This morning we left our plush room at the Best Western of Graham, and made our way back into the unknown. Whenever we have a set place for more than a day its tough getting back on the road, but we got up, got ready and got on our way. Danny, a co-worker of Ben and Amy picked us up and brought us back to outside of New Caste where we finished yesterday.
We got running at 8:40, and got a solid 17 miles in by noon. Today was a very interesting run in terms of scenery. The vegetation and landscape has been slowly changing the last few weeks but today it made a drastic change. Cacti were everywhere, and we saw trees and bushes the likes of which we've never seen. We're all captivated by what we've seen so far, and we know its only going to get better through New Mexico and Arizona.
We took a quick sit down break with 8 miles to go and relaxed on the side of the road. We had a make-shift lunch of peanut butter crackers, trail mix and Gatorade. Andy whipped out the GPS and looked ahead to Throckmorton to see what it had to offer in terms of food. There were 4 restaurants according to the GPS so Andy called ahead to see when they'd be open until. A lot of small towns we've been through close up shop at 2pm, so we wanted to see if that trend would continue in Throckmorton. Out of the 4 places we called 1 answered, and told us they close up after lunch at 2pm. We had about an hour and a half to cover 8 more miles, I know that might not sound like much to avid runners, but at the pace we move we had to pick it up a little bit.
Being out on the road we figure out interesting ways to make the time go by. Some times we name characters from early 90's TV shows, some of the highlights including Waldo of Family Matters and J.T. of Step By Step. Another thing we like to is race for the last minute of our 4 minute running segments. As anyone who knows us could tell you, its obvious who the fastest is, me, Durkin. Ken and Andy have been getting sneaky, creeping up on me when I don't know how much time is left, or racing me when I don't know we're racing. Today there was a segment I knew we were racing, but I really didn't care. Ken and Andy were battling, Ken pushing a jogger, Andy not. Ken pushed on ahead and Andy let him go, Ken was celebrating but at the same time letting Andy know there was still a minute left. I laughed and kept going at a normal pace, until something about the way Ken was dancing got to me. He had about 50 meters on me and I had about 40 seconds to decide if I wanted to catch him, I did. I started moving the fastest I have on the trip, and yelled to Andy to take the jogger from me. I passed it off to him and got into some mean sprint mechanics! Arms at 90 degrees, knees up, never landing on my heels. I was in hot pursuit of Ken, and got within about 10 meters of him before he realized I was coming. He started moving and I wasn't sure I'd be able to catch him in the time allotted. I kept pushing and kept pushing and eventually got right up next to him. We battled for a few seconds and eventually I surged past him. It feels so good to have that come from behind victory under my belt. Sure I could have pulled a muscle, or we could have injured each other in the hustle and bustle of the race, but it was worth it.
After the great race we had about 2 miles to go on the day. We got closer and closer to town and noticed a very large cross on the hillside. It was a very impressive sight, and the picture definitely won't do it justice. The cross was 20 feet tall and about 14 feet wide and was made completely out of beer cans. We really couldn't see that it was made out of beer cans, we learned that from our friend Greg who we met later in the day, we'll get to him later.
We made it into town and found our way to The Country Cow Cafe. Our strollers and running clothes acted as an immediate conversation starter with the folks at the cafe. People had all sorts of questions as well as advice about the rest of our route. We talked a lot with Dave and Mary Harris, the owners of the cafe. They spent a lot of their days in Arizona and New Mexico. They told us all about the scenery and wildlife we'll see in the upcoming months. As if we weren't excited enough to get into these far west states, this conversation got us even more psyched! Dave and Mary were very supportive of our trip, and right before we asked for the check, told us the meal was on the house. You can really tell when people understand why we're running across the country, and these folks definitely did.
After lunch we made our way around town, trying to find a place to stay, and looking for the post office as Throckmorton was one of our pre-planned care package stops. We've called ahead to post offices, one every two weeks. This is where we replenish our supply of running shoes and candy bars. We made it to the post office and picked up our packages. Ken got a care package from Claire, Andy got a care package with a sweet bracelet from Kaitlyn, and I got my new Saucony Tangent 3s, a weather radio and some Easter goodies from my parents. As well as the packages Andy and Ken got a postcard I sent out back in Arkansas. It simply said "NATION! 3/5/08". We were making a pretty big scene, emptying out the jogger to make room for our new gear, while sending back some old gear. Everyone that walked through the door asked us what we were doing, and they were all very supportive of our dream. One woman in particular, Angie, was very interested in what we were doing. She asked us where we planned on staying for the night, and as soon as she found out we had nothing she offered for us to stay at her house. We immediately accepted her offer, finished our business at the post office, packed up and made our way to her house. She told us she had to go back to work, but we could make ourselves at home. We took some quick showers and watched some classic episodes of Seinfeld. A little bit before Angie got back home, her husband Greg came in. Ken and I were a little worried at first, as we didn't know that he knew we were here. Fortunately for us he did and he introduced himself to us.
Around 5 Angie got back from work and made us a delicious spaghetti and meat sauce dinner with corn on the cob, salad and garlic bread. We all had heaping helpings, followed by some outstanding banana pudding. Throughout dinner Greg and Angie discussed our route with us, and brainstormed about who they knew down the road who could help us out. They were able to get us connections for the next two nights! Did I mention I love Texas? On the topic of places I love, Greg and Angie told us they drove to South Carolina to bring their son to college in December and took a very similar route to the one we've been running. Along the way they stopped and spent the night in Columbus, Georgia, great choice!
After dinner Greg took us on a tour of Throckmorton. We first went to The Lazy T Lodge. An old hotel that was built in the 1910's that was recently remodeled and put back in business. The place was amazing. Basically, it was a self served bed and breakfast. Guest would check in and be left alone for the rest of the night. There were 8-10 different bedrooms and baths, a kitchen, dining room, living room and game room that guest could fully use while staying. It had a classic log cabin type of feel to it with different animal heads on the walls.
Next we saw the high school complete with there football field. This might not sound very interesting but this high school plays 6 man football instead of 11. They only put 6 guys on the field at one time and everyone is eligible to catch a pass or run the ball, even the center. They play 4 - 10 minute quarters on a 80 yard field. It is also 15 yards to a first down instead of 10. Field goals are worth 4 points and if you score and kick the extra point it is worth 2 points because its so much harder to block the defenders. If you run or pass the ball and score the extra point it is only worth 1. The high school won the state title in 2005 and Greg showed us the statue outside of the stadium. It was really neat.
After we checked out the high school Greg brought us out to the Lake and gave us a closer look at the cross. It was then that we learned it was made out of cans, you never know what you're gonna see out here.
We came back home and have been relaxing ever since. We saw a girl on Deal or No Deal take $341,000 when she had a cool million sitting in her case, what a dumby. After that Greg showed us some DVDs of his son playing 6-Man football. You really have to see it to get the full effect.
We're going to get to bed pretty soon. We have a pretty big day ahead of us tomorrow, its looking to be about 33 miles. Luckily Angie is getting up early to make us a breakfast which I'm sure will be delicious. Also Greg got in touch with his friend Billy who lives out near Haskell and he is going to help us get a place to stay for the night.
I still love this trip, and I still love you all!
love,
Durkin
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