Pack up went quickly, and I followed the same path out that I'd followed in. Then I crossed the road to Starbucks and began an eleven hour work session, to catch up two of the three blog posts.
Consequently, I took no pictures on this day, nor did I run into any interesting situations. Feeling pretty hungry by the end of the day, I walked up to a place called Sonny's BBQ and got some dinner. Great place; very down home cooking. Not for vegetarians. By the time I'd finished dinner it was very dark out, with rain clouds rolling in. I wanted to get set up before the precipitation began.
I was back at the sleep spot by about 8:30 pm, and had the tent up quickly. I crawled in soon after, and fell asleep until the first rain drops in the morning woke me.
* * * * * * *
As you might be able to tell, this won't be a very long post--since the whole day was described above.
Therefore, I wanted - mostly for my own need to organize - to state my tentative plan while in Athens. This is pretty fluid so far...
THE ATHENS PLAN
PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT JOURNEY
SUPPLIES
Six more months of street level life will require some supplies.
1. Hiking Shoes
These will have to be light, breathable and tough. I've learned the value of a thicker cushioning on the insoles. My last two pairs of boots were not good in this regard. I had to regularly buy gel insoles AND foam insoles. I'm in the market for shoes this time. When I checked out Academy Sports in Mobile, there were many good shoes from which to choose. Ideally, I should have bought some at that time, but was afraid of running out of funds. I will try to buy these within my first week here. There is an Academy Sports + Outdoors Store, only a half mile from my sleep spot.
Budgeted Cost: $40-$80.
These caught my eye...
Merrell® Men's Yokota Trail Ventilator Hiking Shoes$59.99
2. Socks--Heavy, Light
Just like it sounds. Heavier socks are better for long distance walking, light socks are better for short distance walking. One pair of heavy socks and two pair of light socks.
Budgeted Cost: $10-$20.
3. Convertible Pants
The pants I've been wearing for the last six months (Columbia) have been very good. Unfortunately the zipper fly keeps breaking because it is fairly light duty. They are also low-waisted, which can sometimes be uncomfortable and feel awkward. There is only one extra pocket on the right leg. I'd like to have a pocket on each leg. I bought the present pants at Goodwill in Livermore, California for $9.99 (they retail at $50 and up), so I feel I've gotten my money's worth. At Academy there is a pair.
Budgeted Cost: $20-$40
These caught my eye...
Magellan Outdoors™ Men's Back Country Zipoff Nylon Pant$24.99
4. Fleece Jacket
I wore a fleece pullover on the Manifest Destiny Journey. It was very light, soft to use as a pillow at night, warm, but allowed moisture to be kept away from my body, and dried quickly. I really want something like that this time. I'd seen some Columbia jackets in Mobile that looked perfect, but were in the $50 range. It seems I might have missed this better version.
This caught my eye...
Columbia Sportswear Men's Steens Mountain™ Jacket
$29.99
5. Eyeglasses
These are so very important to me. I still have the remains of the pair I happened upon way back in Missouri last year. But they are VERY scratched up. I've put off trying to get new glasses because I'm dubious about how well they will survive my life style. Also, the process is expensive. It is about $60 for an exam at WalMart, and another at least $40 for frames and lenses. That would be at least $100 and would easily exhaust my typical amount of funds (which hover around that amount--for food and operating expenses) for any one week. If anyone would be interested in starting a glasses fund--something I would not have access to until the glasses could be bought (maybe as a WalMart gift card or something?), please let me know. Until I figure out how to deal with this purchase and still be able to eat, I will continue putting it off.
Budgeted Cost: $100-$120
Something like these...
Contour Mens Prescription Glasses, Black/Crystal
Budgeted Cost: $100-$120
Something like these...
Contour Mens Prescription Glasses, Black/Crystal
CREATING AN ITINERARY
The following states will be included in the next Journey...
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
I'd very much like to stick relatively near the coast. There may be a few times when I head inland to visit people, or for other reasons. Since there are six months to cover, and twelve states to travel through (not including Maine), generally, I can imagine visiting one state every two weeks. Naturally other things will come into play. I have already done coastal Massachusetts, for example, so I would go into the western part of the state to get up to Vermont. And although, in this same way, I will try to see different areas from what I covered last year, I may elect (for nostalgic reasons) to check out some of the places I walked through before. I'd especially like to find my Android phone. I know it would be unlikely to still work, but it contains a MicroSD card, with photos of the very beginning of the Manifest Destiny Journey which were never published. I think the card might have survived.
Anyway, an extremely rough idea for the itinerary - one that will be honed down in the next two weeks - could be...
With something like the above, I would be able to be delayed by two days a week, pushing the schedule forward by that amount each week, and still end up in Portland, Maine by June 21, 2016. It allows for a 27 day cushion. We all know there will be problems and delays. By having the cushion I can stay in a place longer than planned if that is what is required.
Now I need to pin down the towns I will visit from week to week--a changeable thing. But I have to have SOME kind of plan to follow. No project works without a plan. That is going to be a major challenge, and will be likely to take at least a whole day's worth of work.
The following states will be included in the next Journey...
Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
I'd very much like to stick relatively near the coast. There may be a few times when I head inland to visit people, or for other reasons. Since there are six months to cover, and twelve states to travel through (not including Maine), generally, I can imagine visiting one state every two weeks. Naturally other things will come into play. I have already done coastal Massachusetts, for example, so I would go into the western part of the state to get up to Vermont. And although, in this same way, I will try to see different areas from what I covered last year, I may elect (for nostalgic reasons) to check out some of the places I walked through before. I'd especially like to find my Android phone. I know it would be unlikely to still work, but it contains a MicroSD card, with photos of the very beginning of the Manifest Destiny Journey which were never published. I think the card might have survived.
