Day 19 Washington DC - March for Science

Today's walk was certainly the shortest and least private walk I have done.  It was only a mile and a half and took an hour and twenty minutes.  There were also 40,000 other people with me.

It was the March for Science in Washington D. C.

After listening to speeches for several hours (mostly in the rain), we started the march.  Here are a few pictures I captured along the way.

Day 18: Shenandoah National Park

Yesterday was a day off from walking.  My Day 18 walk was in Shenandoah National Park right outside the lodge where we stayed.  It's still very early Spring up high in the mountains here, but the walk was spectacular, none the less.

Day 16: Great Smokey Mountains National Park - Appalachian Trail

Day 16 consisted of two short walks, both in the Great Smoky Mountains Park.  The first, I started from the Visitor Center and walked through the historic site and along the river.  The dogwoods are in full bloom here.  I can't get enough of them.

And for my second walk, I couldn't resist the Appalachian Trail.  It was a very busy section and a perfect day to experience why they named these the "Smoky Mountains"; the trail was shrouded in mist.  It's rockier than I expected.  I met two thru-hikers.  One was a woman my age, who only does 5 or so miles a day.  Her trail name is Broken Arrow.  She had just loaded up with food for the next 70 mile stretch.  It looked like it was going to be a long hike.

Day 15: More Canvassing in Atlanta

It's Election Day in Atlanta's Sixth Congressional District.  I'm hot and I'm tired.  I covered over 5 miles and climbed 44 flights of stairs today, mostly leaving door hangers.  I did manage to talk to some people and I'm pretty sure I must of gotten at least one person to vote today who would not have without my having spoken to them.  So, if Jon Ossoff gets 50% plus one vote, which will allow him to win the seat without a runoff, I'm taking credit!

And here are some links to my 15 minutes of fame yesterday:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-georgia-idUSKBN17K0CW

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/georgia-house-race-stokes-gop-identity-crisis--and-opportunity-for-democrats/2017/04/17/c65ba43a-23b6-11e7-a1b3-faff0034e2de_story.html?tid=sm_fb&utm_term=.79077a86434d

Day 14: Atlanta: Jon Ossoff Campaign

Well no map or miles today. My walk consisted of climbing up and down stairs of apartment buildings asking people if they going to vote tomorrow in the Special Election of the Georgia 6th District for Congress.  I climbed at least 30 flights of stairs and covered about two miles of ground.  Funniest response:  When a woman obviously didn't understand English, I tried some of burgeoning Spanish skills.  "Vote", I said.  I guess she was Russian because she said "Vodka?" With a big smile.

After I finished canvassing, the candidate happened by the campaign office, along with an abundance of press.  Being from Oregon, I was famous.  Reuters, Vice and Danish TV all interviewed me.  I told the Danes:  "I want my country back."

Day 13: Chattahoochee River, Atlanta, Georgia

Today's walk was in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.  I followed the river, here in Atlanta and then climbed up to a ridge and followed it for some distance.  The woods here are different from the Pacific Northwest woods.  They are very green, but not as dense as the northwest.  It was a lovely Easter Sunday and many Atlantans were also enjoying this very lovely amenity.

Day 12: Charleston and Dayton Hall

My Day 12 walk was another double header.  I did one last walk around the waterfront in Charleston. Such a beautiful city, but it has an ugly past.

The day before I visited the Slave Market Museum.  A very humbling experience, which brought home the reality of slavery that I had not experienced before.

My second walk today was at Drayton Hall, a 18th century Georgian-Palladian House which survived the revolutionary and civil wars, as well as several hurricanes.  And provided even more insight to the  shameful legacy of slavery.  The house is a history buff's dream, having been preserved in it's original condition.  The grounds are beautiful.

Here are the maps for my two walks.