Lindsey Checks In

Hello all, this is Lindsey, one of Cody's other sisters, finally posting a bit about my trip to see Cody last weekend. First of all, I would like to say it is a good thing that Clover updates the blog as obviously I am not very prompt. Also I am trying to upload some pictures but I am at Mom and Dad's which is still in dial-up world. (Not their fault really, somehow there are no DSL or cable internet options available to them out here on the farm) So I waited forever for the pictures to load and some of them did but some didn't and I really don't get it. It said they loaded but I can't see them so... A few pictures seem to have worked but they really weren't the interesting ones.

So just a few weeks ago my friend, Larae and I decided we should go find Cody and take him some cookies. Obviously we could have mailed them but the hand delivery sounded like more fun from our end. So we decided to meet up in Las Vegas and take a little road trip. It was a spur of the moment decision and perhaps not very well thought out since we had not idea where Cody would be by the time we got there.

Larae grew up in Alaska and lived there when I first moved up. She later moved to Bend, OR and Cody hung out with her a bit when he was working in the area. She is always up for a good time and she has been following Cody's walk closely.

So I flew to Las Vegas on Thursday night and did some hiking at Red Rock Canyon on Friday and LaRae arrived in Las Vegas Saturday morning. We had a 760 mile drive ahead of us. After getting out of the city and getting some breakfast we were ready to hit the road around 11:00. That meant with pretty steady driving, we got to Alamogordo just a little after midnight. Driving that far through the southwestern landscape definitely gives you some perspective on just how big a job Cody is undertaking. Even with only a 75 MPH speed limit to slow you down, the scenery seems fairly monotonous and unchanging. It is beautiful and impressive but also stark and inhospitable. At least with the two of us we could talk to pass the time. It would have been pretty lonely by yourself. I am sure in the wide open areas, at 3-4 miles per hour you could walk for several hours and still see essentially all the same landmarks in most directions. It would be hard to convince yourself you were really making progress.

We called Cody as we were getting into town and I could hear sirens in the background. It seemed almost fitting considering his many previous encounters with the law. Anyway, the flashing lights were a nice help so we knew we were getting close. Of course, Cody was not in anyway involved in what ever was going on but they were just across the street from him.

It was really good to see Cody again. We can't help worrying a bit now and then so it was good to have living proof that he really was alive and well. He was looking rather tired and I felt bad having kept him up so late. For the record, we had offered to pick him up wherever he was on his way to Cloudcroft but he had assured me he could hitch a ride back to town no problem. When I heard he had walked back about 8 of the 13 miles he had covered that day I felt pretty sorry for him.

We stayed in a motel in town there and although Cody had insisted mightily that he would just sleep on the floor, after flopping down on the bed when he walked in the door it wasn't too hard to convince him he should take advantage of the situation and have a comfortable night. Cody says it is harder to get comfortable on the ground in the cold weather because you instinctively want to curl up to stay warm but it is very uncomfortable laying on your side on the hard ground. Having done a bit of cold weather camping in the southwest last spring myself I could commiserate a little bit. Of course since we were in a car we had piles of gear to make the camping more comfortable but I never had a good night sleep until I discovered how nice foot warmer and hand warmers were inside a cold sleeping bag. I bought Cody a bunch before I left him so I am hoping he will try it out.

On Sunday morning we drove up to Ruidoso for a meeting. It was nice to meet some great folks there. Cody's fame had preceded him as the people he had meet with Wednesday night had called the folks in Ruidoso and told them to expect him. Afterwards we were all invited to stay for Sunday dinner. It was a delectable ham dinner with all the fixings including quite possibly the best corn bread we had ever had. Cody was definitely enjoying good home cooking. Our hosts were Glenn and Becky and their children; a great family. They were very interested in Cody's unusual adventure and enjoyed hearing some of his stories from the road. Walking across country is a great conversation starter. No one passes up the chance to ask more questions once they hear what he is doing.

When we were ready to leave Becky packed up the leftovers and sent them along with us. Cody was had told me before we got there that he just wanted to feel full again and I think we achieved that goal. Between Clover's gingersnaps and peanut butter cookies and Larae's fudge and almond roca and generous amounts of assorted junk food and then a marvelous ham dinner and leftovers Cody was full to the gills.

