Beyond the Setting Sun

Mr. Nietzsche and The Billups

Walking out of Elmira, the day was hot and rustling trees welcomed me back to the journey.  From talking, and being the centre of attention, I returned to my own quiet world.  Birch, sycamore, ash and other trees surrounded me.  Low, wood-covered hills and the broad grey strip of Highway 17 showed the way forward.

That night I slept in a motel room, free of charge.  The Evergreen Motel, just off Route 17, was small and comfortable and the room came courtesy of Fran Tokar, the owner, who had seen me on television.  Fran sent his son out to meet me on the highway.  My room was number 7.  Again it was one of those coincidences... I was born on 7th November and 7 was my lucky number.  Sleeping on a double bed, after eating more sardines, I felt good.

Rain came once more, not hard, but steady.  Leaving Dansville in the dark, having missed the centre of town and being too tired to hunt around for a place to get food, I walked on.  The rain grew heavier and began to fall in torrents.  Ahead, a large building appeared, beyond a fence.  It was a school.  The time was about half-past ten and it was Saturday night.  I sneaked into the school grounds.  A darkened doorway with welcoming shadows beckoned.  The doorway had a large porch, which protected it from the rain and left a good-sized patch of dry concrete.  Beneath the porch I set a pot to catch rainwater.  I was hungry and thirsty, but that would have to wait until the morning.

Before the rain had come, the day had been scorching hot.  Walking 28 miles in the sun with little water had brought me close to heat exhaustion again.  At one point I found a half empty bottle of 7-UP in a ditch.  It had been hot from the sun, but had kept me going.  Now my head ached and I felt sick.  In the darkened doorway I laid out my bivi and slipped inside to sleep.

I woke with a start.  The door I leant against had opened.  Bleary-eyed, I looked up to see a gun pointing down at me.

'Wha... what ya doin' nair?'

'Er... I'm walking across the country to raise money for people with cancer.'  In the shadows I could see a man, but didn't know who he was, or what he planned to do with the gun.  He sounded young, possibly in his twenties... and he sounded nervous.  The gun shook and wavered in his hand.  It was time to do some more talking.  'I've been camping out and staying with a few people, but tonight I got caught out in the rain and thought I'd just stop off here for a few hours, then head off when the sun comes up.'

'W... well... I'm the security 'roun here an' ya shouldn't be here.  But... heck.'  The gun lowered.  'Say, were you that guy on TV?'

'Yep, back in Elmira.'  I smiled.

'I thought you would have had a camper followin' ya or something.'

'Hmm, yeah, that's what most people think, but it's just me, and my backpack.  It makes things a lot cheaper,'  I said, then smiled again as I added, 'and you never know who you'll meet in the middle of the night!'  We both laughed and he finally holstered his gun.

'You should just go and ask people for a place to stay, with it being fer a good cause and all.'

'Yeah, but sometimes people are pretty suspicious if you turn up in the middle of the night looking like a bum.  I wanted to plan places to stay ahead of time through charitable groups, but that didn't work out... so it's just me and the road.  I stop where I drop and leave when the sun rises.  It's easier that way.'

'Well, I guess... You must have guts - you scared the hell out of me.  I thought you might be on drugs or one of them crazies that come through from time to time.  You never know what you'll meet in this job, that's why I carry insurance.'  He patted his gun and grinned.

'The thought that you might be crazy, or stealing something crossed my mind, too.  The gun had me scared.'

'It's sure good to have when yer on yer own.  So you don't carry no gun or nothin'?'