Sunday, September 26, 2010

Day 25, Closing in on Phoenix


We had a good rest last night in Buckeye. Up early, and back on the road. Stopped by a convenience store for ice and supplies and headed out. Alan is still having foot and leg problems and not able to walk as fast as normal. The land is still mostly agriculture, but as we near Phoenix, all that is going to change.



I saw another roadrunner crossing the road this morning, seems they are just teasing me, wanting me to try to catch them. But, I won't fall for that. We passed thru Goodyear, AZ, and that is a nice place with lots of history. Named after the Goodyear tire company who came here to research using cotton fibers in tires. There are also several major league baseball team spring training facilities in this area.



As we moved closer to Avondale, industry started replacing farming. We saw a very large Amazon distribution center. So, if you wonder where local jobs are going when we order on-line to save a buck, I found them in AZ. I also saw a large bread company with Holsum Bread on the trucks. I mention this only because Holsum was THE bread in my hometown of Gastonia, NC, many years ago, even had a bakery on Airline Ave. We would go there and buy a whole loaf of hot bread as it came out of the ovens. The bakery closed many years ago, and I assumed Holsum no longer exists.......but it lives on.



Alan's foot and leg problems are bothering him so much he decided to get a taxi and go ahead to our motel in Mesa. I finally reached a small town named Tolleson, and decided to quit for the day. There was a large, 24 hour convenience store on the road, and a big field right behind the store where I could camp for the night. I hung out at the store until almost dark, and then moved to the field and put up the tent. Even though the store stayed busy most of the night, I were still able to get a good rest. Tomorrow night, if all goes as planned, I'll be joining Alan at the Hampton Inn in Mesa, AZ, for 2 days of R&R.



One interesting side note about people's interactions with us: while many are friendly, kind, and generous, there are some who view us with suspicion, and probably for good reason. Here are 2 guys, usually unshaven and "wrinkled" looking, pushing a cart loaded with lots of stuff. We usually have a trash bag hanging off the cart, which makes the picture worse. So, some people will avoid us altogether, or walk another way to keep from getting close to us. Or pull their children away from us. I understand completely, and not offended, but it does give us the other side of the picture on how we treat some of the poor and homeless.

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