Day 53 & 54: “What do you WANT to do?”

Here we are, sitting at the computer at the Panama City FL public library. Ike and I each have our own respective computers, he is researching train routes for our next adventure and I am lucky enough to be able to write to all of you about my past few days and anticipations of what lay ahead.  There is something wonderful about being at a library isn’t there? I remember being little and my mom allowing me to take my bike a mile or two alone to the library, where I would research and write book reports that I’d created about famous criminals and killing sprees. It was always a great time, SO many cool things tucked into every bookshelf waiting to be observed and so much peace. I just love it!

We left our friend Matt in Destin after a day of Hooters, sand sculpture building and cooking out together one last time. After Matt drove away Ike and I decided to sleep hidden between picnic tables undreneath a pavillion at Henderson State beach. It’s always fun sneaking into a camping spot, trying to stay hidden from rangers. The night was perfect , sleeping on the beautiful beach was wonderfully relaxing and with a full moon we were able to watch every wave crash in reflected off of the sand. We awoke yesterday morning with the intention of making our way to Tallahesse in order to try to get treatment for my tooth at a free clinic. We began walking at around seven in the morning (again crazy early for us) our packs are much heavier than anytime before. We have accumulated new possesions and have an abundance of rations, I could really feel the difference in weight! We walked a good seven or eight miles then decided to stop to eat, charge our phones and establish contact with our friend in the Bahamas and my tallahesse clinics. We quickly learned that the only “free” dental treatment one can recieve is “tooth extraction” I’ve been down that road before and after all I’ve been through finiacialy and emotionally with this tooth I decided to try and keep it! I then proceeded to call every dentist in Destin for appraisals on temporary crowns, after a good hour of this i ended up on the phone with a Panama City dentist who’d offered to cement my premanet crown (which is waiting for me at home)  if I could manage to have it overnighted. After many phone calls to my dentist, my mother and Panama City we managed to have it shipped and an appointment set to place it wednesday (tomorrow) at noon, in Panaama City of course which from Destin is about fifty miles and that AlOt of walkin’! We decided to get right back on the road and trek as diligently and quickly as we could to get there by wednesday. We were doing great! At around two we got an offer for a ride from a sweet hispanic man named ” Garcia” He could only drive us  a few miles up, but anything was tremendously helpful at that point. Once we stopped to get out he offered us ten dollars and we thanked him emensly!

We again continued walking when all of a sudden I got a sharp pain in my right foot (and it wasn’t just the blisters) it felt like some sort of a crazy cramp that if I stopped I could stretch out or at least massage for a little relief. The break did help some, but the pain was still very present and I felt frusterated. We continued walking for another three or four hours aiming to reach the nearest town before setting up camp. My foot was in pretty intense pain in and out the entire walk. When I am in physical pain I feel it’s hard to deal with because I believe somehow I am creating this pain and if I though in alignment with feeling good and strong I wouldn’t be going through this struggle. It is an intense battle inside of myself, but I’m glad I pressed on. It had become dark and we were still a mile outside of the nearest city (still twenty five miles from Panama City) when  silver pick up truck pulled over and offered us a ride. The man inside was a very cute young hispanic man, he introduced himself as “Lo-Nell” but couldn’t tell us much more as his english was poor and our spanish no better. We told hm of our wanting to get to Panama City and he said he would take us. We were so grateful and knowing we should take this ride we just hopped right in. Ike and I had NO CLUE where the heck we were going in Panama, but Ike using his incredible skills, smarts and google earth found a piece of green land in the middle of the city just up from where my dentists was located. Our driver asked if he could make a couple stops on his way, first to his house to pick up his friend then to a check cashing place. We totally didn’t care we could have driven around in the back of a car all day, we did however get that it wsa kind of weird that he was picking up a friend and decided to tell him we had friends waiting for us at the Waffle House in Panama City that he could just drop us off there. He actually turned out to be a super cute and sweet really christian guy who loved music about jesus and sung in spanish, I kinda dug it too. We arrived at Waffle House and decided to go inside and charge our phones, we do after all LoVe Waffle House!

Ike informed me that the empty lot he’d found was right up the road from the Waffle House, that that’s why he’d chosen the location, I was SO proud of him, geez he’s smart!

My feet felt as if they might be bleeding on the insde and out so the sitting was lovely. I contacted our friend with the Bahamas house and found out he won’t be there for another month or so, that we’d have to purchase a plane ticket to the island itself and with no money and a phone bill due right around that time it seemed almost impossible. We suddenly began reevaluating our plans. I think it’s important to ask yourself often “is this fun?” “Do I want to keep doing this, or something different” even if that may be a really hard and certantly confusing question to answer. We brainstormed and came up woth a couple options everything from hopping to South Carilina, to walking still to the Bahamas.

After our phones were charged we thanked uor Wafle House ladies for the electricity and water and then walked up the street to our lot which ws actually pretty perfect especially for being in the middle of a city. It was a new experience for me sleeping somewhere like this. I felt for the first time really transiant! The sleep was great I got to take a morning poo by a swamp and stretch before starting our day. Couldn’t ask for much more. Now we are just thinking and waiting for my tooth to get fixed so that we can start onward from here.

We aren’t totally sure WHAT we’ll end up doing. Ike is now researching trains we could hop going all over the country and I think Ike and I both have a craving to ride a train. All I know is my body is feeling the effects of my pack right now, that I don’t want to just GIVE up on anything and that I have a great partner in this and together we will manifest something perfect!!