Day 28 - Sunset Beach

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Total Mileage: 25
Total Years Married: 25
Total Years Before Cheryl Ever Lets Me Do Anything Like This Again: 25

After yesterday's butt-whooping, the word for today was moderation.  Cheryl and I got up at 5 a.m. and by 6 a.m. we set off for a fast walk, aiming to get in our distance before the end of the day. I'll get to the details in a minute, but the long and short of it is that we were out for almost 10 hours, walking for 8 and 1/2 hours, to get in the full 25 miles. Cheryl got in 18 miles and I'm so proud of her because she hasn't done that distance since the infamous West Palm Beach Marathon 2 years ago. Another story. But it was a luxury to have the whole day to ourselves. Matt and Hunter stopped by early in the morning to take some pictures and walk around the neighborhood with us, but for the rest of the day was just Cheryl and I (and Slappy of course), walking around Sunset Beach and seeking out shade wherever we could find it. 
While walking through the neighborhood next door, we came across a gentleman who was out doing his own daily walk.  Of course we struck up a conversation...he was really friendly, and we left thinking nothing more than that. 10 minutes later he pulled up on a recumbent bicycle and gave us $50, he had no idea who we really were but the story touched them. Once again we are moved by the generosity of others and reaffirmed in our belief that what we are doing will have some small impact on the world. So thank you Clint from Sunset Beach for your unquestioning generosity

We walked through Devaun Park and saw a coyote, some deer and lots of fox squirrels, and then finished a loop around the lake. It got super hot in the afternoon and was a little bit difficult, so we came back to the condo and chilled out for half an hour before setting back out again. 

Cheryl took a break because she was really overheating, and I walked about 7 miles through the neighborhood sticking to the shade. She set up her chair and I stopped by every mile or so, and it was really quite pleasant.

We did one more walk through Devaun Park, and when we got back to the condo Claire and her friend Hannah pulled up. I was overjoyed at being able to do last mile with my daughter.

Cheyl and I finished the day having a cold beer by the pool.  It was perfect. Thank you all for your well-wishes on our anniversary and helping to make it the best 25th ever!

I cannot believe tomorrow will be the end of this adventure.  It is almost impossible to put into words the impact of this experience...but my body is breaking down and I miss my kids. 

It's time.

Godspeed always,

R.

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