric cart to the store back in their 17 acres. There I got her picture, and she gave me a jar of raspberry jam - looks delicious.
Back to the road where I continued my walking.
Before long I saw a young man shoveling near the road in front of his property. Justin told me he was digging out the poison ivy because he was sick of getting it on him. I heartily agreed with his passion to get rid of the poison ivy, and told him about my walk and how often I find the dreadful stuff working its way out to where I’m trying to walk.
Soon after I left Justin I found Norma waiting for me alongside the road. It was time for our lunch break. I told her about the place that Lloyd had told me about. We drove to find it, but to our dismay it had closed for the day. Looking at the times it was open we saw that it was open all day until 8 p. m. every day except Mondays - then it closed at 2 p. m. Well, today was Monday, and it was 3 p. m. Now time is kind of lost on us during this walk. We stop after three segments, not at noon. We both have good snacks to keep us going until our lunch time.
There really was nothing else around, so we headed back toward where we needed to start walking again, looking for a good place to pull over and eat a lunch from what we had in our food box. As we drove we saw Pray Hill Road. When we saw it I knew that was on my map to walk today, so we drove down it back to Chepachet, realizing that we had missed this portion somehow. We had stayed on 102, missing the turn onto Chestnut Hill Road. This drive took us to a good spot for our roadside picnic.
After we ate we went on down this route to see what we had done wrong. When we got back to 102 we saw that the Chestnut Hill Road sign was well hidden among the branches of a tree, and I hadn’t even noticed the little street there as I continued on 102. Now I had walked almost to 101, our next turn, on 102, so I said I would just continue that route.
Route 101 took me up and down some good hills, for which I hardly slow down anymore. It added just 1.4 miles to my route, which put me over 20 miles at the Connecticut border. Once at the border where Norma was waiting we took pictures of each other at the Welcome to Connecticut sign, and also the big Rhode Island sign since we hadn’t had a real sign at the Massachusetts/Rhode Island border. While we were at the Rhode Island sign a man stopped to ask if we’d like a picture of us together at the sign. Of course we said yes. He said he was a mailman and had the route that goes by this sign, so he often stops and takes pictures for people. I think his name is Jeff, and he told us he will be 56 this weekend. We wished him a happy birthday, and told him our story. Thanks, Jeff, we appreciate you taking the picture for us.
Jeff also told me that I had just come over the highest spot in Rhode Island a mile or so back. Suddenly I remembered seeing a sign about that, but I had been so intent on getting up the hill and down to the border I had hardly paid any attention to it. So we drove back to that sign so I could get a picture of it. By the way, the highest point in Rhode Island is 812 feet. 
We drove back to Milford, MA and stopped at our favorite restaurant there, Acapulco for another Mexican dinner. Delicious. Then to our room to shower and do this journal, call Dave, and get to bed at last. Great day!!
GAP WALK JOURNALS - VI
After the service we stayed for the coffee hour and visited with quite a few people. It was a really incredible time with these wonderful people.
After church we went to get gas, then to Wal-Mart and to Chili’s for lunch. After we ate we went back to the motel and I did bookkeeping, downloaded pictures, and talked with Dave, and miscellaneous things.
Finally I finished with stuff, and fixed our popcorn, and watched a bit of TV, and then headed for bed.
GAP WALK JOURNALS - VI
Back to the beginning of the day when we left the motel. We drove toward our start point thinking that we had a very direct route and there would be no detours to get there. Knowing it was 9.1 miles back to the start once we were on Hwy 16, we were both wondering what was going on when our odometer read over 11 miles - and now things weren’t looking familiar. It turned out we had made our own detour. 
Finally we figured out that when Hwy 16 went off to the right where we were supposed to go straight on Hwy 126, we had followed 16 instead. Back we went, and then we finally got back to the right road. We made a quick stop at an “On the Run” Convenience store for a restroom. I talked with the man in charge for a bit explaining what we were doing. I told him, “I’ll be back soon as I walk this way. When I come back I’ll pop in and say hi, and buy my candy bar at that time.”
Soon we were at the start and I got my gear on and headed out. About twenty minutes later I arrived at the “On the Run,” and went inside. I bought a mint flavored Mars Bar. Very good. I asked Victor a few questions about the area. He has lived in this area his whole life. I asked him if people who live here really appreciate the rich history of the area. He told me that in this particular area they really do. They take it very seriously, and work to preserve it. But he also told me that in some of the areas nearby many did not appreciate where they lived. Some of what he told me made me wonder if that was why I don’t get as many people waving and honking in some of the places I’ve just walked through.
