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!

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!