This proved to be an unusually satisfying stop and a seemingly normal fast food joint (I think this one was a Dunkin Donuts). I was pretty nondiscriminatory when it came to choosing the locales where I asked for water – sometimes it was office buildings, sometimes it was gas stations, and sometimes it was fast […]
The roadway then entered another longer stretch where there were essentially no walk-able shoulders at all, so much so that I ended up walking “against traffic” in the central median for a time. Unsurprisingly, this proved to be not the best of ideas, so I tried the opposite shoulder for awhile as well, which – […]
I eventually made it to the outskirts of the town of Edison, and thankfully left the frenetically crazed thoroughfare in favor of the cooler and much calmer confines of the Skylark Diner. Not wanting to intrude upon the more joyous and carefree ambience inside, I asked for a water to go and then parked myself […]
One of the waitresses at the diner found out the location of the local library and I headed out to find the same – hoping for some cool respite from the heat, and maybe an alternate route to the terrifying (and very hard on the feet) faux-shoulders of Highway 1 … I crossed the highway […]
On the positive side, I did smoothly find the Edison Public Library. On the negative side, it had just closed a few minutes before my arrival (and no one inside would open up for my firm but respectful knocking. On the positive side once more, neither my gratitude nor my happiness were in any way […]
No sooner did I make it back to Highway 1 than a sidewalk blessedly appeared, and no sooner did I rejoice fully in that appearance than it decided to fade away once more … “The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk gently & attentively on the green earth, dwelling […]
I know it was only a penny I then found on the roadside, and yet it still meant something thick and powerful that I fluidly and purposefully gave away the same … “Possessions themselves are not the problem, it is our relationship with possessing them … Manifest plainness. Embrace simplicity. Dismiss selfishness. Entertain few desires […]
On & on & on I ambled, sometimes along Highway 1’s wider shoulders, sometimes upon its roadside trails that were almost nonexistent. I had walked quite a ways it seemed, all the way to the outskirts of New Brunswick, when I suddenly became extremely dizzy, and even thought I might pass out on the spot. […]
Onward I ambled along Highway 1’s still-rude shoulders, until I saw a Chili’s restaurant that beckoned for some water and a brief rest. I explained my Pilgrimage to the hostess on hand, who then explained the same to her manager, who then told me to sit in a booth for as long as I needed. […]
Highway 1 was less traffic-laden by the time I started walking back down its zooming route, and yet it was still highly unpleasant treading. Even the glorious sunset was hard-pressed to offer me any lasting solace. Fortunately, I soon spotted two couples hanging out in a highway-side mall parking lot and they told me how […]
I woke again very early this morning, this time after a quite odd night’s sleep (the office park’s main AC unit kept turning on very loudly – and very coldly – every 45 minutes or so all night) and headed back onto The Road – still joyful to be serving in such a potent way; […]
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