NOW THAT I HAVE RUN ACROSS NORTH AMERICA CLOCKING UP OVER 8,000KM / 5, 000 MILES PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DONATE TO MY CHARITY ‘ AWARE ‘

DETAILS AND A DONATE BUTTON ARE ON THE SIDEBAR ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PAGE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. TONY.

PRESS >> HERE  TO PLAY. MANY THANKS TO GREG TICE FOR RECORDING THIS AS HE STOOD NEXT TO THE CAMERAMAN  :)

SORRY FOR THE POOR SOUND QUALITY. THIS WAS FUNNY BECAUSE  THE JOURNALIST JUST ASKED ME ONE QUESTION. SEVERAL TIMES I STOPPED AND HE JUST SAID NOTHING, SO I HAD TO RAMBLE ON FOR OVER 12 MINUTES!

MY OFFICIAL DISTANCE ACROSS THE USA FROM CALLAIS, MAINE TO OCEAN BEACH, CALIFORNIA = 5,921KM  =  3,679.1 MILES.

THEN AN EXTRA 78.9KM / 49.1 MILES TO  THE  US/MEXICAN  BORDER AT  TECATE. SO TOTAL FOR THE USA = 5,999.9KM = 3,728.2 MILES.

NOW… TIME OUT TIME

TOTAL DISTANCE RUN TO DATE FOR 183 ROAD DAYS.  >>>>> 8,065.1 KM  =  5,011.5  MILES.

At around 2.40 today I ran into the Pacific to complete my run across the USA  in exactly 5 months. NBC tv were there to record the splash as I struggled to hold onto Nirvana who nearly floated away! This also means that my first continent, North America has been chalked off. Since the very start of my run in the States when I crossed from Canada  into Calais, Maine where the US immigration officer had her boyfriend chase me down on the road to give me a Christmas card with a $20 gift, I have been astonished on a daily basis by the kindness of the wonderful people of this great nation.  I have been helped so much by the generosity of the people of every one of  the 14 states I ran through, even for the four miles in Iowa. I thank you all for helping me achieve my dream. I know for sure that had I run in any of the other 36 states it would have been the same. So from the very bottom of my heart I would like to thank the American people from every corner of this great country for your incredible help

Special thanks also to Cindy and Roger my kind hosts here in my San Diego base of El Cajon.

Also to Greg who drove 70 miles each way from Orange County just to run the last 10 miles with me. On the the way Greg gave me a major scare and we had to put the boot down to get to Ocean Beach… Greg informed me that the prophets of doom had declared that the end of the world would take place at 3pm. Is this Eastern time or Pacific time? I wondered and worried I would not finish in time..Well we made it and the world did not end So this means my world run continues

I reckon North America to be the easiest continent of the five I plan to run through, please take that as a compliment! 

I just have to run from Ocean Beach to the Mexican border. I expect to be at the border on Monday. I will then return to El Cajon and prepare for my time out in Ireland May 26- June 16. Because I finished a couple of days earlier than expected and have the matter of the two U2 concerts in Anaheim on June 17 and 18th and will then probably need a couple of days to get back on the road that my time out will be about 4 weeks. I will of course start running from where I finish on Monday.

My run across the USA is dedicated to the great people of this country, God Bless America!

My splash into the Pacific Ocean is dedicated to my broter-in-law and great friend, provider of endless cups of coffee, John Salmon who celebrated his 50th birthday today.

It is now time for me to hold my hands up and make a major confession!  You see I underestimated the distance required for me to run this world run in the manner that I have dreamt of.. A run around the world in the most continuous route possible, connecting up all the continents with no cutting corners on continents. By my latest calculations I will need to run in the region of 50,000km / 31,000 miles. I had estimated 42,000km/  26,000 miles. I guess I just got scared off while counting or lost count? A world journey is generally considered to be such if  26,000km/ 16,500 miles are travelled. The reality is my criteria is much stricter and a more true world journey as I will be running almost twice that! I have made it very difficult  for myself, more difficult than it ever needed to be, but that is my dream.

I will continue to keep all my records in order for authentication even though logic would suggest this is a ‘ self authenticating  journey. ‘

 Meaning that if I have gone to all this extra trouble and hardship, more than required as mentioned above, which also dragged me through the worst winter in North American history with all its storms and blizzards.  ( I could have flown from Ireland to New York instead of running through Atlantic Canada and stormy New England in the winter and just  headed for sunny Florida and Central America) Well it would never be conceivable that I would cheat and take a ride of a few kms anywhere else on the run!

 By the time I get to the tip of South America I could have easily had one world run chalked off by using this inferior criteria, so I just better make sure I get to the finish!

It is a bit ironic that my deficit is 8,000km / 5, 000 miles = About the exact distance I  have run since the start 7 months ago ( 8 months by the time I get back from my time out.)

This is too much to make up in the 2 years 4 months till my original target finish date of October 2013 with the Dublin marathon. My new targeted date will be the Dublin marathon in October 2014. This will also allow me to take more rest days and shorter running days for the rest of the run.

Some very rough ‘ ball park ‘ figures and estimations:

8,000km / 5000 miles run to date.

Mexico and Central America. Another 5,000km / 3,200 miles

South America.

Another 12,000 + km circa 7,500 miles

AT THE TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA ( TIERRA DEL FUEGO) THIS IS ROUGHLY THE HALFWAY MARK WHERE I EXPECT THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY TO BE SPENT.

New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia (Melbourne to Darwin via east coast)  circa 9,000km   5,600 + miles

South-East Asia to China:  Another 6,000km circa 3,750 miles

China to Dublin: Another  10,000km circa 6,200 miles.

