Louisiana

Here's the rest of Cody's pictures from Louisiana. He sent a batch of pictures when he was mid-way through Louisiana-- you can see the first pictures from Louisiana in the post, People #1-- the Paul family.

Shreveport, LA

Bayous of Louisiana.

Luke and Noah. "Hope of a new generation," says Cody (who was rather into mud-bogging for several years). Cody gave Noah a slingshot, since he looked like the kind of kid that needed a slingshot.

Mike Thompson-- Mike wants to bike across America in a few years. He saw Cody and wondered if he was crossing America. He bought Cody dinner in Vicksburg.

Think you're a little lost, Cody. Quebec is close to home, not your southern route of travel.

A live oak in Tallulah, Louisiana-- a beautiful little town with friendly postal employees.

Another scene from Tallulah, LA.

Approaching the mighty Mississippi!

The Big Finish, Pictorially

Scene of Cody's momentous finish.

The day Cody first met up with Mom and Dad, and gave them his pack.

Scarfing some food.

Dad and Cody.

Tori and Cody.

Strange face, and the little backpack he used from there on out-- he had found it in the ditch that morning.

Some pictures Dad took of beautiful Tybee Island while he waited for Cody.

Lots of tankers off the coast!

Cody, the little red dot there in the middle!

Mom was up at the road, calling him on a cell phone, so she missed the initial sighting!

Closer...

And closer... He wasn't running by this point. He ran about 10 miles of that day-- after two nights with no sleep to speak of.

Posing with the Tybee Island water tower in the background.

Removing his shoes...

And his shirt...

For the plunge!! (This is a video, click on the arrow in the middle.)

Sitting, finally.

Then lying!

The poor, tormented feet!

Leaving Tybee. Cody bought a Tybee Island T-shirt that said, "Tybee Island: So Near, Yet So Far!" Quite appropriate!

Cody's welcoming committee at my cousin's house.

Celebratory cake.

The hero poses.

After sleeping...

(Not sure if he slept on the floor or not!)...

Cody was en route home, to his flock of sheep.

And the people who'd cared for his sheep while he was gone.

This weekend, all of the siblings, excepting the Alaska branch, were able to be together on the farm. Cody enjoyed checking out the cows with Dad and Owen, and seeing all the lambs-- four were born on Saturday. He got to wear different clothes, after wearing the same skimpy wardrobe for a long time. (We all wondered at his choice of acid-washed jeans from the 80s, but they were different!) I hope Cody is enjoying being home for now, we all sure enjoyed seeing him! His five nieces and nephews that were present were properly excited about having him back!

I have lots more pictures to post of Cody's final month in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. I'll be posting them over the next week or so, and keeping you informed of Cody's latest plans. Thanks so much for all the blog comments, it amazed Cody how many people had been rooting for him through this whole adventure! It's also exciting that he raised $2500 through his fundraising page.

Swimming IN the Atlantic!!!

Cody Vaughan has made it!!! Over 2300 miles later, he is swimming in the Atlantic (there were porpoises and dolphins there a few minutes before he made it). He is cheering and waving his bandana, and looking forward to eating in a minute. Wow!!!

Exclamation points are called for here.

Running to the Atlantic

Cody stashed his backpack somewhere behind a filling station earlier this morning so he could walk faster. Now, Mom and Dad have met him, and he has handed everything over to them so he can run the rest of the way! That includes his cell phone and spare change-- it's just him and his sneakers! (And clothing, of course!) He has crossed over to one of the islands east of Savannah-- I'm not sure exactly where in the route he is, but it's about 13 miles from the bridge until the beach on Tybee island. So definitely less than 13 miles! That seems so short, until you stop and consider how many of us run a half-marathon every day. Cody is pretty amazing in that he tosses off 50 miles a day without making it look hard! Mom says he's pretty sunburned at the moment, his lips are cracked and bleeding, and he looks tired, but he's still going!

Today, hopefully!

Cody is walking on Augusta Ave. in northern Savannah. About 20 miles to go! He had another long, cold night-- he says being without a sleeping bag definitely makes you more ambitious! The only rest stop he made was at a laundromat. After stepping in a puddle of icy water, he stopped at the laundromat, washed his socks out with soap in the restroom, and rested while they dried in the dryer for 45 minutes. As he was leaving the laundromat, he found a token that exactly expressed his thoughts at the moment. It was a Lewis and Clark nickel, and on the back was an inscription from Captain William Clark's journal on the day they thought they had reached the Pacific: "Ocean in view! O! The joy!" Such are Cody's thoughts right now!

Another Long Cold Night

Cody is at the intersection of 280 and 16, just east of Pembroke, GA. About 50 miles more to go! He is tired after his night of walking and a full day today, but he lacks the equipment to stop and sleep now-- the folks have his big frame back pack and sleeping back, and they're visiting relatives four hours north while they wait for Cody to finish. His feet are glad he doesn't have the big backpack anymore-- it was around 40-50 pounds, and it made a big difference in his feet and legs hurting. Cody's going to stop and sleep if he finds an opportunity, otherwise he's just slogging on through the night, and hoping to reach Tybee Island (and the Atlantic Ocean!) tomorrow evening!

I was thinking it would be great if Cody finished with all the folks who've been following along and cheering him on. Since we can't all be in Georgia, it would be great if anyone who likes could post a comment to this blog, and Cody could read them all when he wakes up from his week-long nap next week! You can also make your presence known in a meaningful way by donating to Doctors Without Borders through Cody's fundraising page!

All-Nighter Planned

Cody finally met up with Mom and Dad today in Vidalia, Georgia! They took his big frame backpack and left him with just his essentials. He was going to take a nap in the afternoon, since it was warm, and then walk all night through the cold time. He still has about a hundred miles to go, but he should be able to do better mileage without those extra pounds on his back! Mom and Dad are visiting Cecil and Amy while he trudges on, and then they'll be there for the big finish!