Larry pulled over in his white Lincoln, white beard, white hair and white cataract and said, "do you need a ride?" I explained why I didn't and thanked him. He drove off and stopped 300 yards down the road. White reverse lights lit the back of the Lincoln and I soon heard him say, "Do you have a radio?" I said, "No. Why?" In a tone of poorly masked excitement he said, "Stay away from large cities and Mexicans. Something called the Swine Flu has infected 1,000's and killed a hundred in Mexico." I said, "Larry thank you for the heads up. You may have just saved my life!" He drove off undoubtedly feeling like a character in a Hollywood melodrama. I had heard of the Swine flu but didn't want to ruin the moment and steal Larry's thunder. I wondered if he thought 100 people in a country of 110 million is a high percentage? I wondered how many roadside crosses I have seen relative to the number of people who died from swine flu. I wondered if this was the excuse Larry waited his entire life for to justify his, "Stay away from Mexicans" comment. Considering there is a cure and I wouldn't want anyone saying stay away from the Irish I am going to disregard Larry's warning and continue on through the major metropolitan area that lies between me and the Pacific. I remember sitting in the movie theatre at age 7 thinking the guys wearing the astronaut suits in E.T. were the most villainous on screen movie characters imaginable. I would rather catch the swine flu than don that suit.
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I saw my first rattle snake and border patrol agents today. Both were surprisingly receptive. The rattler was sunning him/her self and barely flinched when I walked within a few feet. The BP agents hopped the center median in two white and green trucks with jail cells mounted on the beds, lit their red and blue lights and nearly drove through a barbed wire fence when they saw me collecting fire wood a few hundred yards from the road. Smiling, I casually walked up to them using my staff as a surrender symbol and said,"I guess my silhouette fits a certain profile out here, doesn't it." They were quickly disarmed by my complexion. Jennifer a freelance photo journalist was walking with me at the time. Her next project will be on the border documenting the lives of Mexicans who are caught and sent back to Mexico. She wants follow them home to see what happens next. She had a hundred questions for the agents. In addition we talked about the relative safety of the area and they kindly alerted HQ 15 miles down the road of the walk.
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I am finally in the picture on the front page of my website. Shed snakes skins and the soft crumbling of abandon creature dens detail my path. I am paralleling interstate 8 a half mile from the road. I don't think I am legally allowed to walk on interstate based on passed experience so I am essentially hiding. No problem. The ground is flat and hard except for the snake and jack rabbit holes (which are numerous). Mauri in his infinite kindness drove out to drop off water, hot sauce and soup for me today. I had been reading Peace Pilgrim, the true story of a 70 year old woman who spent 3 decades walking across the country for peace. She carried only the clothes on her back, 50 cents and the faith that her needs would be taken care of. I was thinking to myself, 'if this 70 year old woman can reduce her comforts to such a base level I can reduce mine' (although not a big deal at this point considering I am less then 270 miles to the Pacific and in the desert). As I was wondering how far the next post office was to send home my tent, sleeping bag, coat and extra clothes, Mauri pulled up. I gave him all of my gear, an address and money for postage. I am down to my trusty poncho liner a popped air mattress, an extra shirt and a rain coat. My pack is 80 percent lighter and I feel liberated. Thank you Mauri for driving out today. What a terrific surprise! Thank you again to Carolyn and Colleen. They dropped me off at 8:30 am after a magnificent Italian feast last night, a hearty breakfast this morning, plenty of laughs and great overall weekend.
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I walked with the geckos today. They are as numerous as the mice from the rice fields of Arkansas but much more fun to watch. They zip back and forth on two of their four legs without much deliberation; oblivious to my best wishes for their health and welfare. The LeBlanc's drove 100 miles round trip to take me to lunch yesterday. Mauri has been following the walk since Charlotte. His wife Cindy teaches at Sunset Elementary and arranged for me to speak at her school last Friday. They brought their two boys Jake (6) and Brady (5) with them. Brady, Jake and I bonded over our favorite movie, Rocky 4. The Leblanc's collected and handed me a donation for the PTF from Sunset. Thank You Sunset! Mauri has been a fan of Pat since his ASU days. He said,"It seems there is always an asterisk that follows celebrity. He was a great athlete or a talented person in such and such a way but he didn't pay his taxes, or had a problem with alcohol or woman etc... There was never a but with Pat. Everyone spoke so highly of his character. Thats why the Valley had an extremely hard time with his death. It is so rare to see someone work as hard as he did and do it with uncompromising character and integrity. He should not have played college football. He should not have played in the NFL but he relentlessly willed it for himself." The LeBlancs embrace their time with their young kids. They were on the way to the Phoenix science museum after lunch. I could see how much they have invested in the boys by how well behaved yet confident they were. It was a terrific reprieve from the desert heat visiting with the LeBlanc's. Later in the day Connie and Carolyn Pendergast picked me up and brought me into Gila Bend. They surprised me with a room at the Space Age Lodge and a buffet of fine wine and cheese. The nicest hotel in Gila but I'm sure the counter next to the sink had never seen such a fancy spread. Dorritos and Mountain Dew maybe but nothing like this. We watched the draft and focused on the Kansas City Chiefs picks because their brother Clancy is the new Defensive coordinator. It added an exciting twist to the evening. It was unbelievably thoughtful and generous of the Pendergasts to drive out here for me. It has been great fun spending time with them. I received the following email from Darren Kirkwood from Denver today. "Hey Rory, I wanted to let you know that my company, Williams Production RMT, will match my $1,000 donation to the Pat Tillman Foundation. Attached is the letter I am sending the Pat Tillman Foundation with the necessary paper work to be filled out to receive the matching funds. Please add $1,000 to your total dollar count." Thank you Darren and Williams Production RMT!
