Its been a while...

Friday morning I got back on the road after staying with a family in La Center for the night. On the look out for a coffee shop, I happened to stumble across Stone Hill Coffee House. I tied LeeRoy outside and headed in to grab a quick cup before heading out. Once in I was surrounded by a group of moms that were so excited about the goat and wanted to hear my story. Come to find out, they were they "La Center Moms Group" that get together at the coffee house and chat every Friday. They bought me some coffee and called Katu 2 News to let them know I was headed to Portland.

After a little bit, we headed out towards Ridgefield, Wa but at a record slow speed. LeeRoy was not in the mood to walk, given we had just walked 5 days straight, however I wanted to get to Vancouver as soon as possible. We stopped at East Fork Cellars and were warmly greeted by the friendly staff there. They were so insistent on buying my lunch, giving me a bottle of wine, bringing LeeRoy in and taking pictures in the winery. I have to be honest, I was so warn out and tired I don't think I embraced the moment as much as I should have... didn't really take the time to answer all their questions and share the story. None the less, I was very grateful for the warm hospitality. I rested there for a few hours and tried to start walking again but I barely made it a mile when I knew it was just time to stop and take a few days off.

My friend came and picked us up, then we headed to Casey and Lauren's house in Portland, OR.
*Quick shout-out ! THANK YOU SO MUCH Casey and Lauren for letting us stay at your place and for allowing LeeRoy to eat all your plants. Any time you need a prune job, you give us a call!*

@$#%$&* Pepper Spray........

Day 23

So yesterday I was walking from Longview to Kalama, WA when a guy pulls over on the side of the road (Orlando) and starts talking my ear off. We had a good time chatting for a little bit and before he drove off he handed me a large can of pepper spray. Now when I say a large can I don't mean something that will fit in your purse... not one of those little cans that hangs off your key ring. I'm talking about a MASSIVE can of pepper spray. He said that I might need it to protect me from bears and/or people. On the can it said "law enforcement strength". I told him thank you, put the can in a side pocket of my pack and continued on. A few miles later I was in Carol, Wa where Orlando happened to be waiting for me with a huge walking stick to "fight off dogs". This guy was super serious about my safety! We walked into a local convenient store where he introduced me to the owners and people who worked there. I hung out for a little bit, charging my cell phone when a gentleman walked in who claimed to be a "big revival pastor". He "activated me" (not sure what that means) and handed me a can of bear spray, saying that the Lord told him to do so.

I got back on the road, a little freaked out thinking maybe this is a sign that I'm going to get attacked by something. Whatever it is, its going to take 2 cans of spray and a stick to defeat it. I ended up making it past Kalama and pitched my tent a few miles north of Woodland. I found a small clearing surrounded by blackberry bushes thinking it was the perfect spot for LeeRoy given he eats blackberry bush leaves. I got in my tent and started pulling out my sleeping bag from my pack when....... my eyes started burning and I was coughing like something was in my lungs. I rubbed my eyes and they burned even more and THEN the light bulb went off, its got to be the pepper spray! I moved my pack to see where the spray was and immediately got blasted with a face full of pepper spray all over me, my bag and the entire inside of the tent. I was doing everything I could to unzip my tent, not being able to see anything. I finally got it unzipped and dove out of my tent straight into the blackberry bushes. I was coughing so hard that I just started to vomit everywhere. I honestly thought I was going to die! After about 20 minutes of coughing and vomiting, It began to subside enough for me to catch a breath. I laid there in the bushes and I have to confess I have never said the "f word" so many times in my entire life.

I finally pulled myself together and got up to try to clean the spray off. Lucky it was raining and I stood there letting the rain hit my face, hopefully rinsing it out of my eyes. I grabbed my bag of wet wipes and cleaned my hands, opened my tent and let it air out a good hour and half before I went back in.

On a brighter note, I finally got to bed thinking this will make for a great blog post!

We had a photo shoot last Thursday with Irene P. Photography ( Thank you Irene!) I think LeeRoy is officially THEE most photographed goat in AMERICA. Everywhere I go people are pulling out their cell phones and point and shoots. He's an EPIC Goat! Here are a few pics from the shoot.

Show her some love at facebook/irenepphotography & www.irenepphotography.com

RAIN RAIN RAIN...

