” 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.

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