My targeted pace per month will now be 1,000km +  a few kms per month = 620+ miles.

The reality will be that I will probably run a few more per month to make up for my next time out. I have not decided on when or where that may be.

Some of the statistics of this run are quiet startling!  Did you know that if I just ran an extra mile per day over 1,000 road days I would have an extra 1,000 miles! Or 5 weeks extra mileage to take for a time out! But I can not get greedy. All along I had been secretly estimating that this run would be completed in about 950-960 road days. Some people had actually billed this as 1,000 marathons in 1,000 road days! Now its looking more like 1,000 50km’s and it wont be 1,000 days it will be more like 1,200 + road days.

Thanking you for your very loyal support. I hope you will stay with me for the longer  haul!

TOTAL DISTANCE TO DATE FOR 183 ROAD DAYS.  >>>>> 8,065.1 KM  =  5,011.5  MILES.

MAY 23RD 2011.  JAMUL  TO USA/MEXICAN BORDER (TECATE)  32.9KM  =  20.5 MILES.

MAY 22ND 2011 Friars Road/Northside Drive. TO JAMUR 32.3KM  = 20.1 MILES.

MAY 21ST EL CAJON TO OCEAN BEACH 34KM  = 21.1 MILES >> NOTE: NORTH AMERICA HAS BEEN RUN , FROM COAST TO COAST. I AM NOW RUNNING A LITTLE EXTRA TO THE MEXICAN BORDER.

(PLUS 13.7 KM / 8.5 MILES START TOWARDS THE MEXICAN BORDER)  Finish Friars Road/Northside Drive. TOTAL 47.7KM = 29.6 MILES.

MAY 20TH 2011 RAMONA TO EL CAJON 36.6KM  =  22.8 MILES

MAY 19TH 2011. FROM  JULIAN, MILE 58 TO RAMORA (MCDONALD’S)

 36.3KM  = 22.5 MILES.

MAY 18TH FROM MILE MARKER 86 ON ROUTE 78 SOUTH TO JULIAN, MILE MARKER 58

45.1KM  =  28  MILES.

MAY 17TH. FROM 86/78 JCT AS BELOW TO MILE MARKER 86 = 30.5KM  =  19  MILES.

MAY 16 FROM MCDONALDS, WEST OF BRAWLEY TO 9KM WEST OF 78/86 JUNCTION ON US78 SOUTH 45.2KM  = 28.1 MILES.

MAY 15TH 2011 GLAMIS, DESERT DUNES TO BRAWLEY (WEST OF) 45.9KM  =  28.5 MILES.

MAY 14TH 2011 FROM  27.5KM WEST OF PALO VERDE ( DESERT CAMP LOCATION )  TO GLAMIS, DESERT DUNES. 37 KM  = 23MILES.

MAY 13TH 2011 FROM 5KM SOUTH OF RIPLEY TO 27.5KM WEST OF PALO VERDE ( DESERT CAMP LOCATION ) 40.2KM  =  25 MILES. 

MAY 12TH 2011. FROM ERENBURG, AZ. TO 5KM PAST RIPLEY, CA.  29KM =  18 MILES

CLICK HERE FOR MAP. RUNNERS WELCOME TO JOIN ME ALONG THE ROUTE. I PLAN TO START FROM THE 7 ELEVEN AT END OF 1ST STREET AT NINEISH! DEPENDING ON PACE AND ANY STOPS THE RUN SHOULD TAKE 4-5 HOURS. SEE YOU ON THE ROAD

MY REAL TIME LOCATION  CAN BE TRACKED  ON MY BLOG PAGE ONCE I START RUNNING. SEE YOU

TONY

I am nearly there thanks to the countless wonderful people of  the USA and Atlantic Canada. I will be splashing in Ocean Beach on Saturday 21st May having run across  North America from Cape Spear, Newfoundland to Ocean Beach, California.

My plans are to run from Ramona to El Cajon today, Friday.

Tomorrow, Saturday my tentitive plan is to depart some location in El Cajon (yet to be determined) and run to Ocean Beach. I do not know the way and would be delighted if local runners can run with me today or tomorrow. My exact location is tracked on this page once I start running.

My wish is to spend Saturday night in the San Diego area and run back to my friends place in El Cajon (20 miles) on Sunday. I don’t have a place to stay in San Diego/ Ocean Beach area! Can anyone help with this please? 

My cell number is 978 875 4154.  I am sorry but this trac phone does not accept incoming calls and texts from Ireland which is a mystery I have been too busy to sort out!

ONCE AGAIN I THANK YOU FOR YOU LOYALITY AND PATIENCE… I WILL GET THERE BOTH WITH THE PICTURES AND WITH THE RUN.

*********************

CALIFORNIA HERE I COME.  >> PLAY

Californian Highway Patrol told me I could not run on their Interstate 10 west as in Arizona. So it was back to googlemaps which are great when they work but many times they get it very wrong.

How about this…. I am in Ehrenberg and nobody has ever heard of Juneau Ave yet its on a gps. So google directions would have had me heading off into the desert across trails. Locals laughed at these directions and said it should be north and not south on Possom Road.

Much of my morning was wasted just getting out of this small town. I ended up taking a western frontage road that ran parallel to the Interstate and going over a pedestrian bridge over the Colorado river that separates Arizona from California.
A sign states that all vehicles must stop for inspection however this just appeared to mean that they just slowed down at a toll booth and got eyeballed by an official. Another sign on the interstate read, ‘ Road Construction Next 100 Miles. ‘ Nice job if you can get it. Lots of hiding places!

Once into California the first thing that I noticed was that the pleasantly hot Arizonian arid heat has now become an unpleasant and extremely problematic issue for me. It took a big effort to run the 5 miles to Blythe. Many times I stopped under trees and by the side of shaded buildings on the way into this spread out town.