When we first arrived in Alamogordo we told Cody that we really wanted to go for a hike Sunday afternoon and then maybe camp out! Although we tried to keep a straight face we just couldn't do it. For some reason that didn't sound like a relaxing day to Cody:)

Sunday afternoon we went to White Sands National Monument. When Cody had walked past the entrance to the park on Friday he had considered walking in the eight miles to the main attraction, the Heart of the Dunes area. However, I assured him we could go down there and visit it with a car. Somehow the side attractions lose their appeal a bit when they require 16 miles of extra walking. The sand dunes were really amazing. The landscape reminded us of the Yukon in the wintertime. They plow the roads there to get all the sand off the road and it looks just like plowed snow with white hills as far as you can see. It was a strange sensation to get out of the car to warm air. It was a beautiful afternoon with clear blue skies and we soaked it up. Having just come from Alaska, the sun was amazing, bright and warm. We played around a bit, sliding down the slopes and writing in the sand.

Then we headed back to Alamogordo for a lazy evening. Cody did some laundry and we drove around the town exploring a little bit. I think we likely had a lot more fun than it made sense to be having. Larae and I never seem to stop laughing when we get together and when you add Cody to the mix it just gets even more ridiculous. So it didn't take much to keep us entertained. It is usually hard to tell if we are laughing with or at each other but luckily we are good enough friends it doesn't even matter. I have a feeling Cody was usually laugh at us. I think he enjoyed some down time and some human companionship even if it was with his crazy sister and her friend.

Monday morning we drove up the road to Cloudcroft. Cody had stashed his stroller ten miles up the road which was really steep and curvy. We continued past the stroller and scouted out the road the rest of the 6 1/2 miles to the top of the hill. Neither Larae nor I were envying Cody that walk. In Cloudcroft, we mailed some postcards to all Cody's and my adorable nieces and nephews and then returned to the stroller.

Cody had hid the stroller well and the only vandals who had found it were rodents. Cody's loaf of bread and his candy bag were all chewed up. Cody had a whole bag of fireballs in the stroller and the mouse had chewed into several of the balls. The idea of mice getting a taste of red hot fireballs was a small comfort to Cody. Perhaps it taught the mouse that crime really doesn't pay.

We spent some time going through the contents of the stroller cleaning up all the chewed up bits of wrappers and twizzlers. (Cody was quite broke up about throwing away the entire bag of twizzlers but the mouse had made it pretty evident he had sampled each stick individually.) Cody was a bit embarrassed to have us going through the entire stroller. He said it was a bit like having company when your house is a mess! Although Cody really doesn't carry much extra in his stroller, it inevitably gets a bit untidy after a full day or so of walking with out a gas station or somewhere to dispose of the trash.

Also Cody was attempting to downsize a bit. He convinced me against my better judgment to take his lighter jacket and some shorts back home since he was convinced he wouldn't need them. I thought he should keep the extra jacket in case he needed to bundle up but he was certain that his winter coat he just got in a package from home along with all his other clothing was plenty and he wanted to lighten his load. He also sent home his first pair of sneakers. He hated to throw them away since they weren't completely worn out yet. They just weren't suitable for a full day of walking. They were responsible for some pretty horrendous blisters and he had given in and bought a new pair but continued to carry the old pair with him. I wonder how many more pairs of sneakers he will use to get to the east coast.

Larae and I had a loaf of bread in the car that we had got to make some sandwiches for our trip back to Las Vegas so we were more than happy to donate some of the loaf to Cody to replace his chewed up loaf and we also weighted him down with other assorted goodies including a couple diet Pepsis. Cody and I have always been pretty steady diet Pepsi drinkers but he has given it up on this trip since it doesn't fit in his budget and of course just plain water is healthier. I felt a bit bad being a supplier to his habit... But I figure just a drink or two couldn't hurt.... We both quit frequently but since neither of us like any other source of caffeine it is difficult to stay committed.

We were impressed with Cody's stroller system. He has a couple of bungees and a tarp and everything has its place. All his cargo is securely fastened and even somewhat organized. His rubber tires are in very bad repair but he just keeps replacing the tubes and manages to get along.

Once we were sure Cody was in good shape we left him. I think we were both feeling pretty sorry for him at that point; standing on the side of the road on a cold windy morning with 6 1/2 miles of steep hills ahead. We had to remind ourselves that he was there by choice and he was very upbeat about the whole thing so we really didn't need to feel too sorry. However once we had covered well over a hundred miles in our climate controlled, comfy rental car, we realized that he was still likely not finished with that little section of road and we had to remind ourselves yet again. The fact that we were both heading home for Christmas added to our guilt. We do have it pretty good,

We had a lot of snow around Flagstaff on our way back to Las Vegas and for a good while we were creeping along at 20 mph. We also encountered rain and hail and a thunder and lighting storm. We were very late getting to our hotel so we didn't check in with Cody again until the following day.

