We started walking at 5:50 as dawn was breaking. I suggested to Gary that there was a favorable place to cross to the other side of the highway. Gary said nothing then crossed the road. It is our preference to face traffic as we walk unless the shoulder is inadequate for safe walking on the traffic-facing side of the road. We walked a mile or so then Gary stalled his steps to non-verbally alert me to his discovery of coins on the roadside. I picked them up and added them to an ongoing collection that we have. We often find coins on the roadside. I most typically pick them up because it is logistically simpler than it would be for Gary to pick them up. We walked on.

Gary non-verbally communicated that there was a quarter on the ground available to be picked up if I was interested in doing so. I was looking elsewhere, so didn’t notice the gesture. He said, “You didn’t want that quarter?” I said, “I didn’t see it.” Gary walked on. I walked back, reached down and retrieved the quarter. As we approached the support car, Gary crossed the highway to take a 5-mile break. I followed shortly afterward once the traffic had cleared sufficiently for me to safely cross. Gary sat outside of the car talking on the phone. I sat in the car and typed into a journal entry. Mom and I talked about the events of the morning walk.

support car parked on the shoulder of the interstate.Gary and I walked up to join the whole group and to discuss the rules and the safety of our interstate walk. Officer Hanson was sensitive to our mission and our desire to walk the whole west to east direction from LA to St. Louis, however he was more concerned about our safety. In the end, he said that we were not safe, Mom was not safe and technically we were not legally permitted to walk on I-40. Gary said that it is our philosophy to operate within the rules. Officer Hanson acknowledged the spirit of our intent and politely asserted that we would not be permitted to continue our trek on I-40. We thanked him for his concern. We took a couple of pictures. We got into the car, marked our location (by habit, not because it really mattered for our morning return to resume the walk) and headed to the Navajo Travel Center to set up camp. Our total distance for today was 14.8 miles and the after meeting walk was notable for an average pace of 2.8 miles per hour. That pace is a personal best for Gary. He is growing stronger before our eyes.

We popped up the trailer. Gary was kind and cranked the top up. He frequently takes on that job and we are grateful because it is a bit of a brute force activity. Mom made a quirky rendition of chili and rice with the ingredients we had available without a handy grocery store. Gary and I settled in to work on journal entries. We broke our fast with a wonderful meal of chicken chili then completed our routines and settled in for the night. Gary put his tent at the end of the camper. I used the car as a generator to charge my computer and my phone. I think Gary worked on his computer in his tent, but I’m not sure about that. Bert and I talked on the phone at some length. I felt pretty indulged to talk with Bert in an undistracted fashion twice today.

It is time to sleep after I send this entry off to Bert. Mom called out from behind the curtain of her bunk, “You know I won’t be able to sleep when I get home without the sound of a train or highway traffic or 18 wheelers idling at a truck stop” I had to laugh as the comment forced me to recall the many goofy places we have parked ourselves for the night. The resourcefulness of our team even makes me smile sometimes. This day is marked by Gary’s conquest of another monster as he transforms into a strong, healthy, confident individual. We are proud of his effort and of his success.

Gary announced that he was resuming the walk. I told him to start and I would catch up. I closed down the computer and started to walk. I stayed about 100 feet behind Gary and took the opportunity to call Bert. I noticed a missed call from Cheryl on my cell phone from this morning. Bert and I talked at length as we negotiated the air time available between sound-jamming sessions introduced by passing 18-wheeler trucks. At the 7.5 mile mark, Gary took a supine break on the side of the road. I continued to walk past his rest area so that Bert and I could continue our conversation privately. Gary finished his break and walked past me. I waited for Gary to walk ahead a distance then called Cheryl, Gary’s wife to discuss the events of the morning and to attempt to gain insight into Gary’s apparent dissatisfaction. We spoke for about 1-2 miles until I arrived at the support car where Gary and Mom were engaged in serious conversation. I finished my conversation with Cheryl then got into the car. I suggested to Mom and Gary that we take our “ten-mile” break at a nearby truck stop where Cheryl (on speaker phone), Gary, Mom and I could discuss the mission and our plans for the remainder of the journey. I said that I had discussed Gary’s morning activities with Cheryl and that it was her strong impression that Gary needed a forum to communicate his concerns about goals. Gary said, “I told Cheryl not to call you.” I said, “I called Cheryl. Gary, you have only spoken nine words to me this morning. I had to hear your thoughts somehow, so I decided to get them second hand. I called Cheryl to information-gather.”

Gary, Mom and I marked our place and drove to the truck stop. We discussed Gary’s goals, the team goals and what each of us could commit to the project. We talked about barriers to success and the many successes to date. We talked at length about general expectations and encouraged Gary to focus on his own personal expectations, not ours or the expectations of correspondents as he determines his individual mission goals. We discussed the high priorities of maximizing Gary’s weight loss, daily walking mileage and communication of our important message while accounting for limited resources including time, stamina, and capital. We acknowledged the high value in communicating with those who follow the journey. We brainstormed about options to achieve a balance of multiple competing demands inherent in this project. Gary decided to adjust his daily mileage goal to 18 miles. We agreed to facilitate his efforts to achieve the goal.

Back on the road, Gary reviewed the details of our meeting and commented about my assertion that he had spoken nine words to me the whole morning. He said, “I don’t know what gave you the idea that I said nine words to you this morning. I said five. I counted.” I laughed because I guessed he was right and I was certain that he was bonding. As I now read over some notes from earlier today, I can confirm that it really was exactly 5 words. We talked on about the team strength and concluded what we have oft concluded before. The team dynamic is healthy because each of the three of us is committed to clear and open communication.