As I continued I prayed especially for Victor, and for the area I was walking through, as well as the whole state of Massachusetts. It has been a awesome state in many ways, but I’ve seen much of what Victor was talking about - that not everyone cares that much about their history, or wants to understand it. Yet there are many who do, and I’ve seen that as well.
Now I continued on to Holliston where I stopped at another service station and talked with Andre for a bit. He was very pleasant and appreciative for the prayers.
Next I continued to Milford - the town where we are based for this week. The route did not go by our motel, but went into the downtown area. I took a picture of the Town Hall, and helped Norma find her way - she actually found her on way back onto the route, but wasn’t sure how she did it. I got in the car and we drove on through the town so she would feel more comfortable with it. I walked on through Milford, and Hopedale, and into Mendon where I met Norma for lunch at a Subway Sandwich place where we ate our lunch.
Looking at the maps I told Norma I wanted to get to the MA/RI border today. And, as you know now we did make it. Norma waited for me at Hill Road, but somehow I got past her without either of us seeing the other. There were whole lines of cars going by at times, and chances are that was when I walked by on the opposite side of the street. It was quite awhile later when I got the phone call asking where I was. I told her I was only a few streets from the border, and I detailed the one big turn she had to make to get to me. Then Norma passed me by and I soon crossed the border, but no Norma. She was still looking for the sign that wasn’t there.
Realizing that there was no state welcome sign to Rhode Island, nor a farewell sign from Massachusetts, I found a Welcome to Millville, Massachusetts sign and knew this had to be the border area. It fit the details of the map I was using, so I felt comfortable with that. Norma came back, and we took pictures of each other at the border, then headed back to Milford and our motel.
You should know that Norma is doing a great job as my driver. I’m really impressed with how well she gets the mileage right on, even after making wrong turns and having to backtrack. She takes her job seriously, and I really appreciate it. For each driver it’s different - depending on their own abilities. I really do appreciate each one’s different abilities for this job.
After I showered we ate the leftover Chinese food from yesterday’s lunch. I heated it up in the microwave so kindly put in our room at the motel. I enjoyed this second part of my meal better than I did when it was fresh yesterday.
Finally I did the journal, and called Dave. Then I watched some of the last portion of the Olympics mainly the men’s marathon. I have started setting up my office area beside the TV where I can’t see it, but I can hear it. That way I hear what’s going on, but am not tempted to look at it. This has really helped me get my work done and to bed at a more decent time each night. So tonight when I watched the Olympics I actually got to see what different things looked like - such as the flame, and the Birds Nest, and other things.
Near the end of my route today I saw a sign at a furniture manufacturer’s place that said, “Revive us again, O LORD.” This is from Psalm 85: 6 and 7. And that is my prayer for our country. I hope you’ll join me in this prayer. Good night all.
GAP WALK JOURNALS - VI
After breakfast we headed on for our start point without further difficulty. As I started walking I was feeling a little tired - this is not unusual for me as I start out. Once I’m walking I begin to feel better, and my strength kicks in. It was a beautiful day.
I walked past the stables we’ve been driving by each day. The horses were grazing, except for one that a gal was washing down. They looked so pretty in the pasture.
A lot of my route today had no shoulders to walk on. However signs were posted along the route for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists to share the road. This was good, and indeed all three were sharing the road today. I saw several cyclists, and a few runners and walkers besides myself. That was great. My only discomfort was in seeing the poison ivy all along the way.
I walked through Concord, MA; Sudbury, MA; and Framingham, MA - all rich in history. I took a lot of pictures of beautiful old buildings, and signs that told of the history of the area. It was awesome to walk through these incredible places, some of them dating back to the early 1600’s. Norma was enjoying seeing these things from the car as well.
When I walked through Sudbury I was pleasantly surprised with a wonderful walking path the whole way. It did switch from one side to the other at times, but always with a well-marked crosswalk, and the drivers here know to stop for pedestrians in these crosswalks. Other places later on had good sidewalks as well.
At one place on the path I stopped suddenly because a snake was stretched out across the way. He seemed to be a little perturbed that I was there, and hissed at me as he curled up. I passed by quickly, then went back to get a picture. After I took it he hissed one more time, and I left.
For lunch we went to a Chinese restaurant. Our meal was big, so we each took half home to have for dinner. I walked one more segment after lunch, an ended in Ashland, MA on Pond Street at the Market Basket Plaza.
