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Mile 415.  Day 3 of the trek west took the happy crew through walking stops in Amarillo, Texas, a rest stop about halfway between Tucumcari and Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and the Coronado Center mall in Albuquerque on their way to Gallup, New Mexico.  For all you Route 66 aficionados out there, yes, that means The Mother Road was followed all afternoon!  The day's walking thought was by Quentin Cook ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 413.  On day two of the trek west with the Ragozzines there were rest stops with walks in Pearl, Mississippi and Canton, Texas in addition to other rest stops in Grambling, Louisiana and Arlington, Texas.  Pictured above is the Krystal in Pearl.  The power of suggestion is strong, as the caravan passed multiple Krystals as it entered Jackson.  Good thing, as no more were viewed the rest of the way west.  Tortoise walked with the children around this parking lot, and later around a Texas sized truck stop in Canton.  Then it was on to dinner at Rudy's barbeque in Arlington, through major road construction in Ft. Worth, before ending for the day in Wichita Falls.  Enough mosquitoes were on the loose that evening that swimming in the hotel pool was cancelled and Tortoise's final walk consisted of laps down the second floor corridor, down the stairs, along the first floor hallway, up the stairs, repeated eleven times.  Yes, Tortoise did enjoy the walk, and smiled!  The day's thought was by Dieter Uchtdorf ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 410.  Tortoise is on the road west now.  His sweet lady is driving the Ragozzine van, and he is driving Darin's commuter car, affectionately dubbed The Tin Can, because of how Lou's behind feels after just a couple hours driving between rest breaks.  Perhaps Tortoise is showing his age, just a little, ha!  Most of today's walk was on the hotel treadmill in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, but there were also short rest break walks in Jacksonville and in Crestview, Florida.  The day's walking thought was by Elaine Dalton ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 403.  Making memories with Ledge!  Today's Tortoise walk was along the beach near St. Augustine..  Lou believes it was his first recorded walk utilizing flip-flops!  There's lots of pictures here of two days of memories, including the walk.  Plus the thought, by Thomas Monson ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 321.  Tortoise had a glorious evening with Becca!  We started our evening at the Vernal LDS Temple, then we went to a restaurant neither of us had been to before on the recommendation of Becca's "native of Vernal" friend, and wrapped things up with a walk on well lit, flat, and basically quiet streets near the temple (except for a particularly pesky dog who kept trying to jump a fence to get to us).  The restaurant was great, flavorful, but not overpowering, and gentle on Tortoise's stomach.  He appreciates this in his post-radiation life.  The decor and service were delightful as well. (Not to mention the company.)  On accompanied walks, Lou listens to his thought in advance in his car -- this evening it was by Thomas Monson ...

Cheerio!

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Mile 252.  After finishing work in Mesquite, Lou looked for a different hill to climb and found it on Mesquite Heights Road.  This is also the road to the city landfill, and like several others in Mesquite, it has houses built up right to the Lincoln county line.  Mesquite is bordered by a county line to the north, a state line to the east, and the Virgin River to the south, and is filling up quite nicely in between.  Tortoise parked at the last intersection and went up the hill to see what views he could get on his first walk in Lincoln County.  Walking thought was provided by Linda Burton ...

Cheerio!