May 25th, 2010

After walking 14 miles in the hot hot sun and the hills hills hills. I was totally done in. My load was too heavy, I have now mailed 3 shipments of stuff home. I am down to hardly anything in my backpack and it still feels heavy. I found the B & B in the east edge of town, a town of 50 or so residents. Norma had left the door unlocked for me as she knew I would be steamed, was the Air Conditioning a welcome relief? A few minutes after I arrived, Norma knocked on my door and introduced herself. She and her Husband Fred Tuttle own and operate the B & B The Country Rose. She offered to have me eat with them strickly as a friend of the family. Gave me full run of the house. Did my laundry. Fred's sister Chris was there also, we had quite a long conversation on the shady porch. She offered to take me to Madison the next day, or as far as I wanted to go. I found it necessary to decline as I did not want to be cheating on mileage. The next day was once again a long hot hot muggy 14 1/2 miles with some really nasty hills and a few nasty dogs. I am beginning to hate dogs. Why can't people keep them penned, tied or in the house. I just know one is going to get me on this walk. You would find it necessary to go quite a distance to find a family more gracious than the Tuttles. I was made to feel that I was one of the family, rather than a boarder. Chris made breakfast for me prior to the next days journey to Madison.