Another good hours running down Hobsonsway took me to Neighbours Road where I joined up with state route 78 south. At this junction there was a well placed gas station so ice cream and soda was the order of the day. Coffee is now almost off my menu. I now fill my thermos up with iced soda from the soda fountain. There is nothing nicer than having a drink of ice cold soda at the end of a hard, dusty day or stopping under a shady tree and having a mugful when all I got in Nirvana is warm water. The lady in this gas station told me in a couple of months time the temperature will be around 130 F! On the way out of town today I noticed it was 100 F/ 37 C. Presumably that means in the shade. I don’t know why temperature is taken in the shade? Who operates in the shade? I certainly don’t.

On I ran towards Palo Verte about a marathon away from Blythe It was getting dark as I arrived at JJ’s General Store in Ripley. Inside a very nice middle-aged lady called Monica treated me to an ice cream. She told me she came here from Yemen when she was 8 years old. Yari her daughter who also helps in the shop was born here. They show me a postcard from an Englishman who cycled through here recently. He in his eighties now. They were so delighted he took the time to mail them a card from Torquay.

The ladies refused a photo saying it’s against their religion. They locked up giving me some water on the way out as I ate at an outside table. I ran on for about another hour. It was so pleasant running at this time of day. A wonderful cool, warm breeze reinvigorated my tired body.

I had intended putting some more miles in but when I came to a large barn with hundreds of hay stacks.There were no walls or doors to the barn so I just walked in.

I lay out my sleeping bag liner and bivy bag as it was a very warm night. A mosquito or two bothered me for a while till they just seemed to move on to a more meaty victim. A couple of bats flew overhead and hung out of the tin roof.

I knew I should have started the next morning around dawn but I was too tired. By 7am it was already hot. I got going just after 8am. It was a battle all the way to Palo Verte. Ultra runners, or extreme runners as I now prefer to call athletes of our sport.. Nobody understands the expression ultra runner however people have a better idea when they hear extreme runner. We are used to pushing our bodies into uncomfortable territories. Not having much experience of hot weather running I have to learn what is ‘ normal extreme ‘ and what is the dangerous territory of heat exhaustion etc. So it is with this in mind I admit to being just a bit nervous at the moment.

On the way an Hispanic truck driver stopped and gave me 4 bottles of water. When I told him what I was doing he asked me if I had seen the movie Forest Gump.

” Sure! ”

” Well where are all the people! ”

One can never be sure how big a town is. Sometimes from signposting, size on map I am often expecting a largish place. Palo Verte was a great example of this. I arrived at the towns only business, a gas station. As I cooked a can of chicken noodles and beans in their microwave I read in the ‘ Valley Times ‘ that a second business is soon to be open, a restaurant which closed many years ago due to the owners poor health. Now the recovered owner and a partner are coming back to town to start back in a couple of weeks time.

Many other times I am just expecting a small village and I get a sprawled out town!

I bought a sombrero and ran on for about an hour and took refuse in a park. Yes I think it’s a good idea running in cooler weather. So on I ran in the cool evening covering another 29km before pitching my tent in a secluded place off the highway.

Then on the way to Glamis I came to what I thought was road construction with all the prepare to stop signage. When I got closer I realized it was the Border Patrol checkpoint as I am not far from the Mexican border.

They were a friendly crew. I told one of the guards I am from Ireland and running around the world. He just said. ” Well don’t let me stop you! ”

They had a nice and shady canopy so I asked if I could stop there for my lunch. I noticed the had several trailers full of generators, power cords, car jacks and no shortage of tools to perform their checks including a sniffer dog. I used the porta-loo before leaving and was very surprised to see a lot of disgusting anti-Mexican graffiti, presumably posted by some American visitors on the way through.

In Glambis which is the start of the sand dunes I went to the one store which was closed. A phone number on the door said to call them if you needed supplies.

So I did and a live in shopkeeper opened up. The cost of everything was outrageous, example tin of beans $3.50 and just about double the cost of other convenience stores.

For the first time on the journey I bought water. $5 for a gallon bottle. Last night in Ripley Monica was selling it from a vending machine for 25 cents. The unfriendly shopkeeper wouldn’t let me fill up my bottles from the sink.

Shouting from behind the counter where he sat with his two feet stuck up on a chair he replied.

” You are in the desert now. You got to pay for water, we all pay… ”

I got almost nothing for my $20 a day budget but did notice there was enough lukewarm coffee in his burco to fill up my thermos. I was surprised he didn’t charge for this as next morning he charged $2 for a very small cup of fresh coffee. I also bought chocolate! This is always an eyeopener for people when the see me buying chocolate for the road in hot weather. ” You better eat that quickly. ” Is usually the reply.

” No rush I will eat it later or tomorrow! ”

The chocolate bar is usually flops over softly in my hand soon after purchase but I just put in in my tupperware dish in the bottom of Nirvana. Or leave it out in the cool desert night. I may remember it at 2am or even in the morning when it has reconstituted itself. I haven’t stuck a bar in my thermos yet but figure where there is a will there is a way The store front had a large outdoor covered seating area so I decided to spend the night there. I would just roll out my sleeping bag on one of the park bench tables. I also decided to replace some broken spokes in Nirvana’s wheels. Talk about opening a pandora’s box! As soon as I let the air out of the inner tubes and took off the tyres I noticed the blue stop leak gu I got in Nebraska didn’t work anymore. I had gotten this gu because of problems I was having with some cluster thorns. These thorns are so sharp that I even felt a stinging pain as they punctured my running shoes. The gu has worked incredibly well since. But now I had about 6 small holes with the blue gu oozing out. A problem I have found with thorns is that when I remove them from the tire that I can never be sure they have been fully removed as there is often still a small thorn particle embedded inside the tyre which I suspect only reemerges when the inner tube is inflated or pressure from rolling down the highway.

