Born Again? Did I Die?

January 6, 2002- Sunday- Day 72

12:00noon-The ice melted enough for me and Skil's to attempt an escape yesterday. We are about 10 miles out of Richland siiting under a bridge soaking wet. Something like 30 miles to Charlotte NC. We got picked up just at the limits of Siler City by a fellow named Patrick. He took us to his house and cooked us lunch. First time I went into someones house to eat. I went in once to work, but that is different. He fed us and gave us a ride to Ashboro, NC. After a short little 6 mile walk I noticed this truck about 3 times in different places. Uh oh, I ain't liking this much, having a weirdo shadowing me. Finally he pulled up and asked if I would ride with him, not if I wanted a ride, but will I please get in. Then he flipped out the badge, oh shit! He asked a lot of questions and told me he was FBI and a person walking down the road pulling a suitcase deserves some scrutiny after what happened in New York. He told me that his agency stays on full alert all over the country. After running my ID and finding out that I am not a terrorist, the conversation wasn't so tense. He gave us a ride to Richfield and stopped at a Food Lion. He said there is a motel over there and a grocery store here. He handed me some money and asked me to pray with him.( Oh Boy! another one) Standing in the parking lot in broad daylight praying to be a born again Christian. What the hell next? He told me now you are born again, what?(Hey thats cool as Shit!) I am ready to scream! But then I thought of the cash he handed me, I didn't count it but I seen a $10.00 bill. So, okay G-Man I'm born again, Praise the Lord and all that shit! I was undecided about that ride until I went into Food Lion to get Skil's some food. I pulled out the money he gave me and had to count it twice. $80.00!!!! Unreal , God's alive and well in N.C. I got dog food and walked to the edge of town to pitch my tent.

*note- Stanley County - "Reed Goldmine" - first goldmine in USA. I am learning a lot on this adventure.

12 Degree Highs

January 5, 2002- Saturday- Day 71-

10:00am- I sure need to pack up my little dog and leave these woods far behind. Loop Rd. is sounding real good to me. I don't exactly know how long this temperature will stay at the high side of 12F. But its something that I have experienced and the new has wore off already. Time to move on and try something else. But just wishing my way to better times and places doesn't get me there. As of right now I can't go until I can pull my trailer along. Damn sure, can't carry it. About to go out and plead for help. (not hardly) I'll die right here before I stoop to that. I only need help if something I can't fix happens to Skil's. The weatherman is calling for freezing rain tomorrow and I don't have any idea what the hell that is. I am positive about one thing though, he ain't talking about cold rain. Whatever it is , its really bad by the information they're giving out in their alerts. They even mention possible black ice! WTF!

The Big Chill!

January 4, 2002- Friday- Day 70

4:00pm- I can't ever remember being cold like I was last night. I was really surprised that I was alive this morning. I thought it strange when I got up and my blanket didn't fold, but stuck straight out like a stick. I didn't want to get up but nature was calling. For twenty minutes I tried to get the zipper on the tent to move, but it was frozen solid. I came real close to taking my pocket knife and cutting a hole to get out. I came to my senses and didn't, but I was right there on the verge. I have never seen anything like what I was experiencing now. All I could think about was getting out of there. Find someplace warm. Me and Skil's just took off and headed for the laundry place. I am hoping that their driers are running and the hot air is blowing outside. Anything for some relief of this. It's not just cold, it is very painful, I thought ice killed the pain. What world is this? We are crossing the parking lot and Skil's is having problems with his feet, I thought they were freezing and I am really getting worried now. I had to get mad at him to make him move and I don't get mad at my dog, never! We did finally make it across the parking lot and the door to laundramat was open. We went inside and were all alone. So, that is where we stayed. Wonder why nobody is washing clothes this morning? I am siiting here and its warm and I can see the bank across the street. I am thinking now that I must be snow blind or something, because I can only read one number on the temp. sign. Then I realized it is only 3F. Holy Shit! We were warm and we'll stay here until someone throws us out. Another glance at the bank and now its 7F, well Skil's its getting hot out there now. After another hour I'm seeing double didgits on the temp. board, okay we can go now and put on our summer clothes. Walking back to the camp, I noticed all that soft snow was now hard blocks of ice, really big blocks of ice. We took a route back by the dumpster and lo-and-behold a pound of coffe was on top of all the gallons of milk that was discarded. So, we went to the camp and I made breakfast and coffee and had a good ole' time. Now that it was a warm 14 degrees. About noon, here comes Byron again, and he has his quart of beer. He just had to hang out by my fire and talk the usual nonsense that I have noticed he does quite easily. Skil's found a spot in the sun where there is no snow and enjoying the day. Maybe I am having a nightmare and this morning never happened! But I have to think about moving on, just have to wait until I can build ski's for my pull-along. It sure won't roll in the snow. Seems to me that this place will get pretty nasty when this snow does melt.

Sweet Seventeen!

January 3, 2002- Thursday- Day 68

5:00pm- Man!, am I in a pickle now. I may finally have to seek out some help, now. The snow is knee deep and still coming down. This tent camping in the snow sure isn't for the faint-of-heart. I tried to go up to Food Lion, but I can't get up the hill. I just slide back down. It doesn't feel that cold, but my tent is set up in a pile of snow. Last night as it kept snowing I noticed my tent getting smaller and smaller, just closing in on us. I was getting buried by snow. The weatherman said this morning that looks like we are going to top out at 17 inches. I finally made it out through the cow pasture and the long way around through the Mall parking lot to check this white stuff out. I.m thinking man this ain't good. I am leaving a very visuable trail everywhere I go. I had to walk almost a mile because I couldn't climb up a 12 foot hill. This is a first for me. I noticed that there are a lot of cars in ditches and in the middle of the parking lot, up on one of the islands, a van is sitting. Wonder how they did that. Just by looking around I see that I wasn't the only one taken by surprise. From where I was standing in the parking lot, looking both ways, I counted 9 cars in the ditch along side the road and one up on an island . SOB! Now if I believe the weatherman, I am in real trouble tomorrow.He said this morning when the sky clears up and the clouds go away (which are holding the heat) it is going to get dangerously cold. Great! Going down that hill is easy, one good thing. I don't have to worry about falling, because I am going to fall, no way to avoid it.