Day 20

I walked from Winlock to Vader in record time. LeeRoy was running the whole way, he has finally found his groove. As soon as I put his pack on him, he is ready to work. I started adding a little more weight to his load and slowly altered his diet so he has a lot more energy and he's maintaining his weight. Its an interesting thing, taking care of a goat. We have gotten to know each other really well (I know that sounds weird) but I can truly tell when he is tired and starts to get fussy. He looks to me for security, much like a shy child that hides behind his parent. For example, like when there are dogs that aren't on a leash in the area and come charging our way, LeeRoy runs behind me to signal that they're coming. I immediately turn around and start yelling, kicking rocks, anything to get the dogs to back down. We make a great team!

We stopped in Vader to have a quick bite and rest for a few hours. An older couple paid for my meal while I was there without me knowing, what a blessing! We then got back on the road heading south towards Castle Rock. It seemed like every 1/2 mile, someone would stop me asking about LeeRoy, what we're doing and how they can help. Feels like LeeRoy and I are making friends everywhere we go! We walked till about 10pm in the rain, where we ended up camping in bushes. Needless to say, we didn't get the best nights sleep but woke up and walked on to Castle Rock. This stretch of road has been by far the most dangerous we've walked. Not only was it raining with low visibility but everyone was driving extremely fast. Multiple times I've had to grab LeeRoy and put my back to the car passing by closing my eyes saying "Here I come Jesus" … C R A Z Y!

It is currently around noon and we're at Lacey Rha's Cafe ( Thank you for letting us post-up for a few!). My gear finally starting to dry out however my "water proof" socks are still wet. The forecast for the next few days is RAIN RAIN RAIN so I'm debating on whether or not I want to stay here and sleep under the bridge or head out towards Kelso.

Ready to get back on the road...

Day 19

Many of you are following my journey on this blog and have requested that I post more often.  I will try my best to do so, however a lot of times I'm out in the middle of nowhere and have little to no service.

A friend of mine was competing in a 3 day Equestrian show this weekend, so I took a few days off to let LeeRoy rest in a barn while I spent some time catching up with friends. Most of the time I hung out with my friend Michele Church, a woman I met while in bible college years ago. We used to go in groups to juvenile ditension centers in the Seattle area and do outreachs for the youth. Those were the days!

We spent a lot of time talking about what God is doing in Uzima and through needle2square. Michele recently had a birthday and was saying that she wanted to go on a mission trip to Africa but now feels to old with nothing to offer. She wished she had gone to nursing school earlier on in life and had received a degree to specialize in something that she could then offer on the mission field. It got me thinking about how many other people sit at home thinking that way... that they're too old to go out and do something for the Lord, that they too have nothing to offer. We talked a good couple hours about fear and self doubt.  One of the things she mentioned she likes to do is sew and that she's always wanted to go to Africa and teach people there how to sew but she didn't feel like it was important enough. I reminded her of all the people that thought walking across America was a bad idea/ insignificant and that bringing a goat was absolutely foolish. I reminded her that when God guides, He provides... its not about your ability but your availability. I think often times we hide behind the phrase "I'm waiting to see if its God's will for my life" but time passes by and we end up not doing anything.. not going anywhere. 

The next day we hung out some more, sat in the grass watching the horses as she asked me about my childhood. I think to a certain extent we all come from interesting families with difficult situations. I didn't handle mine too well. When I was 12 my dad passed away of cancer and my mom was maintaining a 4.0 GPA in college while struggling to keep her marriage together. My stepdad and I never got along (the typical disfunctional family kind of stuff) and I ended up making a lot of bad choices. At 15 years old I was sent to a desert program and then from there to an all boys ranch.  To be honest, looking back at it now those experience are something that I value very much. I learned to be independent and self sufficient, no longer relying on my parents.

 In sharing this with Michele, we started talking about the youth juvenile centers again and had the idea that as I walk across America I can stop and share about my story and how the God of the Universe who created the world in 7 days can also change their lives... no matter how far off the path they've gone...to inspire them not to give up.With that said...this is where I need your help!  Please pray for me, for the right doors to be open,  and the hearts of the kids I will be sharing with across the US. Also, if you know any chaplin or anyone who can get me in to these juvenile centers, please contact me at needle2square@gmail.com.

Its raining today and I'm planning on getting back on the road this afternoon. I'm heading down from Winloc to Vader, north of Kelso,Wa. Feeling refreshed and ready!

100 down, 3400 to go...

