Colder Than Nome, Alaska!

February 27, 2002- Wednesday- Day 124

***note***Summary of the last 24 days. I was working and keeping my journal up-to-date was the last thing on my mind.

3:00pm- Quick summary of the last 3 weeks- We stayed in Landrum over 2 weeks, until the cops came by one day and said I would have to relocate.

I started working right away and Danny had a Famous Opera House in Canton, NC that he was remodeling. That resulted in a 80 mile trip everyday with me riding on the back of the truck. Danny's 2 kids slept all the way to Canton and just wasn't comfortable, 4 in the front of a Toyota pick-up. I thought I knew what being cold felt like, but I have learned a brand new way to freeze. Seventy miles an hour on the back of a pick-up in sub-freezing temperatures.

The job as it turned out was a real plastering job, that nobody in NC knew anything about. Ha!, boy I thought that was funny. Enter Jimmy! These guys were totally lost, and I didn't offer to explain anything. I kept noticing them watching me from off to the side. It was a really interesting job, though, I tore out some walls and found 48 star flags hidden in the walls, notes and records, a lot of artifacts that were part of some history of Canton. I am guessing that they were some part of a time-capsule to opened some day. Lot of mold-work that had to be done. Really interesting, but the ride always took something out of the joy of going to work.

After the cops told me I had to move on, I called Danny and he came up and we loaded all my stuff in the truck and we went up to Saluda, NC. I got a motel room there and I knew I wouldn't stay long because I didn't like leaving Skil's locked in a room all day. I ended up staying for a week and one morning I carried all my stuff to a deserted house across the street and stashed it in the woods. Me and Skil's then parted company with Saluda.

***End Note***

We headed down US 176 towards Hendersonville, I didn't make it all the way, we found a ghost town and spent the night with the spooks and goblins. In the morning I found one of the guys that I work with and told him I was taking the day off to relocate and I would call Danny tonight. We walked up to US64 in Hendersonville to a Wal-Mart and I bought a new tent and a sleeping bag. We set up in front of Wal-Mart in a patch of woods down in a ditch.

The temperature is in the teens and they say the wind-chill is 15-below. If anyone ever asks if 15 below is cold, I'll know how to answer. It is life threatening for sure! If this wind would stop it would sure be easier to cope with. This is the coldest yet. It seems I keep saying that. I heard on the radio it is colder than Nome, Alaska today. Oh Boy! I'll call Danny tomorrow and if he don't like what I did, I'll just pack up and head on off down the road. Maybe I can locate a more gentler climate, or, maybe not! I don't Know anything anymore. I just took Skil's for a walk around the parking lot, looking over the lay-of-the-land. The record for Hendersonville is 13F and the weather dude is saying it will be broken tonight. Holy Shit!