As it turned out he had had a pretty good day after we left him. Once he got back up to Cloudcroft the hard way, he hung out for a little while. We had seen the pie store he had been told about so I think maybe that was a stop. Cody has never seen a pie he didn't like. He said everyone in Cloudcroft was super friendly and helpful. Once he was refreshed, he started heading down the other side of the hill. (A bit easier than uphill but hard on your knees) Later that evening, two guys saw him and talked to him and then came back later with some warm soup for supper and about 10 miles downhill (16 1/2 miles for the day) a guy who was building some rental cabins stopped him and told him he was welcome to crash for the night in one of the cabins. He had planned to go a bit further but that was too good of an opportunity to pass up. The cabins weren't finished but they had heat and hot water so he had a very nice evening with a warm meal, a hot shower, and a warm and dry spot on the floor. It really is amazing the generosity of random strangers. It definitely reaffirms my faith in our fellow human beings.

Well I guess I have rambled long enough. I will happily be turning the blogging responsibilities back over to Clover. She has been very excited about posting the latest news about Cody's Christmas and all but I have been holding up the works since she is striving for some sort of chronological order to this thing.

I think she will likely be posting again soon. So check back to read all about the latest exciting developments.

Christmas Day

Cody called today from seven miles west of Artesia, NM. He was hoping Artesia, a town of around 10,000, would have some sort of restaurant open today. In contrast to Thanksgiving, he actually has enough money to purchase more than a double cheeseburger! He has PB&J as a fallback, I’m sure.

Lindsey is planning on writing about her time with Cody, but there are a couple of good stories I haven’t written about yet. One of the most touching stories took place in Alamogordo last Friday night. A lady had seen Cody walking several times, and then saw his stroller parked outside a Taco Bell. She went in and asked who the stroller belonged to—when Cody owned up to it, she told him to wait five minutes. She ran home and returned with winter gear. The gear had belonged to her husband, who was killed in a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. Cody told her he was “homeless” by choice while he walked across America, but she said she wanted him to have the clothes—she was glad to give them to someone who was trying to make the world a better place (referring to Cody’s fundraising efforts). She also was going to give him a gift certificate for a fast food restaurant, but Cody didn’t feel right taking that. The lady also had a son injured while in the military who was still in the hospital, as well as some teenage daughters. Cody certainly didn’t feel worthy to fill these clothes, but was honored to be given them.

Cody spent Saturday walking east of Alamogordo. He met a friendly guy who was on his way to the Mountain Mercantile store up in Cloudcroft to buy pies! This man must have stopped because he recognized a kindred pie afficiando! He offered Cody a ride up to Cloudcroft, and when Cody refused, he drove up to Cloudcroft, then returned to talk to Cody again. He brought him some sausages, a reconnaissance report on the road ahead, some money, and an offer for Cody to camp out at his house. (He had all his kids home for Christmas, or he would have had Cody bring Lindsey and LaRae to their house to stay.)

Cody had planned on hitching back into Alamogordo for Saturday night to meet up with Lindsey, but he didn’t find a ride—he ended up walking almost all the way back! So he walked double the distance—but at least he got exercise instead of resting for the day.

For all the folks out there trying to reduce their tax bite in 2008 (as I’m sure most of us are), you have a week left to donate your tax-deductible contribution to Doctors Without Borders through Cody’s fundraising site. Thanks to all your generosity in that regard, and enjoy the rest of your Christmas day!

Photo Extravaganza!

Cody's picture CD got here in the mail today, and it's been a lovely distraction from the 2 feet of snow we have here in NY. I feel compelled to add captions to some of the pictures, but since I haven't gone through them with Cody, they will all be guesses! I will check in with Cody sometime soon and correct anything I have wrong, but just wanted to get these great photos up! Most of them speak for themselves. Enjoy-- there's been a photo draught for too long.

This guy was biking from the East Coast-- Cody met him with just a short bit left.

Quite the bleached hair, there! Sunshine Clairol...

Then, no hair.

I think this photo is of the sunrise one morning, and even though it didn't come out focus-wise, the colors were just so intense I had to post it.

Cody's nickname is Doug. Actually, Dug, but close enough.

Not sure who this is, but love the picture.

I'm thinking this is PJ and Laura! Hi, guys!

That had to be hard on the back of the calves.

I remember Cody was wondering about the sleeping on the ground thing at this point.

I think these are the start of the ranch pictures... but that's just a guess.
Gorgeous, wherever it is.

I really want to know what this is.

Fencing among cactuses. Ouch, but what a view.

Aerol the Bachelor. And Cody's lifesaver.

Cody had to be thinking, "And this is the year I pick to WALK?"

