Sunday, November 10th, 2019
After several days of recovery, I was ready to get back on my feet and out of Greenville. We caught a hitch by a young man named Jonathan who was on his way to Montgomery to pick up his girlfriend before her Pa’s surprise birthday party. He told us about working towards his HVAC certificate in community college and riding motorcycles. While tailgating a slow moving Dodge Charger, he also told us about getting a couple speeding tickets, which he was trying to keep from his parents. He wanted to take care of them himself, but unfortunately, his parents found out via mail.
It was about 9 am when we got back on track. We took Honoraville Road to Massey Road, and after a barking dog followed us a ways down the road, I noticed two people wandering around ahead of us. This man and woman who appeared to be in their 50’s, were acting suspicious. They wandered back and forth and around a property while keeping an eye on us. They were acting like they were waiting for us to go by before committing a crime. They leaned on two empty cars, wandered back and forth one at a time up and down the driveway, watching us watching them. The man even wandered to the mailbox, opened it, and pretended to grab something from it. Maybe they were going to break in the house, maybe they’re on meth, maybe they’re just weird, or all of the above. I guess I’ll never know.
We turned on Center Ridge Road and were “attacked” by an adorable pit bull puppy. We didn’t want her getting hit by a car, so we stood by her while she overwhelmed us with kisses. Eventually the owner came out to grab her and her other two barking dogs, and thanked us for keeping her out of the road.
We dodged a few tractors before and after turning on Centenary Road. When we finally found a church, we took a break across from it at the cemetery. We could hear the choir singing from inside as we ate across the street.
Then we came across another pit bull who popped out of the bushes and walked with us for a long while. He was adorable, but we were happy when the owner drove by and picked him up. We were worried he’d get hit by a car. The owner told us the dog’s name was Lifty, but he had a southern drawl, so maybe it was Lefty. Regardless he was a sweet boy.
We took I-10 to Ivy Creek Road, and hoped to find a church to sleep at. Nothing. Nothing but tree farms, crop fields, and horse pastures.
We made it to Pleasant Home Baptist Church and thought about staying, but decided against it when a car drove by in front of us on the grass. We ended up getting water and moving on to a more discreet location. We got excited when we found another church across the street from a dog kennel. Sadly the parking lot was full, so we continued walking.
We turned on Route 106 and it was getting dark out. We walked forever and there were no churches or flat stealth spots in sight. We turned on Leon Tower Road and go closer and closer to the tower of the same name that glowed red like a beacon in the night. It was a radio or TV station and since camping was barren, we debated sleeping there. When we searched around the fences for a flat, hidden spot, I noticed a church through the trees.
After a long, long day, we set up behind Springhill Church by the cemetery. We were so glad to be done! Once we tucked in, we heard huffing deer and what sounded like animals fighting. Our only issue was condensation dripping on us from the roof.
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Stubbs Rambles On 