Manifest Destiny: America from the Bottom Up - Day 13 - Milford, CT to Stratford, CT - Carl Marsden

When I awoke, I poked my head out through the hood of the sleeping bag and saw that everything around me was covered by a thin layer of crystallized frost. All the plants that had been alive the night before were drooping in the sorrowful bowing of death.

The sun wasn't up yet, but the stars were gone and replaced by pale blue, with an orange line across the eastern horizon. The air was very still and my breath hung there in clouds that gently rose toward the sky. My coats and boots were still on, but I'd taken my gloves off during the night. The last thing I wanted to do was get out of that sleeping bag. But, I bit the bullet, because I had to make it down the hill before people started waking up in the houses around me.

I scrambled out and stood up, fished out my gloves and then quickly rolled up the sleeping bag. After stuffing that in the pack, I folded up the tarp, which was stiff and frozen. The sleeping bag naturally allows condensation out, and that moisture combined with the frost completely covering the tarp. It was a relatively quick pack up, but my fingertips were completely numb by the time I headed down the hill.

I had an appointment to meet my online friend and hardy supporter, Carl Marsden, in person for the first time. It was a short walk to Dunkin Donuts, but still very early in the morning. I wouldn't be meeting Carl until noon. I was excited to speak with this man. He had supported my crazy adventures all the way back to 2011, when he bought a laptop for me.

Carl Marsden

From his Facebook profile.

I worked all morning and by the time he arrived the place was filled with people. I wanted to record our conversation and I did, but the background noise was too loud during most of it. He gave me an orange which I ate while we talked.

Carl has had an interesting life. He realized he had certain “abilities” early on. He had some fantastic dreams that helped him re-adjust his outlook on the world. He also is a remote viewer. He helped find the location of a murdered little girl in Missouri with this technique.

He is a tall man, well over six feet with blue eyes and a mischievous grin. He's never been much for conventional thinking. But, he's done alright in the world of conventional business, having an interest in many different projects. He gives to causes to really help people, not just to assist them. He and I share a similar Cosmic Philosophy, and we talked about how different people approach it. Carl is much different in person than he is in writing. This was to be true with all the online friends I ended up meeting in person.

He is full of energy and very well-spoken. He has a wisdom that he shares when it is appropriate. Both of us are full of new ideas all the time, so Carl and I could really have a meeting of the minds. It would be nice to hang out with Carl in a more relaxed environment where we could really talk freely. The next time I'm in Connecticut I will surely look him up.

The time came for him to leave. He had driven an hour to meet with me and was about to drive an hour back, possibly stopping to look at a boat that he's interested in. As I watched him drive away I had the distinct feeling that I would see him again someday. He had many dreams that he intimated might have to do with my journey.

The one I can recall best has to do with the unseen companion I've mentioned a few times, who walked along with me. The companion has no face as we would recognize it. And that is what he described to me, without us even discussing it before. I listened to Carl, because I have felt that presence and had similar dreams. It was reassuring to know that somebody else could sense this strange aspect of my adventure out on the streets of America. Carl will remain one of my adopted uncles.

I stayed at Dunkin Donuts for about a half hour longer and then realized I had to be on my way. I wanted to reach Bridgeport by nightfall, but I was dubious as to whether that would be realistic now.

The day had not warmed much. I had a three hour walk to get to Bridgeport. But by the time I was about to cross the Housatonic River, after only an hour and a half of walking, the sky was darkening again. I stopped at the last Dunkin Donuts before the river to check Google Earth for any spots around the area to camp. I couldn't see much and wasn't very good at locating sleep spots via Google yet. I did however see that there was a Walmart right after the bridge, in Stratford. After the night before, I really wanted a blanket of some sort that I could keep over me in the sleeping bag. That way even on very cold nights I could take my jacket off and be more comfortable.

So, I just headed to Walmart to buy my blanket and figured I would punt on the sleep spot. There at Walmart, I found a bunch of $5 blankets. They were very soft, light and small enough to carry. I snagged one, paid for it, and headed back out.

When I was crossing the parking lot I saw a homeless guy collapse. By the time I got to him, two other people had reached him and called 911. He was out cold, probably drunk. Realizing that there wasn't much I could do to help, I continued until I reached East Main Street (Route 110), taking a left and then following it while checking down each of the streets that led off to the right along the banks of the river.

It seemed that there should be a camping place, since there were a lot of small wooded lots and a large marsh. But, it just wasn't panning out. There was a beautiful little park, with a nice path, but it was gated off with No Trespassing signs. I was growing frustrated by the time I reached Main Street proper (Route 113). I stood there at the intersection wondering what to do.

As I looked around, I noticed a dark spot, with thick pine branches and a pile of leaves and sticks in front of what looked like an unused path. I slithered in and under the pine branches. It was definitely hidden under the shadows of the street lights.

I was a bit cautious, seeing that this land seemed to belong to a large house. It's driveway ran along side the dark path. It seemed that no one was home though. I waited a while and then laid out my towel. I thought maybe I could just sleep on it with my new blanket over me and not have to deal with the sleeping bag. And so I tried this.

I fell asleep quickly around 8:00 pm, but woke at about midnight shivering. Reluctantly, I pulled out the sleeping bag and climbed in. Oh! It was so nice and warm, especially with the new blanket. That was all I needed to sleep through until morning...

Stratford Sleep Spot