Judi's Trek Blog

October 12, 2006

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Fast-5 LLC 904-685-5117 888-352-8439 P.O. Box 5671, Jacksonville FL 32216 info@fast-5.com
We awakened to the sound of truck engines idling at 5:15 this morning. I had to consider that Mom probably slept well in the familiar environment of highway noise and truck engines. The propane for the catalytic heater and lantern ran out during the night. We were a little disappointed because we had the impression that the heater would use a bottle of propane for a whole night without running out. The temperature was 45 degrees.

We shuttled the daily supplies onto the hood of the car, then put the camper down. We awakened Gary and told him we were going over to the truck stop to brush our teeth, etc. We told him we would rearrange and put the things on the car hood into the car when we returned. We went into the ladies room and started our grooming routines. We were taking up a generous bit of space at the sinks, so we did a little social dance periodically to make sure that we didn’t stall others in their progress. We fielded a couple of questions about our “Bobbsey twin” appearance and took the opportunity to share very briefly about Gary’s journey and Fast-5. One truck driver was accompanied by her adult daughter. The four of us visited for a few minutes and shared some mother-daughter relationship stories. We finished our routines and went back out to the car.

Gary was out of the car getting ready for the day. I asked Gary if he was warmer sleeping in the car or typically warmer when he is in his tent. He said he thinks the car is likely warmer, but less comfortable. Mom arranged the inside of the car for the day then asked Gary to optimize the configuration of his backpack on the car roof. They briefly discussed the best arrangement and the advantage of being taller for actually being able to get the backpack into that best arrangement. I think in the “divide and conquer” details of this journey, Mom is going to leave the on-the-roof backpack arranging duties to Gary. We stopped by McDonald’s for coffee then Mom took us to our starting point.

We started walking at 6:45 AM. The road was reasonable for walking with a decent shoulder. We are true “connoisseurs” of walking surfaces with strong opinions about the optimal pitch, shoulder width, gravel looseness, etc. We walked to the car 5.53 miles from our starting point by 8:55 AM. Mom greeted us with her usual warm encouragement.

We drove to Edgewood, NM just west of Moriarty, NM. We stopped at an ATM, dropped Gary off at a barber shop then went to Chili Hills Café. We talked with Debi Murdy and Gloria Winn, two high energy, enthusiastic servers, about our journey and Fast-5. We gave them a book to read and to share and talked about the relationship between obesity and some cancers.

Me, Debi Murdy, and Gloria Winn at the Chili Hills Cafe
Debi and Goria shared some cancer survivor stories and some stories of recent sorrow. We talked about the possible relationship between the Fast-5 lifestyle and arthritis. Debi, Mom and I talked about the privilege that Mom and I feel spending precious mother-daughter time together on this journey. It is a rare opportunity to exclusively invest in our relationship with each other without the distraction of tending to other competing relationship agendas.
Debi introduced us to Jerry Ueckert, a former newpaper publisher, who is renovating the Red Top Diner to eventually take it on the road as a traveling diner. It is my impression that Jerry will generally be concentrating his diner stops on Old Highway 66. When we asked for the check, Gloria said she talked to the manager and the coffee was on the house. We said it wasn’t necessary, but she assured us that it was their preference. We thanked them and said our good-byes to the group. The café reminds me of the Pie-O-Neer in Pie Town in that it seems like a friendly gathering place for a growing group of friends and acquaintances who truly appreciate the opportunity to welcome visitors. The staff and the colorful, hand painted murals create a bright energy that invites one to linger and visit. If time had been on our side, Mom and I would have lingered for a long time.
We went to the barber shop and picked up Gary then went onto start the second leg of our day’s walk. Gary and I walked 3 miles of the second “5-mile leg” and I had a need to “answer nature’s call.”
The Red Top Diner, under renovation
I told Gary I was going to scoot ahead to the Travel America Truck Stop. I zipped ahead the next 3.5 miles rapidly to take care of business. I am proud to say that Gary joined us at the truck stop about 15 minutes after I arrived – he was “booking!” We completed 12 miles this morning before our “truck stop break.” During the break, Gary talked to a few people. A woman at the table beside him overheard his conversation. She said to Gary with a distinctly British accent, “I have heard about you. I have read about you in the newspaper many times in England.”
We talked for a few minutes about Gary’s exposure in England. Gary shared his experience traveling in England and a funny event that happened at a famous wax museum he had visited there. He shared a story of a time when he was in a park trying to get the squirrels to eat a peanut out of his hand. They would not. He noticed a man on a bench who was
having success and Gary partnered with the man to discover the technique to enticing the squirrels to eat from his hand. In the end it came down to familiarity and trust. Gary offered his assessment that England is a very international country then elaborated regarding the circumstances that formed the basis of his impression.

