Start: Raymond Terrace
Finish: Karuah
Distance: 18
Total: 744
Today was forecast to be a hot one. So I did all I could to beat the heat and get to my destination as quickly as I could.
Last night I saw the forecast; mid-90s for a high with no clouds until after 2:00. So I went to bed early with the intention of getting up and getting on the road as early as daylight would allow. However, I didn’t intend to wake up at 3 AM and just lay there looking at the ceiling. But that’s what happened. At 5:30 I got up, packed up, and walked a mile down the road in the dark to the 24 Hr McDonalds. A hand full of employees and myself were the only ones there that early, but by the time I had eaten breakfast it was daylight and off I went toward the 4-lane highway.
The road I’m walking on, for all intent and purposes, is a freeway. It’s just like our interstate highway at home with a speed limit of 110 KPH (68 MPH). However, the nice wide shoulder has a bicycle symbol painted on it so that means pedestrians, like me, can use it. However, later on, this same road is designated a “motorway” and I can’t use it. So on the map now it’s called Hwy A-1; later it is called Hwy M-1.
For the first 10 miles or so I was walking north. And there were trees along my right side. So the eastern sun was casting a shadow on my side of the highway and the temperature was still nice. However, as I walked farther, the road turned more to the east, and the sun got higher in the sky, and the temperature started climbing, and my shade went away. By 12:30 when I got to my destination of Karuah it was 96 degrees. Tomorrow is suppose to be much cooler with rain. I need to walk 27 miles tomorrow on the freeway. Rain, poncho, trucks splashing road spray; we’ll see how that turns out.
Tonight I’m in the little town of Karuah (ka-roo-ah), pop. 1400. It’s a one stoplight town, but once again the town’s little motel has everything I require. Life is good here in Karuah. JB.
Beautiful picture!