Saturday, March 5, 2011

Outside the Box, or Leapfrogging bridges.

Whirling north on US17 the road quickly went from friendly Leland to just short of feeling like I was on the side of a restricted expressway. A woman stopped to tell me she had seen us on the news and was now "checking her sugar"; World Guy goes outside the box! I whipped out my orange flag as I crossed the bridge over the Brunswick River, the head wind had me labor for every yard with no trees to buffer the gusts or the bank of the roadside to hold the World from blowing into traffic. In these situations it's all on me to keep the World safely to the right side of the white line. Nice "the dog" is trained to stay behind me on bridges and by guardrails, he tucks himself between the ball and my leg. Past the river we went on until the road split to lead to the bridges into Wilmington. Then a man appeared who saved me from sure tragedy. We loaded the World into his vehicle and he rode us back to the van where I then drove leapfrogged over to the Main Fire Station on Market Street/ Business 17 in Wilmington who allowed me to continue from there. In years past I might have stubbornly refused the help of this "road angel" and pressed on. I am too grey for that now, and after twenty five hundred miles of walking for the diabetics of the World, I believe my dedication is clear. No need to cause a traffic snarl or worse over a bridge not fit for man or beast. We walked away from the Fire Station and out of the historic section of Wilmington, the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, and after a short rain followed by some sunshine we made it to a safe spot just as a couple pulled up and gave us a ride to the van, someone out there is watching out for us. Now, safely snug in the van the skies have clouded over and the rain has returned. What will tomorrow bring?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I saw you around 10am going over the Brunswick River bridge. Was also worried about the ball rolling into traffic. Both my wife and I noticed the dog was hugging the inside. Glad you got across. Good luck and glad you're doing it for a great cause.