And that's all for now. I'm off to bed, but Lindsey is hoping to check in sometime in the next day or so and write about her trip to see Cody. Can't wait to hear all the details!

Las Cruces, NM

Cody called from Las Cruces today. He was planning on splurging today and blowing his $6/day budget on a pizza from Little Caesars-- he's been having a craving for pizza. While he was talking to me and telling me this, he spotted a Little Caesar's box in the ditch-- we decided it was an omen, and he should really pursue the pizza thing.

He had called me to run some mileage numbers to figure out his best route. He was expecting to pick up a package in Alamogordo, but he was worrying it would have been smarter to go the El Paso route. Google's prognosis was that Alamogordo route was the most direct, so he's heading thataway. He was also stoked to hear that if he keeps walking in a fairly straight line, it's only a little over 1600 miles to the Atlantic Coast-- he was thinking it was more in the neighborhood of 2000 miles. Of course, there could be many detours that could add to the trip.

Cody is expecting visitors this weekend! My sister, Lindsey, and her friend, LaRae, are flying into Las Vegas for a little vacation, and driving about 13 hours east to see Cody while they're there. Cody told me that he'd "forgotten" to pack some Eleanor Barkley Gingersnaps (anyone who has ever had that cookie remembers it!) and if Lindsey could remember to pack some... So we've been baking cookies today! I'm hoping if we freeze them good tonight, they'll have a few days to defrost and will taste fresh to him when he finally gets them Saturday night.

Cody's hoping to find a Wednesday night Bible study in Las Cruces tonight, and then Lindsey may be able to drive him to a meeting Sunday morning! He was excited about that.

I've been hovering by my mailbox, but no picture CD yet! I'm sure with Cody's budgetary constraints, he didn't overnight mail it, so it might be a while! I'll have to badger Lindsey to post pictures at the beginning of next week.

New Mexico and Nice People

The folks at the Savoy travel center near Deming, New Mexico are nice people. After several hours of their ministrations to a cold Cody, Cody is on the road again. Cody was hunkering down outside last night when the security guard, Catfish, told Cody to come inside. He got a nap on the couch in the truckers lounge, a juicy burger with fries, free shower and more! He had planned on just sleeping a few hours yesterday evening before walking more at night, but he caught some good sleep while it was available. He was there from 7:30 pm until 3:00 this morning. He's trying to do more night walking at the moment because there isn't many options except the prohibited interstate, so he tries to walk at the least busy times.

After leaving the comfort of Aerol's ranch last week, Cody walked into a headwind all day long. The next day the wind pushed him sideways, then it whipped at his back the third day. Plenty cold! He was supposed to pick up his package from Mom and Dad at the Lordsburg P.O. Friday, but it wasn't in yet. He hiked south of town to the ghost town of Shakespeare to look around while he waited until Saturday's mail. He was met with a shotgun by the caretaker (not a nice person) and was told he had to leave. Cody, of course, just waited until it was dark and then snuck around back and spent the night in the stable. I asked him if he saw any ghosts, and he said no, but his sleep was rather disturbed by dreams about the guy finding him and shooting him! Then he snuck back out before the sun was up. Unfortunately, the package was still in El Paso Saturday (tsk, tsk, USPS, Priority Mail let him down!) so he asked them to forward it to Alamogordo, NM and set off again.

Today found him in Deming, NM. He went to a Wal-Mart and got a CD made of the pictures he's taken so far! Can't wait to get that! He was thinking he would have to backtrack a ways to send it at the post office, but when he walked out of Wal-Mart, the mail lady was there in her little truck and he was able to mail me the CD right there. You probably get more excited about saving a couple miles when you have to walk every foot of the way. (Or drive the green bus, but that's another way-back story). He also traded in his "guaranteed-for-life" tire tubes for his stroller tires-- says he'd forgotten what a Cadillac the stroller can be! It's been pretty stiff pushing lately. There's a Wal-Mart in his next big stop, Las Cruces, so he only has to last until there to trade his tubes in. I have a feeling they're going to be sick of their little guarantee by the time Cody finishes his trip!

Cody sure enjoyed his time with Aerol (The Bachelor), and hopes he'll see him again some time. Aerol has roots in South Dakota, and attends the Sturgis rally every year, so he's told Cody to come stay with him in a trailer at the rally and work security or something. He also has friends that run combining teams across the Dakotas, a job Cody has always wanted to do. He did some combining in Oregon last year, but he's always dreamed of running a combine on the Great Plains.

Cody isn't able to check in on the internet much, but he was really excited today when I told him how much has been raised on his fundraising site. It's encouraging for him to know people are supporting his cause.