What Does Blizzard Really Mean?

January 2, 2002- Wednesday- Day 68

9:00am- It is really cold this morning and since I have been up it is dropping fast. I have to hang out now, just to make sure I don't get caught in the middle of nowhere in super bad weather. I was just sitting here and I saw someone walking through the woods toward me. He didn't see me, so I called out to him. He came over and said his name was Byron and he earned enough money washing a car this morning to buy a quart of beer. Huh? He is the typical black guy you read about in those novels that were written before WWI. I was waiting for him to call me Massah Jim. I told him well he better go on and get his beer before they sell out. He went and got his bottle of Old English and hung out at my fire for 2 hours drinking it. I ask him how far the Salvation Army was and he really doesn't know. He don't get far from home. When he gets a few coins he treks across the cow pasture to the Food Lion. His momma don't know he drinks. This guy is in his 40's at least. All in all, though was a little nice to talk at length with someone for a bit. When he finished his beer he took off back across the cow pasture.

7:30pm- Oh boy, what a scare I had today. Me and Skil's went hunting for the Salvation Army and couldn't find it, so we headed back. I was noticing snow flakes all the way down there and on the way back they got a little thicker. And then really thicker. We were crossing a mall parking lot and Skil's wasn't on his leash and the snow was howling now. I am in the parking lot somewhere and can't see more than 5 feet, everything is white and I can't find Skil's. I'm calling him and don't hear nothing, I am reaching out with my arms searching in the snow and no dog. Finally something touched my leg and it was my furry little boy. Now, leashed and found we headed where I thought the camp was. I just kept stumbling and sliding until I hit the fence-line. I walked along the fence reaching out occasionally to make sure it was there. When we got to the Cedar grove I could see because of the thickness of the trees. We found the tent and didn't come out no more that day or night. I couldn't believe how fast Skil's disappeared in that snow. I don't know about snow. This will be a learn as you go class.

Piggin' Out in Siler City!

January 1, 2002- Tuesday- Day 67

9:45am- Still in Siler City in the same spot. I don't think we'll leave here today, it seems they are clearing their shelves at the Food Lion to make room for all their emergency supplies. Plenty of food and I can get a lot more. Its unreal! Maybe I'll walk around and see about finding some work. I could shovel all the snow that never came. People are always trying to make it worse than it is. I have to get batteries for this radio I borrowed from Carol's house in Wilmington. Well, borrow is a little off the mark. I was there and this little transistor was there and etc... there is a bank across the street and the temp is reading 29F. That is a might chilly. I have seen these temps. in Florida, but they only last an hour or so. Up here they just drag on and on. The high today will probably reach way up to 32F. Have to break out the shorts! I am going to go see if I can find that Salvation Army and see if I can get a blanket. I went and checked out the woods to see who my friend was last night and I came across a bunch of cows, so thats put to rest now. I guess they don't like me being on their turf.

4:00pm- We have been eating all day and I better slow down, before I get to fat to walk. I just can't believe what they are bringing out of that store. The local radio station keeps issuing alerts for severe weather for tonight and tomorrow. Looks like we are in for a few rough days. I still don't see a problem with a foot of snow. But what do I know about it.

And Days of Auld Lang Syne!

December 31, 2001- Monday- Day 66

4:30am- Skil's won't let me sleep and he's being a pain in the tail. I took him for a walk at 3:00am and he seemed satisfied with that and at the bank it was reading 32F. Looks like the weatherman missed again. Should of known! They missed their 20F mark. I have a little can of food for Skil's and some dry for today. Should suffice. I really have to do something about my water situation though. I can't make coffee this morning, no water.

7:30pm- We are behind the Food Lion in Siler City, been one of my lucky days when everyone wants to help out with a ride. We started out down 15 and walked through Chapel Hill and I am starting to feel unlost a little bit. We got just out of town and was offered a ride to Pittsboro and the guy said , ain't much between here and Ashboro, so good luck. He handed me a couple bucks and we were off heading west finally. We stopped at another college and sat at the picnic tables and ate lunch. Lot's of joggers going around the track and as they would go by, they would ask how I was doing? Friendly folks, I say!

We headed on out and I don't see anything that looks like civilization ahead of us. My last ride was right, not much down this way. We made a few miles when an ole' timer pulled up and offered a ride. He was telling me if I was on the road I better find some shelter tonight, they are calling for some bad weather. He said looks like 6"-8" of snow. Well me being who I am ( a Flat Lander from the tropics) I'm thinking as I hold my fingers up 6 inches apart, that ain't nothing. I'll be alright I told him, can't be that bad. He dropped us at a gas station and gave me $5.00 and wished me luck. I am starting to feel like these people know more about this weather than I do. We set up the camp in some Cedars behind Food Lion and prepared for the worst. He also mentioned a Salvation Army that was giving out blankets, and told me how to get there.

10:00pm- I am sitting here with the tent flap open staring out into the darkness. There is something really big moving around out there in the dark. Skil's is on high alert and just watching, I have a cup of Coleman fuel and a lighter at the ready. Whatever it is won't like the reception he's gonna get if he comes around this tent. I'll light his ass up like the fireworks I heard a little while ago.Happy New Year!