John Day...

After a long day of walking in the heat, I was stopped by a couple who were driving by on their way to pick up a truck. We started talking and they offered to have me stay with them for the night. They told me where they lived and said they would meet me there so I ended up walking towards their house which was half a mile back the way I just came. I got to their house and we had a great time talking and joking around before I crashed for the night. 

The next morning I woke up and found that LeeRoy had diarrhea, which is really not a good thing when it comes to goats. I immediately contacted a local vet that could get me in right away to have him examined. I decided that the best thing for him was to stay there and get treated till he was better. They started him on probiotics, electrolytes and a strict diet of grass hay feed. 

I walked into John Day and tried to come up with a plan for the next few days. My goal is always to spend as little money as possible especially while in town but after looking at my options I decided to get a hotel room for the next few days where I could still be close to the vet and check on LeeRoy daily. I posted up at the Little Pine Hotel which I was extremely grateful for knowing that the forecast for the next few days would reach 106. 

I called the vet the next morning to find out about LeeRoy's test results and found out that somewhere between Portland and John Day he had gotten tapeworm. He was given a vaccine to kill any kind of worm he could have picked up and continued to rest and recover. Sunday I got a hold of my goat guru to talk about the changes I wanted to make in LeeRoy's diet. One of the things I've been thinking about was ways to add more fat so he'd have more energy to walk. She gave me a few different options and even offered to pay for them. 

I got off the phone and started going over the logistics for the rest of the month. I worried about my finances and the weight of this new food for LeeRoy that he'd have to carry. Its no secret that this walk is not cheap and I was feeling the pressure. I was in desperate need of a new tent (since LeeRoy broke mine),  I didn't know how I would pay the vet bill plus boarding for the time LeeRoy will stay there and my stay at the hotel. 

That afternoon I received a phone call from Connie and Gordon, the hosts of "Light In the Night" (a talk radio show on KGNW). They said they were driving through Oregon and wanted to surprise me by stopping by. I was surprised! We made plans to meet for breakfast in town the next morning. I stayed up looking at my calendar and route, fearing I'd hit the Rockies in the winter time. The thought of that kept me up late into the night.