Anyway, an extremely rough idea for the itinerary - one that will be honed down in the next two weeks - could be...
Georgia - 12/21/15 to 12/23/15
South Carolina - 12/23/15 to 1/6/16
North Carolina - 1/6/16 to 1/20/16
Virginia - 1/20/16 to 2/3/16
Washington DC - 2/3/16 to 2/17/16
Delaware - 2/17/16 to 3/2/16
Maryland - 3/2/16 to 3/16/16 to
New Jersey - 3/16/16 to 3/30/16
New York - 3/30/16 to 4/13/16
Massachusetts - 4/13/16 to 4/27/16
Vermont - 4/27/16 to 5/11/16
New Hampshire - 5/11/16 to 5/25/16
Maine - 6/21/16
With something like the above, I would be able to be delayed by two days a week, pushing the schedule forward by that amount each week, and still end up in Portland, Maine by June 21, 2016. It allows for a 27 day cushion. We all know there will be problems and delays. By having the cushion I can stay in a place longer than planned if that is what is required.
Now I need to pin down the towns I will visit from week to week--a changeable thing. But I have to have SOME kind of plan to follow. No project works without a plan. That is going to be a major challenge, and will be likely to take at least a whole day's worth of work.
GETTING A MAINE STATE ID
This requires calling the dreaded DMV office in Biddeford, Maine. Ugh!
I've been procrastinating on this for so long, because my calling ability (using Google Voice) is sometimes unreliable--cutting out. And, with these government bureaucracies, well, you know how it is; twenty minute waits, transfers between departments, people who don't know what other people know in the same organization, etc... I will try though.
The problem all along has been that, normally, a person can renew a license online from anywhere. But, because I am glasses restricted, and over forty years old, my first new renewal after that point MUST have me there in person to take a current eye test. Obviously that hasn't been possible. But I'm hoping that I can transfer my license info over to a regular State of Maine picture ID. Presumably this should be possible. They could use my old picture (unless they will accept a new one), print up the ID and send it to me via general delivery wherever I might be. They may require a birth certificate, so that is another bureaucratic process involving calling the Portland Court and paying for a copy. I'm not even sure any of this can be done without me being there in person--which sucks.
I've just have to bite the bullet and try. I hate this kind of stuff, but it would change the whole next journey for me to be able to confidently buy a motel room wherever I am. As it is now, I don't usually try, because I know they will reject me on the basis of my expired ID.
Budgeted Cost: $20-$50
SENDING ITEMS BACK TO MAINE
This requires calling the dreaded DMV office in Biddeford, Maine. Ugh!
I've been procrastinating on this for so long, because my calling ability (using Google Voice) is sometimes unreliable--cutting out. And, with these government bureaucracies, well, you know how it is; twenty minute waits, transfers between departments, people who don't know what other people know in the same organization, etc... I will try though.
The problem all along has been that, normally, a person can renew a license online from anywhere. But, because I am glasses restricted, and over forty years old, my first new renewal after that point MUST have me there in person to take a current eye test. Obviously that hasn't been possible. But I'm hoping that I can transfer my license info over to a regular State of Maine picture ID. Presumably this should be possible. They could use my old picture (unless they will accept a new one), print up the ID and send it to me via general delivery wherever I might be. They may require a birth certificate, so that is another bureaucratic process involving calling the Portland Court and paying for a copy. I'm not even sure any of this can be done without me being there in person--which sucks.
I've just have to bite the bullet and try. I hate this kind of stuff, but it would change the whole next journey for me to be able to confidently buy a motel room wherever I am. As it is now, I don't usually try, because I know they will reject me on the basis of my expired ID.
Budgeted Cost: $20-$50
SENDING ITEMS BACK TO MAINE
The small amount of items I've collected (seeds, nick nacks, bits of jewelry, and other memorabilia--like my Boston Red Sox shirt), need to be sent back to my sister, Deb, in Maine.
Budgeted Cost: $10
Budgeted Cost: $10
EXPLORING THE TOWN
Finally, in between all of these side projects, I'd still like to really get to know Athens, with pictures, videos and commentary, as a final set of posts for this current Journey.
That's pretty much it! I actually did most of this post yesterday, but never published it. Now I will still need to get today's regular post published in order to be caught up.
* * * * * * *
_______________________________________________________________________
PLEASE CLICK ON OUR SPONSOR ADS BELOW FOR GREAT DEALS!
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
PLEASE CLICK ON OUR NON-PROFIT CAUSES TO SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY!
_______________________________________________________________________
Support Dawna Lamson's Simply Smiles fundraising campaign!
From her page...
Help me support Simply Smiles by making a donation to my Win A Trip campaign! With your help, you can send me to Oaxaca, Mexico or the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota to work with Simply Smiles. The process is fast, easy, and secure. I truly appreciate any support you can provide. And, no matter the outcome, it will benefit a great cause!
If you can't make a donation at this point, help me reach my goal by sharing this page on Facebook and Twitter! Or, even better, send an e-mail to friends you think might be interested in contributing and include a link to my page!
Thanks so much for your generosity!
This will be a wonderful opportunity for Dawna to provide a brighter future for impoverished children, their families, and their communities. It's easy to give! Just click on Dawna's picture below.
_______________________________________________________________________
At first I clicked on "Simply Smiles" but
ReplyDeleteglad I kept going to click on Dawna's picture
to share HER request on behalf of "Simply Smiles".
Thanks. It's good to know about the confusion. I'll remove the link in her title!
Delete