The inflated stop leak gu inner tube is fairly heavy and many people don’t like using it because it slows them down. I say getting endless thorn punctures slows you down more!

So I put in a new inner tube and got a flat halfway to Brawley next day before I noticed I got a flat. It was a lovely day, not too hot. I was running through sand dune territory now where many people were zooming up and down the dunes on their dirt bikes, atv’s and sand dune buggies. I also ran by an area used by the US army as a bombing training ground.

As I was checking out my puncture a friendly local pulled up and told me he used to have the gu in his house but lost everything when his house burnt down recently. He told me to stop at one of the gas stations or tyre places there.

” What you mean there is more than one store there? ”

” Sure Brawley is a town of 1,500 people. ”

I just pumped up my tyre and ran on. Now the fields are a lush green as there is a man made canal running parallel to the highway. I was running along it for over an hour and just thinking of the $5 I wasted on water last night. Here was fresh clear water from the Colorado river being pumped along the highway. Trucks barrelled by carrying loads of onions. The first time one went by me I thought it smelled like a soup kitchen. Onions like the ones the mean old shopkeeper was selling for a dollar a piece last night were scattered along the hard shoulder.

This is what I mean about not being sure of a places size unless asking locals. I had a bit of an energy crisis today. I wondered if it was because of the lack of substantial food I purchased from the Glamis  convenience store.

NIRVANA, MY SHIP OF THE DESERT!

So as it was around 6pm when I arrived there that Sunday evening. On the way I had to deal with a fierce sand storm. I went to McDonald’s for their wifi and stayed there till it was closing. The very nice girl that worked there filled my thermos before I left. I was not sure where I would stay that night and was not too concerned as I headed out the door at midnight. I walked for about 5 minutes and spotted a very secluded plaza. In the corner it was dark with roof shelter and just far enough away from Main Street so as not to be spotted by the cops or others. I would obviously have to get up early in the morning though, no problem McDonald’s open at 5am. I pulled out my sleeping bag and settled down for the night. I didn’t sleep much because of heavy traffic. Then at 3am a car pulled up and the owner of the store I was outside to go inside for some merchandise! He did not seem to be in the least surprised to see an Irish world runner camped on his doorstep. I just told him I was no danger, where I was from, what I was doing and I would be gone in a couple of hours. He was a Mexican and just said no problem. After he left I wondered would he call the cops but he never did, he just returned to pick up more stuff as I was packing my bags up at 4.50am with less than 2 hours sleep.

So more emails and wifi down at McD and your notorious late starting world runner moved to a new low by not hitting the road till 10.00am and then made more long stops 7 miles down the road in Westmoreland where I got my slow puncture patched up by Dave in the Napa garage. Thanks Dave.

US 78 west that I am on joined up with 86 north for a couple of hours. It was a great road. Someone told me it was formerly a freeway. Nice big shoulders so for a change and to give my left foot a rest from running on the left sided camber I ran on the right with the traffic at my back. At the junction where 86 went straight ahead and I turned left there was another US Border Guard checkpoint. These guys were not as talkative as the previous guys. One just asked me what my ‘ game plan ‘ was.

” Only to run around the world! ”

As soon as I turned off 86 the wind hit me like a hammer making decent running impossible. I struggled on for another couple of hours and camped behind a sheltered sand dune. A border patrol vehicle drove by to check me out but didn’t bother me. I am sure they are all aware of my trip.

I had felt strong today unlike yesterday. I wonder if it was from loading up on all those double cheeseburgers, apple pies, fudge sundaes and ice cream? Not the greatest quality food I know but I was stuffed to the hilt with a huge amount of calories.Today is the first of two days in the mountains. It was not too bad today, just gradual climbing, niice and steady even if a bit slow. As you will know I do not care too much about speed. Running around the world is not a race. In fact I have banned myself from using a stopwatch as it is unnecessary!

A couple of hours down the road I come to a restaurant called the Blue-Vu. It is closed as they only operate for a few hours a day for four days a week. I decide not to wait till Thursday for breakfast. Closed restaurants, shops and gas stations are a problem I have had in remote areas since Newfoundland. in the off season it is often not economically viable for them to open. I usually have enough food with me but still love to sit down and have a nice nutritious meal after a long slog on the road. In many ways such locations are an oasis for me.

There is an outside socket so I plug in my netbook and phone to charge them up. I sit down at a table on the patio and notice the blank screen of the netbook makes a half decent mirror so have a much needed shave. Many of the places I go to don’t have mirrors, perhaps they don’t like vagabonds washing up on their premises.

The outside water tap is turned off and the knob is removed. I need water for the road. There is nowhere else around so I turn the tap back on with my vice grips. The water gushes out. I fill up my water bottles. I decide to have a body wash as there is nobody about.

Suddenly a car pulls up into the dusty parking lot. I go back around to the other side of the restaurant to keep an eye on my baggage. It’s only a park ranger called Dave. His car has a problem. He has his bonnet up he is trying to fix it without proper tools. I give him my vice grips and screwdrivers. He tells me he doesn’t have a phone as the park service took it off him as it was too expensive. I give him mine so as he can call a workmate.

Dave laughs when I return asking for my vice grips as I need it to wash my feet.

