Hello Everyone,

Well, here I am at Camp 3, in the middle of nowhere without any real point of reference. I only trekked 12.73 miles today. I am somewhere off of Highway 97, 12.73 north of Collins State Park.

Had a very interesting day today, and had something happen that surprised me and left me scratching my head. I think that’s why I didn’t take many photos today as I was thinking about it all day long.

It rained hard all night and didn’t let up until about nine or so. Even then I was sure if it might start again. I wasn’t sure whether to pack up or just hunker down and read all day long. That’s if my battery on my iPad would hold out? With the cloudy weather it’s been a challenge to get my solar charger working well enough to charge both the phone and tablet.

A good friend of mine, Melody, who lives within driving distance, was planning on meeting me on the road, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. It finally stopped raining long enough that I hit the road about eleven, and it never rained again. Sorry Mel!

I started out and within a couple of hours I felt like I hit the wall. I was feeling the weight of the Wheelie and I realized that’s how I felt on my previous treks the first week. Even though I walked for conditioning 8-10 mikes a day, I was never able to condition by going 15-20 miles a day pulling a 90 lbs Wheelie. Starting the trek and just walking the first few weeks is what really gets you in condition.

The Wheelie weighed 79 lbs dry, and that does not include the one gallon water bottle, two 20 oz bottles, and the two 32 oz bottles. I packed 19 lbs of food, ten days worth, since I hope it won’t take me more than ten days to go the 179 miles to Eugene, Oregon. I figure the weight would obviously go down as I continue on, and hopefully before I cross the Cascades.

Anyway, I was feeling tired and decided to sit on a log near a pile of burned out logging debris and eat a snack. I was there for about a half hour and started back on the road. I saw an Oregon Highway Patrol car driving in the opposite direction, the first I had seen. Suddenly he turned on his emergency lights and made a u-turn and stopped in front of me and got out of the car.

I was happy to see him, as I am a retired CHP, and figured he stopped to saw hello like many other police officers have on my trek. I said hello and shook his hand. He asked me where I was going and I said I wasn’t sure, maybe Canada. He asked where I was from and I told him. Then he asked me for my ID. With that I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I asked him why, and he said that he got a complaint about a man in a orange vest that was trying to start a fire.

Even though I was a little pit out and almost refused, I thought of myself when I had to do the same thing. I just decided to give him my ID, but first I had to tell him I had a gun. He didn’t seem concerned as I unzipped my pack and there was my hand gun with my wallet. I of course showed him my federal concealed weapons permit for retire police officers.

I told him what I was doing and he kind of laughed and said, “you know how some people are, especially those rednecks.” We talked shop for a bit until he got a call and had to leave, but it bothered me a little that someone would complain. I guess I do look like a homeless guy, wearing an orange vest, and red flag on my Wheelie, to conceal myself. Yes, and I guess my Wheelie also looks like a shopping cart.

I decided to take it as another one of my fun and weird experiences on my trek and laugh at it, because 99% of the people I have met have been very friendly and kind.

Well, here I am now laying in my sleeping bag and enjoying the great outdoors.

Hopefully I’ll send out an update to my blog. Please keep sending those positive thoughts and prayers my way. And yes, excuse the typos, spelling, etc.

Ted