So Close! (Thankfully!)

Cody has had some pretty yucky weather the last few days! Thankfully, he was given shelter Sunday night-- read about it in this comment. I haven't been able to talk to Cody, but I've heard from others that he had a discouraging day in some ways. He was walking in the ditch on Highway 16 (my sister Bethaney had told him it was more direct-- tsk, tsk, Bethaney!) when a patrol officer stopped him and drove him back an exit. He then had to recover several miles on a less-direct route!

I'm hoping he's still riding on the strength of Saturday night's supper, warm bed and fellowship! Here's a couple pictures from that visit--

Cody when Cecil picked him up.

Cody signing the guest book as interested dogs keep watch. He's wearing his dress pants-- he's hoping he'll be finished his trek before he needs to wear them again! They're his only pair of long pants now, so he needed them for this snowy weather!

I'm hoping it's just a few more days until I can write about his triumphal finale!

Warm Bed and Spaghetti!

Cody is settled in Cecil and Amy's place for tonight and tomorrow in Louisville, GA. They've been friends of our family ever since Cody was a baby, and Cody has been looking forward to getting to their neck of the woods. He hadn't quite got to their stretch of the road today, but Cecil rode out on an errand of mercy and picked him up-- it was a very rainy and cold day there. Since Dad and Mom are heading down to Florida right now for a funeral, they are planning on picking Cody up Monday from Cecil and Amy's and taking him back to start walking where he left off today.

Amy said Cody tucked into the spaghetti dinner she made for him, but he graciously declined use of their treadmill! It was a cold and rainy day's walk for him today. Last night he slept in a horse trailer, which got him out of the rain but didn't do a lot for heat! It's wonderful to know he's in a warm and dry place tonight!

Walking Through Georgia

I talked to Cody this morning, when he was four miles west of Butler, Georgia. He is moving along, but Georgia is a fairly wide state! He has about 200 miles to go!

I removed the scanned images of the newspaper article I had posted yesterday-- I realized that's probably copyright infringement. Cody also wanted to clarify a few points in the article, for those of you who DID read it. While Cody does support the mission of Doctors Without Borders, he has no plans to volunteer abroad with them at this point. Cody always has several ideas of what he's doing next, and he has been talking about visiting South Africa to see a friend there. At this point, though, it's just a nebulous plan!

Thanks so much to those who donated to Cody's fundraising site-- he's over the $2000 mark! It's for a great cause!

The Final State-- Georgia!

Cody is in Georgia, and on the last leg of his journey! I never doubted that Cody would give up-- I have never met a person who came close to Cody in sheer amount of determination. I did worry, though, that events or injuries would force him to stop. He's not finished yet, but I'm pretty impressed.

Cody was on the front page of Mom and Dad's hometown newspaper, the Malone Telegram. (I had posted a scanned copy of the article, but have since removed it due to worries over copyright infringement.) Anyway, Cody is famous now!

Saved the Prettiest for Last...

Cody is nearing the home stretch! He spent last night in Tuskeegee, Alabama. I don't think he slept much, but he passed the night there. It was a pretty shady section of town, complete with barking dog most of the night-- it will make him appreciate his quiet bedroom on the farm all the more in a few weeks! (Although there has been barking dogs on the farm before.)

I talked to Cody Sunday afternoon, and he wasn't feeling very good. He was congested, and told me he has been fighting an earache since New Mexico. He thinks most of it is just from sleeping out in the elements. He thought he would be in warmer country now, but it's getting down to 25° at night, so he's cold a lot. The sunburn he got Saturday was also contributing to some shakes and chills. All in all, I think he is eager to finish!

Cody's walk from Selma to Montgomery was pretty desolate. It was the loneliest stretch of road since West Texas. The only gas station in a 30-mile stretch was closed due to a recent murder. Cody said it didn't look like a dangerous section, but he was glad to get that behind him. He had lunch with some friends in Montgomery on Sunday.

According to Google, Cody has a little less than 300 miles to go! One of the plans floating around right now is that Mom will go down to visit an elderly aunt in Florida and pick Cody up on the way home. Another option is finding a car that needs driven North-- there are websites out there that match a vehicle needing to be moved and a willing driver. Cody did that to get home from the West Coast last spring. Lots of options, anyway!

These are the rest of Cody's pictures. They are mostly of scenery, which can speak for itself, so I'll be (mostly) quiet now and let you enjoy the trip East, vicariously!

This was a cave right off the road that Cody climbed up in.

Scott says, "This was transition spot in texas... going down out of the plains and this one shows the cactus and tree together."

Pretty little town of Baird.

Old train depot.

Wow, these pictures make me want to go on a road trip. We sure live in a beautiful, amazing country! To help out those who may not enjoy all the wealth we do in this land, contribute to Doctors Without Borders at Cody's fundraising page.

Changes to Blog Format

I've had different people wonder how to go back and read Cody's story, right from the beginning (which was the first week in November, 2008-- I would have to check with Cody or Scott Smith for the exact date.) To facilitate easier reading, I've changed the archive format over on the right hand side. It now is in chronological order, starting with November. Just click on the date to start reading! Once you read that day's post, you can click on the next date at the bottom of the page. This format isn't as attractive, but it is easier to use! Hope that helps folks out!

P.S. Scott confirms it was November 3rd that they started out.

"Cody's Legs Must Hurt" Pictures

Cody texted me today that he had crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge (scene of a bloody attack against civil rights protesters marching from Selma to Montgomery). He is now doing the 54 mile trek that the civil rights marchers eventually made. They only averaged 10 miles a day, due to their large numbers, so let's hope Cody does better mileage than that!

The pictures I'm posting tonight are pictures that made me think, "Ouch!" There was some major climbing there at one point, as well as daily trudging along.

This sign had to be a little discouraging!

Beautiful scenery, though!

This is when he still had his stroller. I'm sure glad a semi didn't come around that curve!

Starting at sea level, here he is now at 8,650 ft.

Mountain Mercantile in Cloudcroft! (Site of some pretty good pies, I've been told!)

I can imagine these stretches were no fun on the knees.

Shredded sneakers!

Cody and Scott with their new walking machines.