He has gotten his car going again just as his friend arrives. Dave gives me some crisps and a much appreciated Pepsi. Further on down the road three dirt bikers stop to see if I was ok. They are from LA and spending a couple of days riding their cross bikes around the sand dunes. A couple of hours later I arrive at The Ironwork RV park. They have a store but once again it’s closed. The manager lives on the site as there is also a hotel resort here. I track down the manager and get him to open up his store. He is a very nice obliging man and is not in the least bit put out. Just as I have selected a Mexican convenience meal, a burrito, pint of ice cream, crisps and am about to cook the food in the microwave and pour my fountain soda there is a power outage! I get about three drops of coke when the machine grinds to a halt nor can I cook my food. The owner tells me that is the very first power outage he has all year but not top worry as he has a backup generator.  He cranks up the noisy generator and I am soon sitting down by the swimming pool enjoying my meal. He was a decent guy, not like the ignorant one in Glamis. Here he gave me my stuff for only $10 which was almost half his sticker prices.

He tells me the US Navy Seals use his place to stay when they are training for riding dirt bikes, sand dune buggies and ATV’s. He also offers me the opportunity of a shower on the outside shower by the pool. Because I had the decent body wash earlier, it’s chilly and too problematic changing outside and drying off and besides I want to get more miles in as I am having a slow day I decline.

A little further on down the road a white pickup pulls up. It’s a young couple. Manuel tells me he is 100% Mexican even though he was born in California. He asks me if I am pushing a baby, if I am from Italy or am hungry! I tell him third time lucky, I am always hungry! So I go over to them and they give me two cheeseburgers and juice. His girlfriend, Erika gives me $20 for a meal. We start talking about my trip and they ask me do I ever take rides in vehicles. I say never only when someone offers me a place to stay and can return me to my finishing point. Manuel then offers me a bed for the night. I make a note of my mile marker 86 on San Diego route 78.

Manuel is a welder and Erika a student nurse. Back in Manuel’s place I do some laundry and avail of my third opportunity for a wash/shower that day!

Next day was rough, dog rough! In fact the hardest and most mentally demanding of the run so far. All day long it was up and up and up. There was a fierce non stop head wind all day to make matters more difficult. Even though you know you are running uphill it can still be downheartening. You are running and looking ahead so much that a strange phenomenon happens to the mind. IO remember this from my cycling days too. You look ahead and even though you are going up hill the road looks like it is going downhill. The runner (or even cyclist) can after a while be brainwashed forgetting they are running against a resistance and start doubting their fitness and ability why is this so hard, am I overdoing it, am I really up to this? are all thoughts that go through the athletes mind. That is till the reach the top and fly down the other side!

But I tell you that no matter which direction you climb up a hill I bet most runners and cyclists always say the downhill is ALWAYS shorter than the climb!

So on I climbed and crawled against the mountains and wind all day long. I got to a store that was as usual closed. A lady told me the town of Julian which was 8 miles away had a supermarket and restaurants which were open till 8 or 9pm! Going back to what I mentioned before about not knowing what regular towns have for services or how big they are, someone told me Julian had a grocery store and a hardware store. When I got to the summit and ran over the top for the last half hour I discovered that Julian had also a Rabbobank branch, tattoo parlour, library amongst all the services of a small town. So you just never know or can trust people!

I stopped in a service station for some snacks. It had been cold the last couple of hours and threatened to rain. I had put away my gloves in the bottom of Nirvana and to be honest couldn’t be bothered stopping to pull them out. My hands were so numb with the cold it took me ages to get my money out. Thank goodness the Julian Cafe was open as I think I would have died otherwise!

There were two very nice girls in there serving me. I ordered a huge steak dinner and a delicious tortilla soup. It was my first decent meal in a week, other than the convenience meals I cooked in store microwaves. One of the girls called Hope was giving away coffee as though she was on a commission! The other girls name was Diane.

They gave me a good tip about where to camp. So I wandered down to the Jess Martin Park. After a quick scout around I noticed the football field had two shelters for the subs and coaches. That will do nicely. Sheltered out of the wind I lay my sleeping bag out on the bench and was nice and toasty in bed by 9pm.

I was awake by 5.30am and started some blogging which I continued over breakfast, hence my noon departure from Julian.

Only 3 days to the Pacific. Today I am aiming for Ramona, tomorrow El Cajon and Saturday Ocean Beach! It was very easy, effortless running today and mostly downhill from the two previous days climbing. It seems the start of the west coast congestion has started. In this part of California only a couple of days from the coast whereas on the east coast it was still congested a month after I started heading east from Maine.

All the 35km the road was busy. For most of it there was little or no shoulder, it was hairy at times, so much so that I expected the cops to pull me off. I ran towards the traffic around very tight bends with branches and other obstacles obstructing my view. It must be surprising for a motorist coming around a bend to be confronted by me. I have to concentrate very carefully as often it’s the second or third vehicle in a convoy that has little or no notice of my approach.

During this journey who knows how many vehicles will pass me. I would say easily over a million. It only takes one bad decision by a driver and my world run is over. Will the driver be so startled that they keep their eyes on me and keep driving towards me, or will they all retain composure and control?

On the way I saw a pretty blonde  woman >> PLAY  doing her gardening. She looked up and smiled. Though I knew full well I asked her how far it was to Ramona.

” Ten miles and you got quiet a ways to go! ”

” Yeah.. I know and around the world! ”

 I just love when people say the next town is very far away!

” Sure I have. He is from Bethel, Ohio. ” I said.

Then Dennis went on. ” I lived in the next town to Bethel and I remember in 1983 he just upped and left home to walk around the world!

” He came back many years later. ”

” I will tell you exactly Dennis.  He started his world walk on April Fool’s Day in 1983 and finished on April Fool’s Day 1987. His book, Worldwalk is one of my favourite books. I got it back in Ireland on top of my wardrobe ”

” I was with the Ohio Highway Patrol at the time he finished. ”

” Were you one of the ones that escorted him in at the end of the walk that he mentioned?”

