A Living Magazine - Day 279 - Homecoming - Meredithville to McKenney

Everything was soaked when I woke up. But the rain had stopped and I was able to pack up with no major problems. Getting out of that woods was easier than in. I was on my way to Alberta and beyond...

Another "T'? You have to be kidding?

This place was for sale. Ten acres and a little log cabin.

Panorama of Route 1. I like how the white line makes this look like the shot is split.

As far as you can see is almost one mile. I had about about five of these to go still

to get to Alberta and another twelve to make it to McKenney.

Aren't these something?

Great!

The lawn of Southside Virginia Community College.

Eight as infinity.

Seven Det. Someday I'm going to study civil engineer symbols.

I could not for the life of me remember whether Alberta had a library or not. It had been three days since I was able to check. I knew it was small, but until I walked into town, I had no idea...

At the edge of Alberta I found the only store - gas station - in a twenty mile radius. The first "person" I saw there was this very friendly and cuddly pup...

"Brooks" Resident of this area. Unleashed.

He was such a sweet dog. I was still getting used to the idea that no one leashes their dogs in these counties. I spent some time just giving him a good pet-and-scratch. He was very appreciative and nuzzled me. I think if I had laid down on the ground he would have joined me and just put his head on my lap for a nap. 

After I bought a cheeseburger and potato wedges, I went out to eat them at the side of the parking lot--letting Saggy and my shirt dry. Brooks was quick to join me. He didn't really bug me, or beg me, but just sat there staring and cocking his head back and forth. I assumed that maybe he was a stray. So, I began to write down his phone numbers from the collar. The woman who had sold me the burger, peeked out the door of the place and called out to me, "He's not a stray." Okay.

Before I finished I gave him a bite of the burger. He was very polite and did not get overly excited. Pulling my backpack on again, I noticed he had run off across the highway to a building over there. I guessed that this was just his routine. Bye, Brooks! 

A little farther down the road was a sign pointing left for Alberta's downtown. I hemmed and hawed about whether I should go that way, wondering if it would take me far from the highway. I decided that if I was able to find a library or cafe it would be worth it. So, I went into town... 

There was something almost creepy about this place. There were no cars or people at all on this Saturday morning...

The Alberta Town Square.

The whole main drag was no more than five hundred feet long, and there was no library--surprise, surprise. I still had a lot of road to get down, hoping to make it all the way to McKenny by nightfall, so I went back the way I'd come, to Route 1 and just kept walking north...

This big empty church was longer than the whole downtown area and

covered more square feet than the Town Square.

A look back at Alberta (aka Nowheresburg).

I steeled myself for twelve more miles, having walked eight already;

only six of which had to do with getting north.

Boydton Plank was the other name for Route 1 through Brunswick County.

I had been walking the Plank. Ha!

Wow! Really?

Two hundred eighty seven years ago. When the REAL rough camping used to happen.

Another one. Having a post office - no matter how small -

is what officially qualifies a place as a town.

Eight miles might as well have been eight hundred.

That black barn must be hellaciously hot in the summer.

Looks a combination of "water" and "aqua." 

I'd first heard of Brunswick Stew from Natalie and Jeff Conrad when we went for BBQ

after touring Liz and Logan's self sustaining house. Now I knew its origin.

Right after passing into Dinwiddie County, I ran into my next potential dog attack...

The dog above came rushing down that driveway and nearly straight into the way of a speeding SUV. The car beeped as it passed; a friendly kind of "toot toot." Then the dog started toward my lane. I yelled "NO!" He stopped and kept barking. I saw his idiot owner riding the lawn mower around the yard above. He looked down at the scene but didn't take any kind of action.

I managed to keep walking as the dog decided it was the better part of valor to perhaps extricate himself from the median strip. Again, barely living through crossing back over, he returned to his own side of the road, continuing to bark as he walked away...  

I tried to take a picture of the owner's house and property; thinking I might report it or something...

But, I realized after doing that, just how futile it all was. In a more civilized state something could have probably been done. But Virginia - which was supposed to be "for lovers" - apparently doesn't love its dogs enough to protect them. Nice. Get a puppy, raise it, play with the dog as it ages, feed it, sleep with it, and then watch it be smashed to pieces in front of your house--chasing after the rarest of animals, a walker, just because you are too lazy or stubborn to train it or leash it. The state should be ashamed of itself. I'd never seen such irresponsibility with pets in any other state. A real downer. And, for me, it wouldn't be the last depressing pet story...

Finally, I walked over the McKenney line, found a gas station to buy a Gatorade and looked forward to finding a better sleep spot...

I walked another two miles but grew frustrated by the landscape. It looked like it was going to rain again. Eventually, I just gave in and settled for the next stand of trees. Getting into it was a challenge to say the least as you will see in the video below...

While setting up the tent I'd crouched down and heard my pants rip right down from the butt to my leg--about ten inches. Shit! Thankfully, I wasn't still walking, and also I had a new sewing kit that I'd bought to fix the back pocket a couple weeks before.

I settled into the tent early and got to work on a rudimentary patch. But, also as you will hear in this video, I didn't do the best job of repairing it. Still, it was to last all the way to Petersburg...

I fell asleep after making the video. The ground was uncomfortable, and the skies opened up during the night with rain. I got up when I felt the first leaking drop on my forehead at around 2:00 a.m., pulled the green tarp out from beneath the tent to put over it and also spread the blue hiking tarp over the head section. It stayed dry and so did I.