Day 125 - Is That Salt Water I'm Starting To Smell.....

Saturday, January 1, 2011

......or just the salt in my clothes? Last evening was a great time with Mark and Janet Weinberger. But, I got to bed pretty late, so still a little tired this morning. A few minutes after my wake up call @ 6, Jack Bradshaw called to wish me a Happy New Year. I packed the gear, and by the time I went downstairs Janet had breakfast on the table. A breakfast casserole, and another dish that was fruity and sweet. She also packed a lunch for me to take today......ham sandwich, Frito's, and chocolate chip cookies! Some people just seem to know what it takes to fuel a walkingman. Mark gave me some oranges and sodas, and he and I loaded the cart in his truck for the ride back to the previous day's ending point. They went out of their way to make me feel welcome, and I really appreciate that.

We reached the drop off point around 830 or so, unloaded the cart, took a few pictures, and I headed toward Aiken.......Mark back home. The walk today is relatively short, only about 16 miles to Aiken. If all goes well, I will stay tonight with Dave and Elizabeth Noffsinger, friends who live in Aiken. It was cloudy and already warm when I started out. It was only a mile or so until I crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina......the last "full" state of the walk. It's hard to believe I am this far, with less than 400 miles to go. Across the river from Augusta is another town......North Augusta, in SC. Hwy 278 going toward Aiken has no shoulder on which to walk, but fortunately traffic was light. I had about 8 miles on 278, and then switched over to Hwy 421 near Bath. On the connecting road between the two, I passed over one of the nicest creeks I have seen on the walk.......just beautiful. Flowing water has such a positive effect on us humans, it seems.

In addition to Bath, I passed several other small communities, all connected: Burnettown, Lynnwood, Langley, and Gloverville. The nice thing about them......there were sidewalks the whole way, about 3 miles. Great place to walk, but it's hard to go too far without the sound of pecans cracking under either my feet or the cart wheel. Before long I was in Aiken, winding through the streets trying to find my friends house. Just as the first raindrops started to fall, I came to the house but they hadn't returned from their Christmas beach vacation. Dave called and told me they were about 45 minutes away, but I could sit on their covered back porch until their arrival. While I did, just as the skies opened and it started raining harder. What luck to get here and have an inside place to stay tonight.

They soon arrived, and we talked a long time, then Dave went to a restaurant and brought back dinner. Their children were coming and going, so I got to see them, plus Dave helped me with deciding the better route across SC. My friend in Rock Hill, Everette Auten, also called and helped with the route. I'll head out tomorrow toward Orangeburg, then on to Manning, and then figure out the better way to get to Myrtle Beach. Then up the coast to Emerald Isle. But, there's still time to figure all that out. Happy New Year to everyone, and thanks for all the comments and encouragement.

About the pictures:
Dave and Elizabeth Noffsinger, friends and great hosts;
Crossing the Savannah River into SC;
This sounds like a nice road to travel.