” I don’t remember! ” Said Dennis.

I was not impressed. ” How could you forget something like that Dennis? ”

” Well it was a long time ago and so many things have happened since. ”

” But still I can’t understand you not being able to remember if you escorted a world walker into his very own street at the end of a 4 year world walk! ”

Actually when I was up in Ohio I was emailing Steven. I wanted to pay him a visit. I had emailed him before I even started but had not received any reply. Finally I got a reply but he had moved from Bethel to somewhere in the south of the state. I had many promises to keep along my more northern route and had a very important mail drop to pick up. It would have meant altering my route and adding on an extra four days to my Ohio route.

In the end I disappointly emailed Steven saying I couldn’t make it. Steven replied saying he understood and that there would always be a place for me on World Walker Hill.

World Walker Hill! Don’t that just capture your imagination?

Out on the road I was a bit tired at first and then came town to a small village called Hope.

I could see a church, RV park, Cafe, House and for me a closed down gas and grocery store.

A glum looking Harley biker seemed disappointed about the closure too. I don’t know why he would be annoyed as he could be in another place in a few minutes. Bikers have it so easy, out of bad weather and into good weather in a day or so if they want it anywhere in the country.

I said to him, ” I guess that was our last hope for an ice cream! ”

He just nodded and zoomed off to the east.

Just as I was running into this town I was thinking that there are so many towns that I run through and not know much about despite my many conversations with the town folks. I decided Hope was to be a representation of small town America. I would find something out if possible. If this town had a hidden secret, I am sure every small town has too.

So there I was sitting on the bird shit carpeted, boarded up gas pump island and drinking cold tea from my thermos and feeling sorry for myself. Just then Doug from the RV park comes out in his golf cart. He drives over to me to see how I am. I ask him the Hopeful population, he tells me at the moment its…. He counts on his fingers and says.. ” About 6 but in the winter it swells to 300. ”

So I ask him who was the most famous resident of Hope. He has a long think about this one. I wondered was he going to say some politician lived here part time as a snowbird.

” Well it would have to be Sgt. Preston  and his dog. ”

” Who? ”

” OH! He was a Canadian Mountie cop with his tracking dog from the tv series, It was an old programme, one from the fifties or sixties, I think. ”

” Ok thanks Doug. I learn something new every day! ”

I shake his hand and he points to the town sign which is on my way out of town and says.

” Careful boy, You see that sign?

” Well when you get past it…. You are beyond hope! ”

******************************

Around 2.30pm a gold coloured Cadillac drove past me but this time it was on the right side of the road and within the speed limit. ( see ‘ Snakes of Arizona’  entry for details. )I looked back watching it as it drove at a responsible speed further and further into the great distance beyond. When it approached me it was definitely a gold coloured Cadillac. Now as I watch it go over another hill and almost out of view it is to my poor eyesight at this distance a silver colour. Was this the deranged driver from yesterday? Was she going so fast that I could not see the gold, only silver? I guess I will never know.

Then I ran into Brenda a small RV community village. Harry the Highway Patrol officer had told me there was a small country store here and right enough there was, just at the end of town and on the right. I like these type of places especially if they have a table and chairs to sit down on and a microwave. One can have a feast for store prices. So I had a chicken pot pie, spinach, mushrooms all cooked in my tupperware dish, ice cream, a tin of pineapples, peanuts, candy and coffee all for a few bucks.

I hung out there for an hour and a half. Just as I was going a couple came in and said.

” Welcome Tony Mangan from Dublin! ”

They are very boisterous. I think the female is very manly, in fact I am sure she is a transvestite.

” So what you going to do tonight travelling man? ”

” Camp, I suppose. ”

Then the woman says. ” Well I hope you brought Saint Patrick with you!! ”

” Holy shit! Not again… More snakes? ”

So I run out of Brenda quicker than I ran out of Hope. Am I really beyond Hope? I run to almost the end of highway 60 west. There is just half a mile to go and I do not see anywhere decent to camp. I mentioned before that the whole of Arizona’s highways are fenced off and not much chance of pulling off the road to pitch a tent in safety. I can almost see the Interstate. The tractor trailers are zooming on and off the ramps at a relentless pace. I don’t want to get much closer as I need to get some shut eye tonight as I got a fiftyier tomorrow and need to be up early. I told Harry I will get done in one day and besides it makes sense to get off the freeway as quickly as possible in case anyone has a change of heart and makes a problem for me.

I take a look at behind a hedge and down a dip on the right side of the road. I am almost tempted but am not totally happy. I take a gamble and move towards the Interstate with it’s louder and louder humming traffic with my every footstep. I can see the trucks turning onto and off the ramps in the distance. I am thinking if I don’t find a decent campsite I can always come back.

Then almost immediately to my left I see a field with a barbed wire gate. I open the gate and carefully hook it closed with its barbed hook. It looks like a private road or a ranch, or a field where workers used to work in a forest that is now denuded. There are various shapes of cactus everywhere. This is incredibly beautiful. I am watching carefully where I put my every step! I wheel Nirvana well off the jeep track and hide as best as I can behind some bushes. There are prickly thorns everywhere. Every time I put something down it is covered in these thorns. They are in my shoes and socks, my clothing and inside Nirvana. They are a nightmare.

Darkness which is about an hour away is my best hope of invisability. I pitch my tent in about ten minutes. I no longer use the fly sheet. I have been told by many people it only rains here about three times a year. It is nice to look out of the vent mesh of my tent as I lie on my back staring at the stars. I sit outside on my sleeping bag for a while and watch the sun drop down over the horizon. The desert is so beautiful at this time of night, despite the roaring of the on off ramp of the freeway. It’s a constant roar but I somehow manage to block it out of this incredible experience.

