Day 183
I awoke just before sunrise above San Timoteo Wash. I was a good ways up off the ground.

I was swinging in my hammock beneath a bridge.

I broke camp. I grabbed the buggy along the slope and hauled it back up to the road.

I watched the sunrise down below. Then climbed back up above.

I hit the road. Into San Timoteo Canyon:

It was nice to see deciduous trees. 

I was back in the country. I stopped at a little RV park and bought a few snacks at a general store. An Arizona Iced Tea, a danish, some sour cream and onion chips, and beef jerky. Breakfast!

I kept moving. It was a great stretch!:

Eventually, I made it out of the canyon and to Loma Linda, California. 

Around 1:00 p.m., I decided to break for a short siesta. I found a Starbucks. I still had some money left on the gift card Gisela and her daughters gave me. I had a frappuccino, it was good!

Around 2:30 p.m., I was back on the road.

Sidewalk actually. I found myself in Greater Los Angeles!:

I met Nicolo! He was on the street. We started chatting about life on both the road and the street. I offered him a few things and he accepted! Water, gatorade powder, a water sack, and aaa batteries. He was really thankful. He also gave me a couple pencils!

Nicolo was pretty amazed I was walking to LA. He told me I was in one of the most dangerous places of all of California. He gave me some tips on which towns to avoid, and which routes would be best for travel. I offered him some money and a meal, but he wouldn’t accept! He told me I needed it more than him. He was really nice, and we added each other on Facebook. We parted ways.

A short while later, a woman and her daughter pulled over! They were on their way home from a restaurant. While they were eating, they witnessed the manager kick a homeless person out of the restaurant. They felt so sad about it, that they through together a little meal from the buffet for him! Unfortunately, they couldnt find him, so they offered it to me! I was really thankful, I was getting hungry! We parted ways.

The sun hung low in the sky.

And it set. Coming out of the desert, and heading towards the city, it was getting harder to find places to sleep. I suddenly found myself on the street in Greater LA. At night.

I made it to the First Christian Church in Fontana, CA! I heard someone speaking Spanish inside and wandered in. It was a Bible study!

I was pretty dirty, and was really happy I was welcomed in. The Pastors son bought me dinner! I forgot his name :(, I think it was Jonathan. He told the volunteers to put dinner on his tab, haha!

Dinner was so good! And spicy!

I met Frank and Olga! They lived in Worcester, MA for a few years. Frank is originally from Puerto Rico. We talked about the island for a few minutes. It was fun speaking in Spanish!

Everyone was amazed that I had walked from Florida. I don’t think anyone actually believed me until I showed them pictures on my phone. It shocked them too when I pulled an iPhone out of my fanny pack! Haha! I thanked everyone for being so nice to me and for dinner. I spoke with the pastor briefly about a place to sleep, but he told me he only rents the building so he could not give me permission to camp. I understood. For some reason I knew I would be ok.

Back on the street, it was cold! At least it felt that way. Hoodie weather! I threw on the sweatshirt Manny had given me back in New Mexico. I hit sidewalk.

I kept moving through the night. Eventually, I made it to an industrial park area with very few people on the street. I was scouting locations to camp, but couldn’t really find any.

At midnight, I broke down the buggy and hid it under some brush. I climbed a tree! It was something that had been on my mind while passing through a few cities. With a hammock, I could go where others couldn’t. 

Up above, I hung my hammock high in the branches. I fell asleep to a sweet scent and a gentle breeze. I was perhaps 10-12 feet up off the ground. I felt safe!