We’re only nine miles from Milford, MA where we are based this week, so tomorrow we should get through it, and maybe into Rhode Island. I had originally thought we would be walking through Rhode Island tomorrow, but we had to add some mileage with the detours, and somehow it just didn’t happen. Oh well - Monday.
I spent a lot of time praying for the people in this area so rich in history. I hope people here appreciate what they have, and I hope they understand the true history of our nation.
Well that’s it for today.
GAP WALK JOURNALS - VI
We drove the route to our start point, and we knew there would be several very difficult sections for Norma to navigate. For me it’s a lot easier as I can stop and look around and compare my route map with the roads and highways around me. For Norma, she has to watch for traffic, one-way streets, and for signs that aren’t there. I don’t know how anyone finds anything here.
We finally got to our start point, and I got my gear on and began walking. I prayed for Norma as I walked - as I do every day as I start - that God will wrap His arms around her and the car, keep her alert to all that’s going on around her, and help her see the roads she needs to see.
Soon I saw a young man painting one of the fire hydrants in the town of Methuen. I complimented him on the good job, and began talking with him about it. He has taken this on as a summer job for the city to paint the fire hydrants here. I gave Nicholas my card and explained what I was doing. He was delightful, and said he would pray for me. I took his picture, then walked on down the street seeing many of his masterpieces as I walked.
I came to a Dunkin’ Donuts that we had stopped at earlier, and went in to use the restroom. When I came out I stopped to talk to the staff and thank them for the use of the restroom, as I often do when I use a restroom without buying anything. I told them about the walk and they got really excited. They gave me a nice big cup of ice water, and wished me well. Later I realized I forgot to take their pictures.
Norma met me alongside the road between Methuen and Lowell, MA. We talked over the section coming up and looked at the maps to be sure we knew what we were doing. Then I continued on. I figured it would be a longer segment because there really weren’t too many places for her to stop. It was a lot later when she called me to ask where I was. When I told her, she said, “Oh, no. How did you get past me?” It turns out she had stopped in Lowell and was waiting for me. I had already gone through Lowell, and was on the outer edge where I was expecting to see her. Oops.
Since I had already passed through some of the tricky parts, I gave her detailed directions to get onto the street I was now on. We had missed each other just before a section that had one way streets. I had planned to walk on the route she had to go, so had stayed on that side of the street. She had parked just before the one-way section on what would normally be my side of the street. Oh, well.
We finally met at an ice cream shop where I found her with an ice cream cone. Not to be left out, I also purchased one - decadent chocolate!
Now we continued on after going over the maps once again. In this last segment there were several hard-to-find streets, so we ended up keeping in close touch by phone, often with me giving her as specific directions as possible. Through this area I had a young man pull up in a car asking directions to the very street I had just turned off of, so I could give him clear directions all the way back to Lowell where he needed to go. I told him I was from California, but I just happened to have walked from where he wanted to get to. He asked, “Did you walk all the way from California?” I told him I had in a round-about way, and went on to explain about this walk and the others I’ve done. Victor let me take his picture, then we each went our own way.
I ended up at the junction of Maple St. and Highway 225. This was a beautiful section with ponds filled with lily pads, purple flowers growing in abundance, and lots of trees - and poison ivy. I’ve had a lot of poison ivy to watch out for lately. It creeps right out to the shoulders where I walk, and sometimes clear over the shoulder. I am very cautious around it since I am still getting over my most recent contact with it. I still have it on both legs - the knees are especially bad - and some on my torso. Ugh! Not much itching left, since I’ve been very dedicated at cleansing it thoroughly each night with Tecnu, and then covering it with Calagel. That does a good job.
I guided Norma in by phone to where I was at the end. What a trooper, and not a complaint from her. Of course, we both have the same complaint for Massachusetts and its cities - they need road signs! It was kind of fun figuring it all out though. Tomorrow may be more of the same.
From the end point we drove back along our route, making a few mistakes along the way, but always finding our way back. We have one detour we will both have to make where a bridge is out. The detour doesn’t take us too far out of our way.
In Sudbury we stopped at Starbucks for my treat, then on through the other towns on our route and back to Milford. We stopped at the same Mexican Restaurant as last night for some nice Mexican salads with chicken. We both liked the enchiladas from last night a lot better. Still it was good.
Back to our motel to get ready for bed and take care of evening chores.
