The funny bunny

Ok, what is so funny about this journey is reading Jed's posts daily (or there about). The way they are presented reminds me of a family dinner we had one year at Thanksgiving.....
Dinner was over, the dessert consumed and dishes done. We had a couple games my daughter brought over. One of them was called "Survivor." Since it was basically a multiple choice game, we all thought we would play, and those of us who are "game challenged" would have at least a small chance of winning a couple rounds. If any of you have played this game, a particular scenerio is read and then the player has a choice of decision A, B, C, etc. You get the idea. Well each time you get a question right, you get to go again. We started around the table. Jed was sleepy, so he did not join us at the table, but rather lay reclined in my husband's Lazy Boy type recliner. Question after question was fired out. We were all duds. You would think that we could get at least one crummy answer right.....but no.....
Then it was Jed's turn. Question #1....correct...Jed, you get to go again. Question #2....correct....Jed, you get to go again. It began to get sickening, he knew the answers to all the stinkin questions! We couldn't stump him. Even the really bizzare hypothetical situations. He always knew what to do! It drove us nuts. We were really hoping he would fall asleep, and just when we thought he was....there would be this pause, and he would answer one of OUR questions. Agh-h-h-h!!!

So now, fast forward to his Facebook posts...he is writing them just like the game cards in that game, but this time, it is really funny. The choices are true to what is really happening on the trip to him. I'm going to put a couple down....

Adventure survival Question # 2....2 snarling pit bulls are running at you. You have 15 seconds to decide what to do:
A. shit yourself
B. turn and run back the way you came
C. quickly climb a tree
D. pull your umbrella off your pack, use it like a shield, yell F---you at the top of your lungs and then get ready to kill with your hands the first one that tries to attack you.

then there's always the short posts....."as I ran past an old man this morning he said, 'son you look like you're on a mission this morning'....I said that I'm on a mission every morning"

and this morning's post....Adventure Science Fact #1...Carpenter ants don't sleep as evidenced by the fact I was sleeping on a superhighway of them last night and they ran across my legs all night. Tiny massaging ant feet. Yess!!!

And so this goofy bunny hops along the bunny trail, and I sign off for now.

lots of excitement

I am beginning to get an image of what things are like day to day with Jed. I hate to make snap judgements, but I am getting the feeling that Kentucky is not quite as friendly as the midwest. Maybe they are weary of the flooding and rain and just not happy in general now. I got a call from Jed asking me if I could express mail one of his trekking poles to him at a town called Booneville. He was in Hindman, and having an impossible time trying to stay dry with the supplies he had. He ordered himself a larger tarp that he could wrap around himself at night when he slept to attempt to stay dry. His last few nights were spent on the move, looking for a bridge/rock/anything at all to deflect the pounding rain. He was unable to stop and rest for the night because of the relentless soaking. Getting frustrated trying to set up a tarp shelter in the 40 mph winds, he got to a location where he could order supplies online. He was having the tarp express mailed to Booneville, where he was anticipating being in another day or two. I got the poles, managed a 15 minute break from work, and shipped the package as soon as the post office opened. That was Tuesday. I got word this evening, Thursday, that he picked them up at the PO. Of course the mother in me REALLY REALLY wanted to include a shipment of one of his favorite cookies...pizzelles...in the box. No time, no space in the shipping tube...I had to settle for the bare bones. I hope this helps Jed.

One of Jed's buddies from ALE (Adirondack Leadership Expeditions) met him last night in Booneville for a bite of food. How great is that! What a pleasant change from the day for him. He'd had an "encounter" with a couple of pit bulls earlier on. I am grateful for his deep throaty voice, as he faced them down screaming and looking as intimidating as possible. That can work for a charging bear in the northwoods but you never can really predict what an animal will do. Especially a tag team of pit bulls.

Today's post came in the form of another frustrating tale. As Jed ran by a house, he noticed a police car in the drive, and some local heat on the porch. Two guys, 4 dogs. As he passed, the cops told their dogs to "get him". The dogs charged, but didn't follow through to contact. Maybe the local law thought that was funny. I didn't. I have some very dear friends here who are policemen. They would be appalled at the thought of officers doing this. Redneck jerks!

