The Safari

I figured today’s walk would be the easiest of the first week. It was only 15 miles from Albany to Muncie, the skies were overcast – which meant that I would avoid being charbroiled – and the temperatures were only in the upper 70′s.

I figured wrong.

The local law enforcement agencies along our route have gone out of their way to accommodate us. They’ve provided advice on routes, guidance, and even escort cars to make sure our trip goes smoothly and that I don’t get flattened by wayward motorists, but because of a communications snafu and a couple of accidents on US 67 we didn’t have an escort today. For most of today’s trek, that wasn’t an issue. I simply walked against the traffic rather than with it, and with the exception of nearly getting sucked up into the vacuum provided by a couple of enormous semis that roared by, I had no problem at all. Until I hit the outskirts of Muncie.

Muncie is an older town, and for long stretches coming in from the north there are no sidewalks, no shoulders on the road, and consequently no real place to walk. This forced me to rely on my knowledge of the area and my wits, which left me at a severe disadvantage. Still, what I lack in savvy I make up for in determination, so I set out to figure a way into town despite the obvious obstacles. Turns out that my options were limited to wading through a jungle of waist high weeds and assorted grasses for about half a mile. Now, I’m not an outdoor type, and I live in mortal fear of snakes and other crawly type critters. I’m aware that the snakes in this part of the country are almost universally harmless, but phobias know no logic. As a result, I was certain that every step I took through this threatening stretch of landscape would result in my stepping on a water moccasin or an anaconda and that I would perish less than 80 miles into the journey. In addition to that, I was continuously assaulted by bats and pterodactyls as they rose up out of the weeds and assessed my viability as a possible late afternoon snack. In retrospect, it occurs to me that these bats and pterodactyls were probably really moths and butterflies, but that reality left me no less traumatized.

In the end, I persevered and finally made my way to the Marsh store on West McGalliard in Muncie, where we had another nice crowd waiting, and Connie and Debbie from Marsh made sure that we stocked with provisions, and Michelle fixed us a nice meal in the deli area. Almost made it worth wading through the snakes and deadly birds.

Before I wrap this up, I want to thank Scott the RV Driver and the folks at Wheaton. Scott leaves us tonight to go back to his real job, and without him (and Wheaton) this trip would have been in peril. We had an unexpected driver crisis at the start of the trip, and Wheaton – which has long been a major advocate of the Indiana Children’s Wish Fund – stepped in and lined up a driver for us. Scott did a great job, navigating through the first week of the trip and learning the nuances of the Camping World RV on the fly, and I owe him a great deal of thanks.

Tomorrow is our first day off. We’re back at it Monday, heading from Muncie to New Castle. I was a little reluctant to hit New Castle, as I’ve been bitter for a number of years that I’m not yet in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame there, but the behind the scenes types that are really the driving force behind this project reminded me that I’m an egomaniac and that I should pull my head out of….well, you get the idea.

Sunday’s Journey: None

Mileage: None

On the iPod: Nothing

The Galaxy S camera has arrived. Starting Monday, my photos and videos will be posted on this site. For now, you can find them on my Facebook page (Mark Joseph Boyle).