Day 134
I awoke to the sunrise. 

I broke broke camp. I ate a bagel with peanut butter and a cereal cup Lauren and Kieth had given me for breakfast. I drank water and gatorade. 
My feet couldnt handle the nike shoes. Putting them back on would further damage them. The sandals I had bought back in Marfa weren’t any better. They had cheap plastic pieces that had blistered my soles. The sandals would have to do.
It was hot early.

 I put in a few miles and started scouting locations for a siesta. I knew the sun would only grow more intense until mid afternoon. 

Around ten, I found a clean culvert, and brought a few things down with me. I tied a reflective vest at the marker up on the road.

I used a leather man tool Lee back in Houston had given me. I got to work. It was a bit creative, but it would work. I cut the heels off the back of the nikes. Not ideal, but I would be able to keep my mileage up and let my feet heal at the same time. It would do. 

I laid down for rest.

A few people saw the tied-vest up above and stopped to check on me. I think they might have noticed the baby stroller too, haha. They were friendly and just wanted to make sure I was safe and OK.
I ate tuna and tortillas for lunch. Grapefruit for desert. At 3:30p.m. I crawled out of the culvert. The sun was less intense. With my hybrid shoes, I hit the road.

I saw many great things on my trek into Valentine: flats and plateaus, dust tornados, storms, and rainbow clouds:

Just outside Valentine, TX, the storms rolled in up above. Lightening. Loud thunder! It was 7:30p.m. 

I hurried.

There were no gas stations or stores, but there was a library. Out back I found a pavilion. I watched and listened to the thunder and lightening. Irested and ate a bagel with peanut butter.

 I contemplated staying overnight, but I hadn’t gotten too many miles in. I’ve been traveling into the evening, its when I can easily knock out 10-20 miles ontop of what I did that morning.

There was a break in the storms. I hit the road. 

I met Al! He saw me a few days back. He told me I was looking real good. He refilled one of my empty gallons with filtered water! He also gave me a few protein bars! We talked about the journey, a local radio station, and the land. The radio station was down. It got struck by lightening! He told me there was a catholic church with a pavilion just on the outskirts of town. We parted ways. 

The storms seemed to clear. I stopped at Sacred Heart and said a little prayer. I kept moving.

As the sun set, the skies opened. The mountains to the west and east held the storms back. A few people were pulled over trying to snap pictures of the lightening and the sun set. 

It was a great sight!

It got dark. I wasn’t able to keep an eye on the clouds. Lightening grew intense and rapid. 

I scouted a few spots to camp. There wasn’t much to choose from. 

It seemed to take alot out of me, but I doubled back to Sacred Heart. It cost me about four miles each way, 8 miles total, but I was happy for the rest. I set up my hammock under the pavilion. The storms grew intense! Feeling thankful for shelter, I fell fast asleep. There was a cow somewhere off making all kinds of strange noises all night!