Slept in to a glorious 6 am!!! Stiff and sore but otherwise feeling great! (So glad not to have a 15 mile hike on the agenda today!)
I’d love to say I was going to spend the day with my feet up and nothing else, but already have been busy unpacking the RV, doing laundry and tidying up.
I want to go back and review all the blogs from my walk that my sister worked so hard on and reflect on last week’s journey. I’m also going to update the donor list I started and try to get THANK YOU’s out to everyone I can – either in real mail or electronically. I AM OVERWHELMED BY THE SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT I’VE RECEIVED FROM ALL OF YOU- I couldn’t have done it without you. I look at it as a Group Effort!
I need to send a very special thank you to my Main Team: my wonderful husband, Bill, who was my wing-man for the journey (along with Reggie, our chocolate Labrador!)
Bill probably kept me from getting killed on that last leg on San Pascual Valley Road! I was walking on a very narrow shoulder because there was NO OTHER ROUTE to get to the Safari Park. He’d ride ahead in the RV and we’d be on the phone- he’d say: “ok you have 3 cars coming” I would then flatten myself to the side of the road until they passed and he told me it was clear- then I’d walk a bit further and the scene would repeat until I finally got to the Park! Scary at the time but funny to think about now! I had bought a bike helmet and 5 flashing bike lights that I zip-tied to it- trying to make myself as visible as possible but also wanting to have some head protection- just in case I got hit anyway! Thankfully, that didn’t happen.
My twin sister, Andrea Dannegger, has been amazing in being able to document my journey in real time for me while I walked. We’d talk on the phone, I’d tell her where I was, how I was doing, sent pics or videos and she put it all together to keep you all updated. She is amazing! And doing it all from Switzerland meant that she was up at 3 or 4 in the morning to do those final posts as I staggered in to my various destinations.
Lastly I want to thank 2 very good friends: Karen Aasen-Rodriguez and Carol Kashefi. Karen got up very early on my first day to see us off from LA Zoo and Carol and her husband were there to greet me at the end of the journey at the SD Safari Park! Also, I’m grateful for 2 other friends who joined me in walking different parts of the journey: Pamela Dodd Simmons (who walked me through Lynwood) and Bonnie Tam and her beautiful children who helped me find my way to The Turtle Rock!
Dr. Monica, May 17th
Thanks Monica! It was great to see you and Bill! 💛