Almost to Jackson

Sunday, Aug.1
My friends dropped me off where they had picked me up and I began the 50+ miles walk back to Jackson, Wyoming. The first day was uneventful and I just wanted to get my rhythm again after a four day break. Physically I was fine but it took me a whole day before I could mentally return to the task. I spent the night in Tetonia behind a wood products shop that was out of business. It had a very nice private area for the night and at 5:30 A.M. I was again on the road.

Monday, Aug. 2

Today it was back to business full scale. I had a 16 mile hike to Victor, Idaho, and then miles up a mountain leading to Jackson Pass. This was to be the most difficult elevation gain I have experienced thus far. Hauling a heavy cart up a 10% slope in the hot afternoon makes for very difficult work. The traffic was periodically held up for construction and many people felt sorry for me as I slowly lugged uphill past stopped cars. By the time I got to the top I had collected $50 in donations! Pooped out and dog tired I decided to make camp at the summit of Jackson Pass (8,500 feet) under a clear sky for the night.

People of interest I met today:

- A very nice lady who stopped and talked with me for quite some time sharing her views of what is right and wrong with this country today. She supports Sara Palin and told me that God was working through me. She wants to drive to Jackson to see me dressed as the "Son of Liberty" on Wednesday.

- I was stopped by a Wyoming State Trooper immediately after crossing the border. When a policeman stops to question me, I, in return, question their authority to do so. I am good natured about it but it always catches them off guard and leads to a great discussion. I will stereotype and say that I think the police out West are a little more friendly about it but east of the Mississippi they are probably less tolerant to the likes of me. My students think I will probably get "tased" before I am through. This patrolman represented stop #5. I asked him how many times he thought I'd be stopped before I got to the Atlantic and his guess was 85 times!

- A British man stopped me to talk a while. He is an author who writes travel articles and obviously - he travels a lot around the world. He evidently has thought much about governmental systems for he had a lot to share on this subject and Americans in general. It was an interesting discussion.

- A young couple from Florida who stopped to talk. He had once biked across the United States and they were both interested in hearing about my project.

- Numerous others that I will not specifically mention other than to say how surprised I continue to be by the support shown to me. I truly have not had a negative interaction with anyone thus far.