‘Nough said☺☺☺☺☺☺

My feet are still not better, so I only logged about 13 miles Tuesday. I made it to Brunswick, which leaves me 45 miles to the Florida Motel, and two days to get there. The Florida Motel is just across the state line and has been on my radar for awhile, so today I will try to get halfway there, put up my tent, and then just will myself the rest of the way on Thursday. What helps is the people who wave, or beep as they see me on the roads, or in the case of one couple yesterday stopping to give me a donation! This particular couple had seen me on the news (WTOC), and then recognized me as they passed me on the road so they turned around and we had a great impromptu discussion about MS right there on the side of the road.

By the way, I continue to be amazed at what I stumble across as I wander through the wilderness. In a moment of doubt enroute to Darien the other day I came across the smallest church in America. I know this because there was sign that said so!

Unlocked and ready for my visit

Will wonders never cease?

Thanks to everyone for helping me get closer to the end of this incredible trip…and send good vibes to my feet 🙂

After a cold night in the woods, and a tough day on my feet, I was looking forward to the Super8 in downtown Darien Georgia. Both my feet have developed corns (on my little toes), and despite treating and wrapping them they still hurt when I run…and even when I walk. so as I made my way to where Google said the Super8 would be giddy in anticipation of a hot shower and a comfortable bed, I became increasingly concerned that the spot where I was supposed to see a Super8 looked more like an office building! Indeed, as I got to the listed address it was the Darien Municipal building….no shower or bed in sight. After a call to Super8 they confirmed that they are NOT in downtown Darien, but rather just off I95 a few miles north west of town (it would have been nice if they had shared that when I called about room availability).

So there I sat, outside the municipal building, on a bench, in the dark, getting bit by bugs. I scanned the map for another option and found three…two Inns, and a B&B. Both the Inns were booked for the night so it was down to my last option, the Open Gates Bed & Breakfast…with the only alternative being a gypsie spot in the bushes of the municipal building.

…And then Zac Rath saved the day! The owner of the Open Gates B&B had a room and found pity on my situation. Ten minutes later I was sitting in a beautiful home right in the heart of Darien…with a beautiful BED!

What’s more, it turns out Zac is a master chef so the next morning the other guests and I feasted on an AMAZING breakfast!

I could definitely get used to this! But alas it was time to go, so a couple pics with Zac and the other guests and I was back into the fray.

If you’re ever in Darien you MUST stay at the Open Gates B&B. You’ll be glad you did 🙂

As tempertures across the east coast have fallen to their lowest levels since last march, Georgia temps have dropped into the lower 40’s at night and only recovering to the high 60’s during the day. That sobering turn of events prompted me to reassess my limited wardrobe. As i left the greater Savanah area i stopped into Target and picked up a long sleave shirt, to accent the long running socks that Bucks County Running Co sent with my last running shoe delivery (you’re a genious Rick). I also added a Finish MS shirt and hat to my clothing arsenal courtesy of the MS Society (thanks Maria). To make room i jettisoned my yellow tech T-shirt, and my florescent green cotton T-shirt as well as two pair of worn socks, and my Bucks County Running Co hat…all of which have served me well…but were done.

Now it’s a race to warmer weather and the last state on my list, FLORIDA!

Last night, as i was frezzing in my tent, i noticed on accuweather that just 40 miles south of where i am was 10 degrees warmer, and 80 miles south was 30 degrees warmer.
FLORIDA HERE I COME☺

So, an eventful few days since I last posted! First I wanted to mention that while in Charleston I had an opportunity to visit the church that was at the center of the shootings earlier this year that ultimately led to the removal of the confederate flag from the capital grounds in South Carolina.


It has been months since the shootings but there were still a number of people coming to pay their respects on a random Saturday in October…including me. All this despite the continued weather issues facing the state! It was humbling and inspiring all at once.

After Charleston however I still needed to find my way out of the flooding…and that proved to be more difficult than I thought it would. The rains had stopped by Saturday evening, but the historic rains had created a significant time delay on when the various rivers would crest. On my way from Charleston to Jacksonboro I still needed to pass thorough the Edisto River watershed, and cross the Edisto River…which was set to crest Sometime Sunday. Everywhere I went I saw scenes like this

Unfortunately, along this part of rt17 the shoulder of the road is NOT GOOD!…about 3″. And the grass to the side of that has not been cut in weeks because of the flooding……Soooooooo, I thought I would take a short cut. There was a road showing up on my phone map that appeared to run parallel to the road I was on, and would have significantly less traffic, so I took it 🙂

I am a genius! The road was perfect, no flooding, no traffic, just open pavement. I ran 4 miles on the road until I came to a crossroad that could take me back to rt17, but why should I do that I said to myself? SO I continued on my genius route for another mile until a came around a bend to see this

Now, some people would think that cutting their losses and doubling back to rt 17 would be the right thing to do in this situation…BUT NOT ME! I forged ahead, unwilling to lose 2 miles of my day to a little bit of water on the road. Unfortunately, while google maps is nearly always correct about half a mile past the minor flooding the paved road turned into a dirt and gravel road…and about a half mile after that it turned into this

and then after I lost my cell service it turned into this

So now that I had no ability to check my map, and I was 2 miles into this this little wilderness adventure I thought it might be time to turn back, but first I wanted to work my way around the tree line a little bit to see if the flooding got better…it didn’t…And that’s when I heard a giant WHOOOSh and I turned to see two birds, one flying away screaching and one being dragged under the water by what I can only assume was an alligator. To be clear I did not SEE the alligator, just LOTS of water flying around…and THAT’s when I decided to get OUT of the water and get the hell out of there! No pics of the last part…for obvious reasons 😉

It turns out I was actually getting closer to Edisto River, and if I had continued on my “path” I would have eventually been swept out to sea and/or been eaten by something. Lesson learned.

I finally did get back on track and passed through Jacksonboro, which is near where a number of scenes from Forrest Gump were shot (including the iconic scene where Momma yells “Run Forrest Run”.

AND FINALLY after weeks of rain in the Carolinas I Crossed the border into Georgia through the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge on a road called Alligator alley

I am going to bed now after a 26 MILE DAY TODAY, but I will post a link to my interview with the WTOC morning news in Savannah (a CBS Affiliate) when it becomes available in the morning…or you can go to www.wtoc.com and stream it on their site. It should run somewhere between 5:00-8-00am.