I checked with Google on an approximate mileage count for him, and he's come at least 675 miles, not county any backtracking or fencing hikes. No wonder he wears out shoes!

Ranching

Cody's still interred on the ranch in Arizona. He was planning on heading out today, but Bachelor had to take a trip up to Pheonix for a few days, so Cody agreed to ranch-sit. He had only planned on being there a week, but after a shopping expedition Sunday to buy new tubes for the stroller tires, some new jeans to replace his "shredded" one, and some food, he realized he needed a bit more cash, so he stuck on.

I'd been wondering just how desperate the cash situation was before he got this job, so Cody finally told me tonight, from the security of the ranch's double wide, with a full meal in his belly-- he spent his last dollar on a cheeseburger from McDonald's on Thanksgiving Day. It wasn't until Monday, I believe, that he found this ranching job. He'd made his last 12 1/2 dollars last a week and a half up until Thanksgiving, by subsisting on PB&Js and Ramen noodles. After the dollar cheeseburger, he lasted the rest of the time on PB&Js. He was passing the ranch after they were all gone, and he decided he at least had to ask for water. He found a job, along with water, and several good meals.

Bear in mind, worriers, he could have had money from anyone in his family or an extended network of friends with a phone call, but he had to see how he would feel to really be broke.

I'm guessing he felt hungry.

And probably sick of PB&Js.

Anyway, this job has done wonders for his morale and bank account. It sounds like it's beautiful country, too. Cody's been fencing in the BLM portion of the ranch, which is full of mountains and valleys. Since it is BLM land, there are no motorized vehicles allowed. That means hauling in fence posts on foot, over tough terrain. At least his muscles probably haven't atrophied in the last week!

Cody, true to his battle against softness, hasn't been sleeping in a bed on the ranch, even though the rancher offered him one. He has, however, been sleeping inside. An inch of snow fell yesterday-- Cody says it will be tough to leave the warmth at night! He has lots of warm clothes, though, and Mom is shipping him a package with another winter coat. He's also mulling over what book to ask her to send. He's finished Travels with Charley, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

The Stroller Saga continues. Cody spent money on three tire tubes that were guaranteed not to go flat. He spent about twenty minutes carefully picking over the three tires, removing any tiny speck of thorn or gravel that might pop a tire. He then carefully wheeled it about 200 ft. and parked it next to the house. The next day, Bachelor had hired someone to blast some rock for them. After the blaster set the six-minute timer, they were waiting for the explosion, when there was a loud bang from behind them! The tube had chosen this moment to blow up! Cody has no idea why it would have exploded, stationary with hardly any weight on it. It's not like he's overfilling them, since he has a pretty lame hand pump to pump them up with. The tire that had popped was a back tire, so Cody swapped the tube out with the front tire, than filled the front tire with pipe insulation. Since it's not bearing as much weight, he hopes that will work.

Scott Smith left yesterday, heading for Laramie. I'm hoping he took some pictures that he'll post!

Cody continues to be remembered at home in upstate New York. He had pygmy goats when he was a kid, and we all loved them. They were cute and had tons of personality. This summer, he decided to buy another one, so he answered an ad in the Free Trader (lifeblood of the North Country) for a pygmy goat. He was a little skeptical when he showed up, since there wasn't much pygmy about this goat. He hated to call the lady a liar, though, so he took the goat. He quickly decided it was just an ornery billy goat. And it smelled worse than boys' feet after a road trip (and I speak from experience-- I once had a Metro that my brothers borrowed for a road trip-- when my sister crashed it 18 months later, it still smelled wrong!) It was just an exceptionally unappealing animal.

Remember my comment about Cody's relationship with The Law? Well, because of that touchy subject, I'm not gonna say what happened to the goat. Suffice it to know that a really ugly billy goat was discovered in the enclosed court yard of the local high school sometime this fall. The ag teacher took pity on it and adopted it, while the juniors accused the seniors of a prank, and the seniors retaliated with accusations of their own. Not much has happened with the goat lately... until it got in the mood to write Christmas cards.

An 8x10 portrait of the goat was sent to Cody (at Mom and Dad's address). The goat asked if he could please come home again...

The shop teachers at school have had lots of Vaughan kids through their classes, and I think they might be fairly confident that they know what happened that autumn evening.

Anyway, there are no goats on the ranch in AZ!

As Cody says, this little break has done wonders for his morale, but he can't wait to get walking again, and "karate fight the road." Here's hoping he delivers a good blow to the asphalt! Feel free to make your own karate chop for good with a donation to Doctors Without Borders at Cody's fundraising site.