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Was a little taken aback when I named this page Day Fifty Three… can’t believe it has been that long. Time is passing in a weird way for me these days. Weeks are whizzing by - suddenly it’s Friday again, weekend, then Friday again. Looking back, anything Texas feels like several months ago, Arkansas as well. Can’t believe I’ve only been in three states since I left, almost 900 miles ago. My original path on a more southern route would have taken me through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama before coming into Tennessee, but I’m very pleased I went north. I have enjoyed this state enormously, everything about it. The people are very nice, they smile, and though they know full well I’m not from ‘round here, they are very accommodating. And they all wave. Geography is beautiful, last three days spectacular. Several stretches I’m sure I had seen before in my imagination as I walked through neighborhood nights thinking about this walk to the park.

Tuesday, the map on the left, was a little mountain road, hardly the straight line it shows, and more like 16 miles. Lost my cell signal for a couple great hours and tracker didn’t know what to do, further adding to my frustration with the lack of accuracy, but whatever. It was breathtaking (hills helped with that too) Old forest growth, clear clear blue sky, not a lot of folks.

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And today, a great start. My new friend Tim gave me a ride to my drop-off spot. We talked the entire way, about any and everything, and then another good while in the parking lot. Tim is a story teller, among many other things, after a long series of ups and downs, of success and failure, but Tim is smiling today, telling stories, playing music, discovering new places in his RV, writing cookbooks, an autographed copy of which I proudly now own! Thank you Tim for telling me part of your story. Couldn’t find a nicer guy.

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And we went our separate ways, I once again thinking about how everyone, without exception, has their story, and I’ve learned, if you’re open and listen. most people will tell you theirs. This is part of mine, a very cool fifty three days, a little bounce in my life which I’m really enjoying trying to describe and share as best I can, frustrated because it would take me so much longer to describe it than it took to live it.

And thanks to some pretty cool technology, I can create it and share it almost instantly. Even though we mostly take it for granted, stop and think about it a sec… it’s pretty amazing. Anyway, I can’t blame the Pony Express now if the daily page is late! And there are two additional pieces of technology that have enabled this stroll. The first is my iPhone, and everything on it! Suggested routes are accurate in the mapping apps, good coverage, Instagram @walktothepark for fun, hotel apps for reservations. It’s pretty amazing, and 75 years ago it would have been “impossible”, which begs the question… what do we think is impossible today that may become a reality in 75 years? Who knows… time travel, alternate energies?

And the other awesome piece of technology that has enabled this walk is in the form of titanium, zirconium and some plastics that have been inside my replaced right knee for almost a decade - it’ll be 10 years in December. I will get into much more detail on this one shortly, some afternoon I get to my destination early. It’s kind of a long story,

Looking forward to tomorrow’s walk and Saturday’s upcoming visit to a place I find incredibly interesting. Have to get there first, story yet to be written right?