****************************************

I couldn’t believe how easy it was running on the Interstate. I have always noticed that when a road surface improves to perfect condition that my mile time drops by about two minutes per mile. Here I was just creaming it all day. It was so easy and effortless. I was of course running in the hard shoulder and with the traffic at my back this time. Even though the wind, as usual was against me this was negated by the sheer volume of trucks that blasted me with a stronger tailwind as they sped by. I noticed in these gas and diesel cost-conscious times here in the USA that many of the trucks are blatantly slip streaming each other in an obvious dangerous effort to consume less fuel.

The sheer truck volume astonished me. I have been equally astonished when seeing freight trains in the mid-west. They often had over 100 carriages, many loaded two tiers high, carrying the trailers of all the well known freight companies as well as the delivery companies of the likes of Fed-Ex, UPS and United States Postal Service. This country literally runs on wheels. No wonder gas is such an issue here.

The traffic was never ending from dawn to dusk. I expected to be honked off the road all day long but only about 10 honked. Nor did I have my expected visit from the Highway Patrol.

I stopped in Quartzsite for an early lunch at around 10.45 but had so much to do on the internet that it ended up being a late one, I didn’t get back running till around 3pm.

While I was there a man sat down beside me with his laptop on his lap and said.

” Tony Mangan I am looking at you on your site now and see you are running towards California now! ”

” Yes I am indeed. Thanks for your interest. ”

” Let me introduce myself, My name is Brad. If you keep running on the interstate you will have a problem when you get to the Californian side. I presume you have permission to run here but do you have any permission for over there? ”

” I just have a name and phone number of an officer in the Californian Highway Patrol Customer Service and he has not returned my call yet… ”

” You may have difficulties there as it’s a bit like crossing a regular border when you cross over and they don’t have a sense of humour. ”

So, I settled down to some route restructuring. I will be out of the difficult area when I get close to the state line in a couple of hours. I decided I would forget about running on the Interstate to Blythe, Ca. Instead when I get to Ehreberg at the line. I will take some Arizonan frontage and back roads that will take me south to Palo Verde, Ca. It will be roughly the same mileage, more interesting I am sure and hopefully hassle free!

Just as I was packing up to go Brad gave me a $20 bill for my dinner! I had a huge pizza, pint of ice cream and other goodies that night in the Flying J Truck Stop in Ehrenberg on the Californian line… Thanks Matey for dinner and some great advice

Before that I have my first opportunity to take a shower in five days! A new record for the run. In the truck stop truckers lounge a thoughtful trucker left the door for the next grateful unwashed! I left it open also.

Just over 50km in effortless running, if every day was this easy

Time for bed… I stayed in the truck stop that night… Until morning, at least >> Californian Dreaming. will have to wait.

SNAKES OF ARIZONA

The run to Aquila was pretty routine. Half the sky was deep blue but the sun was trapped under a white cloud for most of the day giving me some relief from the heat. The cacti also became more and more interesting the deeper I run into this wonderful Arizona desert. Some of the cactus grows very tall just like trees, which people have planted around their houses.

The magic letter didn’t work in Jim’s Buro Motel as Ricky the owner said it costs $15 just to clean out a room after a guest has left, so my $20 offer was not acceptable. I believed him as this is a figure I have been quoted a couple of times in the past. Instead he offered me a corner of his field to pitch my tent for free. In his office I noticed an ominous picture poster captioned: SNAKES OF ARIZONA!

I had pitched the tent as opposed to sleeping out under the stars in my bivy for this very reason. I have ordered a new bivy with a vent mesh so as I can zip up completely and breathe properly!

As I strode across the dark motel yard I was watching my every step all the way to my tent. Everyone tells me to avoid the long tall grass, but that is usually where I operate!

Inside my poorly lit tent while I was arranging my baggage into a pillow, I got the fright of my life and nearly woke the whole town up, when a long red bungee strap fell onto my lap!

I was all packed up and ready to hit the road by 7am. The cafe I was camped beside did not open till 8am so I decided to see what else was available for breakfast in town.

At the far end of town I met yet another Aussie cyclist, my third in a week. This one is called Shane and lives in Phoenix. He is making a short trip from San Diego back to Phoenix. He told me he has seen many rattlers on the road and has videoed them.

” But I have only seen two dead ones, run over by cars. ” I said.

” Well perhaps your cart scares them off the road? I can get up to them pretty fast and quietly on my bike as they come out onto the shoulder and zoom in with my camera. I got some good footage! ”

” Whaaaaaattttt! ” I stammer.

We walk back to the cafe I was camped beside and wait a few minutes for them to open.

Shane treats me to breakfast but after what he has said I feel like changing for a drier pair of pants!

***

After a picnic lunch by the side of the road I am running along on the left, towards the traffic in the hard shoulder when a silver car zooms by well over a hundred miles an hour and shocks the bejesus out of me! There has been very little traffic on the road and I never heard it coming so I shook my fist madly. Suddenly I realize the silver car stays on the left side of the road just as a white camper van is coming towards it. It looks like it going to be a head on collision. Just in the nick of time the white camper moves to his left. As he comes towards me moving nervously back onto the right side of the road I make a shocked gesture but I suppose he is also too shocked to stop or respond. He goes on his way. I wonder was it someone driving fast and close to scare the wits out of me and perhaps the prank backfired by him almost running into the white camper. I called 911 but didn’t get much satisfaction.

