Day 21

Ken here, comin' at'chya from Aliceville, Alabama, our last stop in our second state. We have no cell phone reception, so we have been forced into the world renowned Aliceville Public Library to bring you our 21st day recap. I sit amongst literally...thousands of books just waiting to be read...but alas we haven’t the time or desire to do so. So here goes Day 21:

We awoke this morning at a bright and early 6:45 in Eutaw, Alabama. Most of our stuff was still down at the Independent newspaper office, so getting ready this morning took no more than 15 minutes and we were ready to go by around 7. As we exited the beautiful house we had stayed in last night, we found the conditions to be less than desirable. It was raining and cold. Two things that do not usually add up to happy runners...especially 5-6 hour runners. Yet, as much of a shock the weather gave us, we decided we would prepare ourselves for the day.

Before that though, Rip Banks brought us to a local breakfast diner to fill our tanks for the day. I ordered a fried bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with 2 pancakes and I was good to go. Rip really grilled us, me in particular, on the subject of politics and world affairs...needless to say I was not as versed as he was in the happenings of the world. But we enjoyed the breakfast and the company. Rip then took us over and bought us some Gatorade for the day. After that, we headed back to the Independent to get ready for our 27 mile day in the rain.

We began at around 8:45. The rain was coming down pretty hard, so we all had our rainproof gear on head to foot. Andy's shin has been bothering him for the last couple of days, so we were expecting a pretty slow day from the beginning, but Andy really pushed through the pain and we were all together for the first 4-5 hours. At one point during the day I figured we were moving at exactly 5 miles an hour. Upon further investigation, I timed a certain 5 mile segment, and believe it or not, it was 5 mph to THE SECOND!! Yes, we get bored sometimes out on the open road and these are the things we do...well I do, to keep entertained.

So the day was dragging on, and the rain was relentless. Andy and I were getting more sore by the minute out there today. We were not as smart as we could have been as far as hydration and eating were concerned on this particular day. Fluids and foods were not our main priority, as it took a back seat to warmth and dryness. That, as we found out, was a big mistake. Our muscles and bodies were completely drained after about 23 miles. We walked/ran/limped into Aliceville after a very long and wet day on the road.

We eventually made our water-logged selves to the local Motel in town. We set up shop in room 115! Our new home for the next two nights. We all took amazingly warm and needed showers. Durkin told us that he tried something new in the shower that he had never done before...which consisted of eating a candy bar...he said it was very rewarding!

We then sought out food in the tiny little town. We found our way over a long bridge(once again, in the rain) to Pearson's Diner located on Broad Street. We all had ourselves the BBQ dinner plate, Andy and I also tacked on a Bacon Cheeseburger to start. After all the non-eating that took place, it was nice to play catch up. The employees at the diner were very impressed with our story, we basically were talking to them the entire hour or so that we were there.

From there, you will find our story ending here at the Public Library, which is where I sit as I type this very web update! I am at computer #4! I am without cell phone service, I cannot sign onto Instant Messenger to tell anyone I am alive, and I can't even sign onto facebook :( Oh well. I guess you will all find out that we are all alive and well with this update. We will soon head back to the motel for the night where we will rest and recover for the next day and a half. We have a scheduled day off tomorrow, so we will all be resting up for Saturday, when we will finish our march westward and cross into Mississippi!

Today was a real challenge if you could not tell from my words. The rain did not let up, and even with rainproof pants and coats, you will eventually find water on the inside. After about the 4 hour mark, we started getting colder, but once again we are safe underneath a roof. Our spirits are still high. I mean, when you look at the past 3 weeks of our journey...and you can only find one instance in which we had to battle the harsh rain...you could say that we're doing alright.

That's all the Kenster has for you today. It was a long one, but definitely an unforgettable one. A trip like this will always present us with new challenges from every angle imaginable...but we are all prepared for everything and we will face them with a determined spirit.

Thanks for checking up on us...please feel free to leave us voicemails so that when we have cell phone reception again...whenever that is, we'll have nice happy friends and family wishing us good luck! And sorry for everyone who might have been expecting a phone call tonight that probably won't get one. We still love you all.

-Ken