Day 15
A lot has been going on since I last posted. I want to start off by saying Thank You to the many people that are following my journey and donating to Needle2Square. I want to say again that every cent goes straight to the cause of building the orphanage, not to the walk.

 So, Sunday I sent Louie home and was reunited with LeeRoy who was so anxious to get back on the road. We walked from Tenino to Bucoda and LeeRoy ran, pulling me the entire way. I was glad to see that he was in great shape and spirits. Tuesday we woke up early and walked down to Centralia where I was warmly greeted by the locals. One question I was asked numerous times was, "Are you the guy that did this last year?" From what I have gathered so far the story goes, there was a guy from Centralia that was walking with a goat down to Mexico. He only made it to Longview before giving up after his goat got sick. Don't really know any more about it but I will for sure make it past Longview.

 One of the many people that stopped me as I was walking through town was a guy that asked If I'm in the paper. I said no and he immediately called the local paper to let them know my story. Not even a few minutes later, he got off the phone and said they've been looking for me and they're on their way to do an interview. Crazy right!? Chris from The Chronicle showed up and we had a great interview (thanks Chris). Shortly after we were back on our way and walked till dusk. We broke the 80 mile mark (which felt sooooo good) and set up camp out in a field off I5.

The next morning I realized we were out of water so we got back on the road in search of a spot we can refill. We happened to pass by a golf course where a Sr.Woman's Golf tournament was taking place and let me tell you, LeeRoy stole the show! I hung out for an hour or so sharing the story and taking pictures with all the friendly tournament perticipants. I feel like there is a bit of a pattern when it comes to walking into every town. I find a spot to rest and get some food, recharge my electronics and share about Uzima and Needle2Square with a few dozen curious locals. Its pretty amazing how fast word spreads. By the time I leave town people stop me asking, "are you the man with the goat walking to New York?" Its just crazy!

 Getting back on the road we headed south towards Napavine, walking back roads in the middle of nowhere. After dogging cars the first few days of the walk, I decided I wasn't going to do it anymore so now I pretty much walk against traffic in the middle of the road and just motion the cars to go around me. It makes walking with LeeRoy a whole lot easier then moving to the non existent shoulder. Passing by a few houses, a guy comes out of his house asking me the usual list of questions I get asked. He then goes on to tell me that he saw me in Tuesdays paper, with a big picture of LeeRoy and I. I had to get my hands on a copy!

 Meanwhile, Brittnay (from The Chronicle blog) happened to be driving down the road and pulls up next to us, also asking for an interview. She was driving by and just spotted us on the side of the road. You can't plan this kind of stuff…It has to be a God thing! The craziest part of the interview was when LeeRoy decided to full on ram her right at her side for no reason. I felt really bad but she took it like a champ, shaking it off just like any good reporter would (sorry again Brittany).

http://blogs.chronline.com/news/archives/146

 That evening I came across Loves Truck stop and took THEE BEST shower of my entire life! It felt amazing to feel clean again… till I had to get back in my dirty clothes… "Que sera sera". Wednesday morning, I walked into Napavine when a school teacher flagged me down and asked me to come share my story with her Elementary class (I will do an entire post on that story later). Shortly after Napavine we broke the 100 mile mark where we took a quick rest and I reflected on the last 100 miles and 3400 left to go. With all that has happened so far, I can't imagine what's to come!

Physical assessment...

Day 12 I'm almost 2 weeks into the walk and my body is not happy. My back aches from caring the extra weight from LeeRoy's pack. My feet are covered in blisters, my muscles aren't completely sore but they're definitely fatigued. I'm sun burned and covered in bug bites in places I don't need to share. Overall though, its not that bad... it sounds a lot worse then it feels. The hardest part of each day is when I first wake up and all my muscles have settled in ... like I have really been put through the wringer but after the first 1/2 mile, the pain starts to go away and I'm able to find my groove. Sunday morning I woke up in Tenino and went to service at First Presbyterian church. I was really excited to be a part of the service but what I enjoyed the most was communion because this time was unlike any other time before. The congregation walked up front to receive the bread and the wine that were being served by an elderly couple at the front of the stage. To each person taking communion they whispered softly "this is Christs' body, broken for you. This is Christs' blood, shed for you." Those words were not uncommon to me, I've heard them said before from the pulpit but this time they were more intimate and echoed in my heart for the rest of the day. These kinds of moments are what have made this trip thus far so amazing!