Date: 2007-06-09
From: Matts Creek Shelter

To: Tired Feet Cafe, Glasgow, VA
Miles today: 2.2
Weather: broken clouds

Town! Up early and hiking by 6:15 am...Tony Tiger already gone...Handyman just behind...all met up at the road...I stick out my thumb for the first passing vehicle and when it looks like he's not stopping, I pout. He stops! It's a pickup truck, our favorite form of transportation...you wouldn't want this odor in a closed space! I sat on the tire well with the wind blowing in my hair! What a life this bag lady life!Small town, no village, but everything I need: restaurant, motel, Post Office, grocery store (sort of), library, and laundry...hiker's paradise. I think I'll spend the night, rest my feet, clean my body and clothes, and let this group of hikers move on ahead.Breakfast: Mountain Man Breakfast. would you believe? 2 biscuits with sausage gravy, 2 pancakes with fako syrup, 2 eggs over medium, bacon, and home fries. I finished all but the pancakes...they weren't very good. I said I've been hungry.Then off to the library to check email, write some people back, and move my pictures off my camera and label them for Dana. I got almost everything done,but they up and closed at 1 pm...darn. Dana, we'll have to talk about some of the pictures because I couldn't finish the task...but almost.I'm still waiting to get a room at this point, so I'm in the library in my stinking hiker clothes. I hate being out in public without showering yet...I feel so funky and disgustingly dirty. The locals seem used to it though..."Are you a hiker?" No, just a bag lady!Eventually all my new friends had headed back to the trail, except for Tony Tiger...his girlfriend was coming from DC to spend the weekend with him. After he got picked up, I was all alone, for the first time in weeks...strange sensation. Got my room...small room, one bed, dresser, little lamp, TV, microwave, fridge, $50/night. It will do for me...it' got a shower! Shower, dump pack, sort laundry, hike to laundromat...drats!...forgot to get change (told you, the brain is mush...it's gotten so used to not thinking for house a day, hast when it's supposed, it doesn't)...walk back to cafe, get change, back to laundromat...so much for no walking on my day off.Back to motel... check for cell signal...sure would be nice to talk to people back home...nothing. I'm so tired, don't feel well, probably sick from eating real food..I live on junk food mainly...oh, a nap! While listening to Suze Orman on PBS...maybe some financial wisdom will seep into my brain while I nap! This taking a day off is quite a treat...I could really get to liking it:Ahh! An hour later...that felt great. Now off to find a phone booth to send my Pocketmail entires to Dana and Dennis...and call Dennis...sure love hearing his voice! Almost as god as a hug and a kiss from him...will have to do for now. Phone booth..sitting on the dirty pavement...in the blistering sun...leaning up against the sharp corner of the building because the cord is so short...what I won't do to spend some time talking to Dennis! Eventually I notice there's a set of plastic chairs sitting outside the little auto dealers building next door...I don't think he'll mind if I borrow one. There, that's more comfortableTalk to Dennis, send pocketmail, browse the grocery store for next week's junk food diet, and then to the cafe for dinner.Step lightly