The conversation returned to Gary’s current journey including some details of traveling through the Mojave Desert. Gary told the couple about the time we discovered gold dust and about the ghost towns we had seen. The woman asked Gary, “Tell me, do you think you’ll be recovered by the time you finish the journey?” Gary said, “Absolutely. I’m already recovered. This walk has changed my life. It has changed the way I look at things. My alertness has gone up. My energy is very high. In fact, I walk 20 miles a day now. This lifestyle is very good for me.”

Gary then shared the details of the Fast-5 lifestyle. The couple listened, asked some more questions and offered feedback. Their interest was more than casual, so I gave them a copy of our book to read and to share with those they may know who are looking for weight loss options. We said our good-byes and wished each other safe travels.

We went to the truck stop store to evaluate the merit and availability of a booster antenna for our phones and adapters. The available adapters were not suited to our phones, so we decided to look at a Sprint or Verizon store when one is next available. I bought ice while Gary and Mom went to the trailer to hook up.

We drove via route 41 to route 60 then onto our eastward starting spot. We used this opportunity to translate 10 miles we had walked due north or due south during our route transition and bad weather dodging into eastward progress. While we drove, Gary and Mom talked about irrigation procedures. Gary talked about the commands of “push, twist

and pull.” They discussed the modernization of the process with computer commands versus individual commands. They discussed the terrain and we pondered the emotions which will characterize each day as we traverse the Missouri portion of our journey. Gary drifted off to sleep as the sun’s warmth poured through the front windshield.

I walked the remaining 8 miles required to reach our 20 mile goal by about 4:45 PM. Gary was pretty close behind me arriving at the car at 5:30 PM. Usually we walk together, but this time the road is so narrow that we can’t walk side by side and we were both trying to physically be on the road for the shortest possible time. We each walked at our preferred pace and planned to meet at the car. During today’s walk, I identified a number of advantages to Gary and I walking at our preferred pace and meeting at planned stopping spots. One of those advantages is for Gary grow more and more independent every day as he manages his weight loss and dietary choices.


When Gary arrived at the car he said that he pushed himself to walk as fast as possible and that he took about a half hour sit down break during his 8 miles. Ten hours and 45 minutes elapsed during which we completed the day’s 20 mile walk. The time included about an hour at the barber shop, an extended truck stop break and a drive south to get to our starting place on rte 60. In summary, Gary’s endurance and speed are improving everyday. As Gary approached the car tonight, Mom got out of the car and did a rendition of a cheerleading routine shaking a couple of plastic grocery bags as pom-poms. I think Gary may really have thought she was off the deep end this time.

We marked our spot about 18 miles west of Encino Village, NM then drove into Encino. We looked through the town and didn’t find an RV park. We turned around and went to the gas station on the west side of town to fill the gas tank and ask about a place to put the camper. The merchant directed us to a place across the street where he said we could set up camp indefinitely (I’m sure we couldn’t be there forever, but we understood that a couple of nights would be fine). We thanked him and pulled the camper over to the area. We set up the camper and Gary pitched his tent nearby. Mom made a great dinner of salad and cheeseburgers. We all enjoyed the meal. Gary said he was so full he couldn’t finish all of the salad. He talked to Cheryl later and told her that we were “feeding him too much.” Cheryl asked Gary to ask us if we ever expected to hear him say that. He called to us from his tent to ask the question. We answered and I heard him talk to Cheryl with a sound of joy and pride in his voice as he seemed to revel in his new relationship with food. Gary said that he is learning to trust himself and is growing more confident that he will routinely make good choices regarding food. He told us of an example today when he was offered cookies and cakes when he was getting his hair cut. He said that during his fasting time, the food didn’t seem at all tempting. It is likely that they would have been unappealing during his break-fast eating window as well. He has shared that he would rather have healthier choices than unhealthy ones.

The day is done and it is time to sleep. Mom just went out to turn off the car. We were using it as a generator to power the computer and recharge batteries via an extension cord. Mom returned from the car and said that the sky was beautiful. My fatigue prompted me to hope that it remains beautiful until morning when I will gladly pause and appreciate it. There is no sound from Gary’s tent so I trust he is sleeping quietly restoring his reserve so that tomorrow he can call on his body to, yet again, work on his amazing transformation.

The future is unfolding before us. We often find ourselves convinced that we were lead to a particular place. As I consider the thought, I wonder where tomorrow will lead us. One thing I know with certainty. We are up for the challenges we will face. We will walk on and carry our important message.