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I uploaded 65 fresh pictures this morning.
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Carolyn introduced me to her parents Clarence and Alice Pendergast yesterday; and they graciously invited me to stay at their home in West Phoenix. The Pendergasts were one of the first families to settle in Arizona. They have run a large cattle and dairy farm for many years. The new Cardinals stadium sits in their back yard. The Bidwells, the family that owns the team, purchased the land for the stadium from Alice and Clarence. Ironically Carolyn's brother Clancy drove a tractor as a kid on the same land he coached the Cardinals to an NFC Championship on as a defensive coordinator. Carolyn and Alice walked me over to see Pat's statue which stands next to the stadium and in front of a reflecting pool. It is perfectly cast from the same photo that is on the front page of my website. Needless to say it is a special place. We left and went to lunch with two of Alice's wonderful friends. We then drove to the fire station where Alice donated a few dozen Teddy Bears to the department. They will be handed out to young children who undergo traumatic experiences like a fire or car accident. Alice is incredibly humble and wanted no fanfare for her generous donation. The Pendergasts took me to their country club for breakfast and dinner. I looked like a hobo who had been living in a boxcar for the last 10 years relative to the to the rest of the members; but that did not bother my hosts in the slightest. Thank you to Carolyn, Connie, Alice, Clarence and Edwin for taking such great care of me.
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I held a microphone and 350 women in orange jump suits stared at me in the "yard," as the sun set into 85 degree temperatures at the Perryville minimum security prison. This is why I never try to predict the future. If some one would have asked me, "where do you see yourself in two years" two years ago, I am fairly certain I wouldn't have said Perryville Woman's Detention Facility talking about bears, Ramen noodles, pit bulls, the essence of freedom, the kindness of strangers and the impact Pat Tillman's life has had on me and American culture. Unique, introspective and intelligent individuals who have potential for great acts of goodness began to emerge from the sea of orange. I was not amongst the banished members of society, I was with fellow humans trying to figure out our place and purpose in this giant universe. Perryville is a Cool Hand Luke type prison. There are no cells and the woman have privileges higher security prisons don't. Cots outfitted with individual TV sets fill a large common area with concrete floors and easy access showers and libraries. The woman work for the highway department during the day and socialize freely at night. Many of these ladies led positive lives as nurses, teachers, soldiers, mechanics, mothers etc... and slipped up once. The time spent in prison has fueled imaginations and prepped many for an impacting reemergence into main stream society. They want to make up for perceived "lost time" by creating a positive difference in the lives of others when they leave Perryville. We had a lot of laughs. I asked if there was a gift shop where I could purchase an orange jump suit as a memento before I left. One woman asked if I carried any weapons on the walk. I said, "why, are you looking to buy one?" The respect and appreciation these women had for Pat Tillman was as strong as any group I have stood in front of. One woman asked, "What do you think Pat would be doing now?" I said, "All I can say is right now his example is inspiring me along with all of you and millions of others to become better."
