Day 136
Thank goodness for that bungee cord
August 9th, 2010
I'm walking across America.
That's the idea, at least. I'm walking westward from New York City for nine months or so. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be in Oregon when the clock runs out. If nothing goes according to plan, maybe I'll end up in Peru or Mongolia or Pennsylvania. You can read all about the details of my trip if you're so inclined.
Email me at matt@imjustwalkin.com
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Here's my progress so far:
Or I might get carried away with this first stuff……LOL
My girlfriend once got charged with this crime for flashing one of my friends when a cop was nearby.
With that bungee cord his load is always secured, and it’s “buckled up”. He’s been “buckled up” his whole trip. It’s a good thing, too, because he’s had some nasty winds and storms to travel through.
Besides, the WA Traffic Safety Commission loves him.
You never know, that sandwich may fly loose and hit someone in the face!
;-)
Or even worse, one of those dirty socks!
That indeed would be a tragedy.
Matt cannot do as i done when we went to Calfornia in June, I told my wife we would be gone approx 10 days, pack worst socks and things and i would discard as used. Matt would have underwear hanging everywhere. this idea worked good till replacement time, but it worked, and it held smell down.
This would be a great place to set up a roadside stand selling duct tape.
Not only illegal, but immoral as well.
ONLY on a cross-country walking trek is the violation of the all important “dirty socks, water bottles, sandwich non-contact rule” be allowed…he! Man, I am completely sold on the Roger Berg and Frank Scott designed Runabouts® baby stroller – eat some dust Maserati.
Matt – thank goodness you are securely loaded or I should say your STUFF is loaded securely.
Did you know there’s a Canadian walking around the globe for the past 10 years? He has a cart just like Matt but he’s a globe trotter hobo. :)
http://www.wwwalk.org/FrameSet_an.html
Thanks Gina, Very Cool link!
Love Jean’s world map, but I bet it must have taken him same amount of time as the trip standing in line getting a visa for all those countries.:D
This could be Matt’s next big challenge.
Just curious, what’s the red thing next to your brake handle?
Isn’t that the bear spray? What’s the blue knob for?
Or to clarify – the aqua colored knob.
Do not ask. you may get answer like I did
What!?!?!?
It may be knob they intended to use later, and use to make joke out of at this time, like joke sent to me abiut old man wearing jogging pants, i asked why just showed top of his and his wifes were showing all, I”m not saying what the rest of picture showed, you can guess.
I found out is was actually a bell/ringer like on a bicycle. :o)
I’m glad to see that you are in compliance with the laws of the state of Washington.
Assuming you haven’t changed tires along the way, I would say those have stood up to this road test very well. Aside from the fact that all tread is but a distant memory, there is still a lot of tire left. Whoever designed/made those things, good job!
Roger Berg did: http://imjustwalkin.com/details/#equipment_and_supplies
Awesome link Seattle Gina! Very cool – Thanks!
Hmmm, who gets the cart when it’s all over?? Dang, that thought makes me sad!
THE SMITHSONIAN GETS THE CART!
i think it would have been amusing if at some point Matt had stopped at a trucking weigh station, just toddling up behind an 18 wheeler……
LOL! If I recall correctly, he did stop at a weigh station but did not weigh enough to register on the scale!
You are correct Laurenis. Matt stopped back in either MN or ND and he was too light to register. I believe it was in ND because of the truck or call up on the pole? At least I think it was there but he did at least try. And I believe he weighed things before he left. That would be in his trip info.
Car not call. Duh!
Do the socks enhance the water?
I think they shade it while they dry…. only sparkly sock shaded water for Matt….
In addition to Gina’s story link above, I see there has been another successful completion this week of an over-land walking journey of the complete length of the Amazon River made by a British adventurer named Ed Stafford accompanied by a Peruvian forestry worker called Cho. He started in April 2008! It took them 859 days (2 1/2 years) and 6,000 miles to complete their odyssey of traveling from the source of the Amazon River in the mountains of Peru to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean. Floods along the way forced Stafford to make a 2,000 mile roundabout detour that extended his original plan to walk for a year. Hat’s off to their diligence, courage and survival. Pretty amazing stuff with plenty of adventures covered on their website. Here’s the link to the news story:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/08/09/14966741.html
Such interesting statistics – I was planning to skim over that story sometime soon (it’s on the Yahoo home page now) – but I like your version just fine – thank you Stephen! And, you’re right – diligence, courage and survival!
I’ve been meaning to ask you. Have you had to replace any tires? Thanks!
Amazing story! Thanks Stephen! I’m amazed he was able to skip contact/attacks from unknown tribes (there are a lot of tribes in the amazon forest that has never (or barely) had contact with civilization. Some are very aggressive and some practice cannibalism. Although he was chases by angry indians with bows and arrows… He escaped from being super! :-O
That is truly a modern day Indiana Jones story!
Forgot to mention that Matt should be alert for bears. We are noticing an increase in black bear sightings in the state.
Think he’s okay in the Palouse. Humans have encroached upon their habitat in urban sprawl areas.
That would be the only scary thing to me…wild animals. Not people, animals. That’s one of the reasons this trip awes me when he is out ‘in nature’. Very brave. Wonder if he has had any scary moments?
Peace, from Michelle in Providence
HA! Too funny Matt! Hate to see you get a fine from the DoT. At least your “log book” is up to date!! hehehe!
Not really, Belle Zora… There’s an increase in black bear sightings in suburban areas and even some sightings of cougars and bears in some parks in the Seattle & Tacoma areas. That’s what happens when men play with the ecosystem… :(
Ah the Mattmobile in splendid profile and color. Yea I said it before..If I was having kids now…I would get me one of these…but I am not…so maybe I will buy one for my upcoming walk of Ohio. Hmm anyone know of one of these extreme walkers that might not be needing there’s soon anymore….?
Candice in Alabama, according to Roger Berg’s website, the aqua knob is a “Jellibell”, a standard feature on Berg’s strollers. Here is one retailer: http://bicyclewarehouse.com/product/mirrycle-incredibell-jellibell-13004.htm
Thank you John, another Matt fact for the Hobo Nation. The gears on the jellibell in the picture looks like the eyes of a bird or chick. Does it tweet when it rings?
so it might be another Bear deterent……oh a big grizzley…..ding aling, ding aling, Move aside bear….Gotcha….
Cool looking……..
Thank you John F. in CA. So it’s an alternate method for Matt to warn bears and/or pedestrians to get out of the way?
I just found time to click the JelliBell link – how cute – I’m going to order one for my BICYCLE! :)
I wonder if illegals are illegal? Or are they legal illegals? Also, does this mean if drugs are being transported they are legal as long as they are secure?
Matt
Were you secured to your cart? If not you are illegal. Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Sounds like the Washington DOT has a Monopoly on making loads secure.
The meaning of words and how they are interpreted!!!
Check, check and check. Yep, all secured and ready to go. You look pretty well packed down there Matt. You’ve been collecting things along the way? How is that cart not pulling down in back with the bag hanging down so low?