Day 99

More storms rolled in early in the morning. I slept in, captivated. Shortly after 9 a.m. it was clear. I packed up and hit the road.

It took me a few hours, but I made it to La Grange.

I was hungry and needed food. I swung by Sacred Heart church and Pamela and the staff gave me a $10 gift card to HEB, a local supermarket! They also told me of a food pantry that would be open from 1pm to 2:45pm that day!

I headed over to HEB and bought some pita bread, humus, a bulkie roll, some chicken salad, a chocolate milk, and a gallon of water. I needed calories.

Feeling “filled up” I headed over to A.M.E.N. Area Ministries for Emergency Needs. Virginia and the staff there helped me out so much! They gave me a big bag filled with canned vegetables, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, a load of bread, cranberry juice, apples, oranges, bananas, dried cranberries, walnuts, and peaches! I couldn’t thank them enough. I loaded the heavy buggy and hit the road. I had everything I needed for the multi-day trek into Austin.

I swung by an auto shop and asked to use a can of WB-4D. The guys had some to spare! I greased the front wheel and hit the road. 

It was a beautiful day: corn fields, ranches, rolling hills, awesome skies, and wild flowers. I think I made it to hill country.

I actually enjoyed the hills. It feels good working towards something, hauling up the incline. The summit is always enjoyable, and so is the trek down. It is rewarding work. I know it will probably get crazy hilly in the next few days, so hopefully I’m not speaking too soon!

The clouds throughout the day were amazing. I’ve never seen such clouds before Texas.

I  reached Smithville.

A few minutes before sundown I made it to St. Paul’s Catholic Church. I couldnt seem to get in touch with anyone, so I hit sidewalk to explore town. 
I made it to the First Baptist Church and there was a group of people there playing dominos. The pastor was there too! Wish I got a picture of the gang, they were having a great time.
I met Pastor Michael Murphy. He immediately dropped everything he was doing to help me out. People’s immediate willingness to help strangers never ceases to amaze me. I almost couldn’t believe it. He put me up in a motel! He also offered to give me a ride into Austin in the morning. I explained how I try my best to cover everything on foot. I gave him a big hug, we parted ways.

It had been a long week. I showered and changed. I even watched some t.v. I fell asleep as more storms hit Smithville, Texas. I was thankful to be indoors.