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I had a nice chat with the Tillman scholars today. I spoke for a little longer than I am used to but I think we all hit upon some interesting points. They certainly helped organize my thoughts and asked deep, thought provoking questions. Here is the hodge podge of notes I used:The historically unprecedented leisure time we have in the U.S. is potentially the best and one of the worst things that has happened on this planet.With leisure we can pursue comfort/security or peace. A fine but deadly line separates the two.Comfort/security is a glorified animal response to the environment. When comfort is the driving force of our daily action we insulate ourselves from people and our own creative potential. The pursuit of comfort and security is a largely selfish act that divides us from a sense of the whole. But with leisure we can also choose to calm the waters, find stillness and time for self reflection; which begins the road to peace.Self reflection is a marveling in the everything you do: eating, walking, breathing etc. Self reflection keeps us present and identifies the unique impetus within ourselves to move and grow in a positive and loving way. This leads to a genuine understanding of who we are and a recognition of the potential of personal passion. Through self reflection we come to identify the need for compassion or an understanding that we all spring from the same source. We won't be complete or at peace until everyone rejoins the whole. We manifest our passion through action, exhausting it in a complimenting cause that will benefit from the action and help bring the pieces back to the whole. The energy and understood importance of the greater cause reduces our wants-- they seem small in comparison. The less we are attached to our wants the more we release our selves from the shackles of the self. We then unite with the oneness and find peace and bliss. Walking along side road kill everyday has driven home the fact that I will inevitably be an oil stain. In 5000 years all personal accomplishments will have been long forgotten. All we can do is respect ourselves and find balance in our surroundings by growing in compassion for all life; because we will all return to where we came. Duty is peer pressure or empty and false movement. Never do something out of a sense of duty. All action must spring from love. As Gahndi said, "Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy."Thank you Caryoln for fasciltaing my talk today. Your tireless efforts on my behalf is incredibly appreciated.
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Shawn and his wife Maggie invited me over for a late lunch yesterday after the Tillman scholar banquet. They have a great house in Scottsdale. We chatted for a while about the non profit Shawn set up in his late wife's name and their two hilarious pugs. Then Shawn and I drove to Kevin's house. We played catch and grilled in the back yard. We discussed A-Z well into the night. It felt like I was back in college. Often times people lose their thirst for knowledge, healthy dialogue and debate upon entering the work force. Not Kevin he is constatantly learning and improving himself. What a treat it was to talk with him and Shawn last night. Kevin dropped me off at 5:45 am and I had 15 miles under my belt in no time. The heat was oppressive (100 degrees). I called it a day at 2:00PM. Carolyn picked me up with a cooler full of much appreciated cold water and Gatorade. I cleaned up and we grabbed Sushi. I had a terrific time. Thank you to everyone who turned out for Kyle and Kellen's fundraiser for the PTF at the Waterhouse in Chicago. I am thrilled there was so much support for the walk. Also, thank you Darren, an engineer from Denver. He approached me at the run with his friend David and said he had been following my progress for a while and handed me a check made out to the PTF for a $1,000.
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I was up at 4. Carolyn met me outside the Hampton Inn at 5:15 and we drove to ASU for PAT's Run. We arrived outside the ASU football stadium, drank a cup of coffee and I was taping a segment for Good Morning America by 5:45. GMA was out covering Pat's Run. I had less than 4 hours of sleep and was not in top form but was happy to reach a national audience with the PTF message. It should air Wed.. After the interview 20,000 runners lined up to hear Jade Johnson sing the National anthem. She is the 16 year old daughter of Eddie Johnson, former forward for the Phoenix Suns. Jade's voice has smooth and sophisticated depth. The crowd was electrified and I will undoubtedly one day say, "I met her before she was famous." The PTF gave me the huge honor of pressing the air horn to start the race. The course ran 4.2 miles and finished in Packard Stadium at the 42 yard line. Images of Pat flashed on the jumbo tron and the ASU football team lined the enterance and cheered every race participant into the stadium. It was incredibly moving. After the run (which I did not participate in) I had breakfast and a wonderful conversation with Mary Tillman. Her compassionate and sincere spirit overflows with kindness and warmth. Yesterday I met Mary, Kevin, Candy, Pat Sr., Jade Lane and his girlfriend. Kevin introduced me to his old baseball coach Tom Murphy who coached at Notre Dame and knew many of my family members. We all chatted in his office which overlooks the baseball stadium. I then addressed the team before they took the field against Stanford. ASU is ranked #4. Their locker room is filled with leather couches and flat screen T.V.'S. It was a humbling honor to talk with such a storied team. I met Johnny Ruttiger from Joliet Catholic. He is the nephew of Rudy and a standout outfielder at ASU. I learned a few behind the scenes stories on the making of the movie "Rudy." Notre Dame initially wanted nothing to do with the film. Rudy's persistence finally convinced the the right people the movie would do good things for the Univerisity. After that Mary Tillman gave me a painting of Pat in his ASU uniform. It is a gift I will treasure for the rest of my life. We then went to the Mission Palms for a few drinks where I met many more friends and supporters of the Pat Tillman Foundation. It has been a wonderful past few days.
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