So....Jed's introduction to Kentucky hasn't been a very positive one. In fact, I imagine he will not be sorry to see that state behind him. Me neither. Besides, then he will be closer to us. He's going to jump off the Transamerica trail and run across Missouri on the Katy trail. There are many here who would love to run with him for a while, and that will make it both safer and possible for them to join him for a couple miles. I can't run with him, but I am going to navigate some time off work and drive to an area where I can see him and spend a couple hours with him. I haven't seen him for a long time.

I would be grateful for any prayers on his behalf for safety and health.

crowded thoughts

You know this blog is a lot harder than I thought. It's not that there isn't something to say,.....the difficulty for me is sorting my thoughts out. They flood into my head and often put me on an emotionl roller coaster of sorts. It's hard sometimes for me to keep my feelings as Jed's mom at bay. I was reading one of his posts recently...I'd like to copy it here...

" I guess I write this to explain some thoughts I have about this. Why? is the question that people ask when someone is doing things of this nature. It's an opportunity to put yourself in a position where everyday is unlike all the rest in your life. Everyday is an opportunity to succeed when most would fail. I get

to see America for all the good and bad that it is. I think everyone needs to have at least one great adventure in their lives that they can look back on when they're old, and say I did something remarkable. Others have done this before me and others will do this after me, but this is my chance to have something to look back on someday when I'm old to some kids...'you know when I was 31, I ran across the country.' I've had a few rough days where I laid down at night so mentally and physically spent I cried.. and got up and went again. I'm not a supreme athlete and yet I would put myself against anyone trying something like this. My body is constantly sore from use and abuse, but it's not my body that gets me anywhere here. It's the will and heart that drives it. I have chosen this dream and will see it through to the end and someday after this I will dream again....."

I could say nothing that would have any importance after that.

Mother's Day

We went to church this morning. My daughter was speaking, and she invited us to come. I was able to see my sweet granddaughters, and hear a beautiful "sermom" to boot. My daughter mentioned to me, that she had gotten a message from Jed wishing her a happy mother's day. He absolutely adores his little nieces, Ellye and Aeva.
Later that evening I got a call from Jed. He was still running for the day, and was talking to me as he ran along, telling me about his impressions of Kentucky and wishing me a happy Mother's Day as well.
I could hear the big rigs as they whooshed by him along the highway, where the trail often goes. Between the trucks and the wind, it was quite a conversation...and amazingly we stayed connected the whole time. In Kentucky, cell reception often just cuts out, but thankfully I was able to hear Jed the whole time. He was headed into a little town called Hindman, where he had heard about a bed and buffet special that was available to the cyclists along the Transamerica Bike Trail. Of course he was not a cyclist, he was on foot, but was hoping to get same special. After a month in the mountains, it was time to get a shower and wash his clothes. I don't even want to imagine what he smells like by now, but I can imagine it isn't good. He was also going to stop and eat....and eat.....and eat. A lot of calories are burned off running 25 to 30 miles per day.... up and down mountain slopes to boot.
He said that his legs were like boards. I believe it. Years ago I was a dancer. My legs were pretty toned in those days too. How did I get to be such a mushroom? Ah well....
Jed said that in about 4 days he would be in a town called Berea, Kentucky. It is the "gateway" to the Appalachian territory. The country will level out then, and his running surfaces will become a lot less hilly. He is hopeful he will be able to knock out more miles then. This first part of the journey, getting "broken in" to the punishment of the run, has been really hard for me to adjust to. I know he has been running on bleeding, blistered feet. Shredded feet really, and I would have taken that from him if I could have, but then I realize I wouldn't.....it would have robbed him of what he knew he could do. Know what? I knew he could do it too. The conversation ended with..... "Happy Mother's Day mom. I love you."
I love you too Jed. My heart is full.

*a post note: Jed also told me about a great photo he got today. Stopping into a gas station/store, he saw an old OLD Ford 250 pickup pull into the pump. Apparently there were an unbelievable amount of tires piled up in the back of the pickup. He kept hearing "Ma-a-a-ah......ma-a-a-h" from the back of the truck. Looking up into the hugh pile of tires, he saw a goat staked at the top of the pile of tires. Not wanting to offend anyone, he slid his camera gently up under his arm, and clicked a photo of the little critter atop the mound. Apparently, according to Jed....the folks in this part of Kentucky seem to have more old tires in back yards, on porches and in trucks than anyplace he has ever seen in the country. He thinks they may have more than Michelin.