The way things seem to be working out, it looks as though I'll be in Walla Walla until the end of the month to give my knee a chance to rest. This decision is the result of some wrangling with my folks.
As my constant readers know, my father's been wanting me simply to stop here in Walla Walla and spend the winter. I, on the other hand, feel it's way too early to think about stopping, and would like to soldier onward as far as I can get before hunkering down for the winter. The problem, however, is that Mom and Dad are about to do some major renovating, and Dad's uncomfortable about coming west and leaving Mom alone in Virginia while this is going on. The renovation may take up to a month-and-a-half.
Mom seems to think she'll be fine at home by herself; my brother David lives close by and can check on her periodically (in fact, he already does, visiting the 'rents fairly often), and the folks doing the renovating are Koreans whom Mom came to know through her Korean Women's Society connections.
So the compromise, based partly on discussions with the parents and partly on arrangements with a CouchSurfer found by recent CS host Amanda, is for me to stay in Walla Walla until September 30. The following day, October 1st, I'll shove off and, hopefully with Chuck's help as chase car driver, will do the 2-3-day walk to Pendleton, where I'll await my father's arrival. Dad will then take over as chase car driver, and together we'll make our way about 220-240 miles along I-84 to Boise, and that's where I'll winter. We should be able to make that distance before Halloween. I'll shack up in Boise, get a temp job, earn some cash, lick my wounds, and join a gym to keep on burning calories.
I'm going to be researching Boise to find out what's there, not only in terms of employment opportunities but also in terms of academic and religious institutions: with whom might I have some interesting religious discussions?
So that's the current plan. It's not set in stone, but it seems to be the most satisfactory solution for all concerned. To be honest, I dislike the idea of being immobile for so long; by wintering like this, I'm kissing my "finish before turning 40" goal goodbye. Then again, if I'm able to use that time to plan the rest of the walk out in greater detail and set up a network of willing chase car drivers, this might be, as they say, a blessing in disguise, and I might even be able to finish the walk before August 31, 2009. While I'm not big on "hidden harmony" theodicies, I do think there's no yang without yin.
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Marathon
12 years ago
9 comments:
So which host are you staying with?
I'll be staying with Mechelle, who apparently rents a house for $775/month. Since I'll be there only three weeks (10 Sep to 30 Sep = 21 days) and she's looking to share rental costs with a roomie, I'm going to pay $350 for my three weeks, which ought to cover rent plus my share of utilities.
Kevin
Chase car action is going to be expensive, and your knee might just have a manufacturer's defect. I think weathering the winter in Boise is a great idea. So is buying a bicycle with panniers and a trailer. Ain't nothing wimpy about changing to a bicycle tour, especially given all the trouble you've had doing the walk thus far.
You would rather take time to rest the knee and get it back in good condition.
I almost broke my ankle in Cairo, if that would have happened I would just have down for three months.
Awesome deal! That's like three nights in a hotel! I love CS!
Thanks for the comments, all.
Max,
I agree that chase car-ing is expensive, which is why I'd like for lots of people to do it in many brief sections: many hands make light work. If I can find interested locals who in turn know other locals along the way, that would be gravy.
As for switching to a bike... I'd have to do a great deal of soul-searching before I make such a compromise. To me, that would feel like betraying one of the underlying principles of the walk. And on the ego front, I admit I'd feel that the walk will have lost its specialness: whenever I talk with locals, it seems that everyone and their grandmother has biked at least once across the country. It seems almost absurdly easy to do. Besides, I'd end up pushing my bike during the uphill stretches.
Kevin
Ok, since a bike's currently out of the question, then maybe some sort of wheeled contraption to carry your junk would be in order--to keep that extra weight off your knees.
Perhaps....a....shopping cart?!
Max,
The solution for the moment is the chase car, and I'm guaranteed one for the next 240 miles or so: Chuck, then my dad. After that, I'll be wintering in Boise for about four months, which ought to be plenty of time for an injury like this to heal, and for me to organize the next thousand miles' worth of chase cars.
Kevin
Kevin,
I'll send your info on to my brother who lives in Boise. He may be able to help out a little with the job search (though he'll be in Argentina for much of November). His wife and kids will still be there and they have a network of friends.
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