{"id":3166,"date":"2020-11-06T04:32:53","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T04:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/walkingfromthelaw.com\/?p=3166"},"modified":"2023-02-18T22:06:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T22:06:22","slug":"day-26-moving-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/walkingfromthelaw.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/06\/day-26-moving-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 26: Moving On"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Date: March 14, 2020
Miles: The Ranch to Payson – 0 Trail Miles<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I woke up to the biggest patches of blue sky that I have seen in days…hallelujah! I waited patiently (not really) for MaryAnn to appear from her home so I could get her assessment of whether she would be able to drive the one road out of the ranch and deliver me to Payson, the nearest town. I knew that it would take a long time for the sun to dry out the land considering how much rain had fallen in the last week, but I grasped at a glimmer of hope that maybe there would be a chance. Nope. It was still too wet. But another opportunity soon presented itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Blue sky!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sometime around noon, the peacocks started screaming and the dog pack shot off toward the river in a barking frenzy. That’s what I heard when I walked past the ranch the first time, so I figured someone else was doing the same and I headed that way to see who I would find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Part of the welcome committee. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As I picked my way over the rocks toward the river, I saw people. Actual people! People I would later come to know as Crikey, Maple, Spitfire and Quetzal. They were attempting a river crossing as well, and while they all could probably have made it as a group, they were waiting for other people and decided to road walk into Payson to catch up with them. I decided at that moment to quit waiting for the river to go down, and to walk into Payson with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I led them back to the ranch and packed as fast as I could. I said goodbye to MaryAnn and gave her and the animals my heartfelt thanks for giving my soggy self a safe place to dry out. She didn’t have to house or feed me, but she did without asking for much in return and I will be forever grateful for that. And I will always remember Noodle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We took off on the road heading out of the ranch toward Payson, crossing a few washes along the way. It became obvious that MaryAnn\u2019s truck would have gotten stuck in the mud if we had attempted to drive out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eventually one of the group flagged down a gentleman driving around the area and he agreed to give us a ride the rest of the way into Payson. There, I met the rest of their group and they were gracious enough to share a hotel room with me. After pizza and a hot shower, I crashed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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