But my day of shocks was not yet over as an hour up the road I saw my very first live snake out on the road about half a meter roadside of the white shoulder line, just about right for the next truck to run right over it. I don’t know which species it was and I certainly wasn’t going to do a forensic exam to find out. I stopped to take a photo, on my zoom lens, I hasten to add. It was greyish about a meter long but coiled up in about 3 or 4 loops. It was sitting up about ankle high hissing and looking ready to strike. It’s body was about a centimeter thick. I never thought of zapping it with my dog deterrent (ultrasound) device to see if there was a reaction.

The snake looked a bit bewildered and didn’t seem to know how to get off the road. I decided to let nature look after nature and took a ( very ) wide berth of it!

I ran through Wenden and at the far end of town stopped at the Highway Patrol Office. Shane had told me he had cycled across on Interstate 10 and saved about 45 miles by not having to ride north to Parker and back south again. I could make the same saving, it would mean about two days saved running for me.

A very friendly officer called Harry was just going out on patrol as I ran into the Highway Patrols fenced compound. He invited me into his office so as we could consult a large detailed wall map of Arizona. I made some notes. From Wenden it’s about a 50km run to the start of the interstate. I will do about an hour tonight and the rest tomorrow and then roughly another 50km on Interstate 10 west I will run on Wednesday, that should be fun. This will take me up to the Californian state line. Harry gave me my food stop mile markers.

He then rang his boss and asked for permission for me to run on the freeway.

” Yes Sarge he knows that regulation that when no other road option is available to a cyclist or pedestrian they are permitted onto a controlled access highway. ”

” Yes Sarge he is wearing a high-vis vest, I just wanted it on your head and not mine! ” Said Harry down the phone line to the main man of the western Arizona Highway Patrol.

It sounded to me like this is something they don’t like to make common knowledge of. I also heard a comment along the lines of… The regulation is drawn up so as vagrants and transients won’t be camped out along the highway. ( And presumably experienced and competent travelers can be trusted to make a quick and safe hassle-free passage and exit . )

I took a note of the Main Man’s name and badge number, just in case as Harry had mentioned I still may get a visit from a Highway Patrol officer when the idiots behind the wheels start hooting and phoning his office about a mad man running up the wrong side of the highway pushing a baby.

I promise you before this trip is finished I will put the biggest doll I can find into Nirvana and push it down a highway with a smile as wide a national lottery winner

But Wednesday on Interstate 10 south won’t be the day!

” Remember now Tony… If they honk, no rude hand gestures! ”

” Sure Harry! I will just wave and say thanks for wishing me luck! ”

So I told Harry about the mad driver in the silver car and my 911 call.

He mentioned there were many calls about that incident but nothing to report as of yet.

He also said that the magic time for him on patrols is 2.30pm and 2.30am as drivers are often very sleepy after a large lunch or during a long night journey.

I asked Harry where the library was as I wanted to logon to the internet. He let me use his office computer for an hour while he worked on his reports on another computer behind me.

” You mind if I turn on some AC, I mean air conditioning Tony? ”

I’m thinking of the hot road ahead in Arizona and the Californian deserts. Highway to Hell.

Two minutes later.

” You mind if I crank up some music on my cell phone Tony? It’s amazing the things we can do with phones these days. ”

” No not at all! I miss good music, had my ipod stolen in Flagstaff. ”

” What you going to play Harry? ”

” AC/DC Ok? ” He said.

” You got… Highway to Hell there? ” >> PLAY

” Sure thing.. ”

And then Harry was pumping out one of my favorite tunes. No Harry I don’t mind you turning on some AC.

Then he gets a call and has to leave in a rush. So I got to go too.

” The next town west of here is Salome about an hours run for you. Go to the Cactus Bar they have wifi there. ”

So I spent the night hanging out in the Cactus bar and restaurant and got talking to the bartender Steffany who stood me my Pepsi’s for the evening. She said she saw me on the road and also the mad driver. About 10 miles from where I encountered the silver car she was still driving down the wrong side of the highway. Steffany also met her. She said it was a female driver in her forties and was in fact driving a gold coloured Cadillac. I really thought it was silver coloured but Steffany said it was definitely gold coloured. She said the woman almost drove her off the road. It was particularly scarry as she had her young child with her. The deranged driver almost toppled a motor home.

(WEEKS LATER STEFFANY SENT ME THIS MESSAGE >> HEY TONY THIS IS STEFFANY FROM SALOME AZ.  I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THE LADY THAT ALMOST RAN YOU OVER AND ALMOST RAN ME OFF THE ROAD ON HWY 60 IN MAY NEVER WAS ARRESTED.  IT NEVER SHOWED UP IN THE LOCAL ARREST REPORTS.  HOPE YOU ARE MEETING A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE AND WE WISH YOU A GREAT JOURNEY!  TAKE CARE!)

I asked Steffany if I could pitch my tent in the parking lot.

“No problem but I don’t think the snakes will be out tonight as it’s a bit too cold for them. ”

” Yes but you better make sure you got a good tent anyway to keep out the other things! ” Said her friend Nicole just as I was leaving.

” Ottttthhhher things?? ”

” Yes we got some scorpions around too and maybe a few tarantulas! ”

” Are they venomous? ”

” Only some but you may be lucky! ”

” Ok girls have a nice night, I hope to see you in the morning. ”

As I was setting up the tent I was thinking of those lovely cold blizzards of Maine, Ma. and New York that I ran through. The harshest winter in American history and I ran through it. Wasn’t it fun!

Winter running has a lot going for it. No bears, snakes, scorpions, terranchulas, deer bourne ticks, lyme disease, heat stroke etc. It is so much easier to run in the cold. You just put on extra clothing but in the heat you got all this and if it’s too hot you can take off all your clothes, dance around and you are still hot!

Oh For a lovely nice blizzard and not a lizard in sight