10 miles north of Florence, they lay their heads to rest in Big Red. They walked 38 miles today.  Yesterday they did the same.  They plan on keeping this pace for the next two days until they reach Otis.  At that point they will have more than 80 miles left and 2 days to get there.  The plan is to push hard those last two days knowing they’ll cross the finish line and have plenty of time to rest.  They both sound good.  Energetic.  Brian says he’s doing well.  After so many days without a break his body must be adjusting.  Matt said he’s fatigued, but how else is he supposed to feel after walking 38 miles?

Phil and Elliot have been riding along in Big Red in support all week.  The guys are doing a great job finding beautiful campsites, like tonight’s site overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  They have found places for a nice swim break and are helping keep the spirits alive.

Yesterday Brian and Matt were interviewed by Nicole for KCBY CBS 11 Coos Bay / North Bend, Oregon.  When we find the footage we will post it on the site.

I have heard that the boys won’t be walking alone the last few days.  They are going to be joined by many as they approach Portland.

I’ll leave you with a little note from Kevin,  ”I will be arriving with the boys sometime on Wednesday evening. I came to Portland to do three things: run, chew bubble gum, and kick some ass. By friday i will be all out of bubble gum and will not need to run, so there is only one thing left to do….”

Last week at this time the boys woke up beside the Eel River and spent several hours walking through the countryside accompanied by Stephanie. Meanwhile the rest of the crew was enjoying breakfast, bake sales, and free wifi (for booking Matt’s plane ticket to KC) in the lovely Victorian town of Ferndale. Stephanie’s initial goal was to walk 3 miles with the team… she doubled that to conquer 6 miles. It was such a pleasure and honor for Matt & Brian having her walk beside them. And Stephanie seemed to enjoy herself tremendously. She has completed chemotherapy, moves on to radiation treatment shortly, and is walking along Northern California’s Hwy1 during the interim period in the name of her cause. She is amazing.

 
Stephen suggested I join the boys on foot after lunch, and I didn’t want to disappoint. We trekked through the strange streets of Eureka where a lot of shenanigans took place: rummaged through a free yard sale, met some local flavor at the Fresh Freeze, got lectured on weight problems in America, and made the sticker collection on a car proudly promoting peace and the war effort (hmm?). When Brian saw the car he thought “she needs another sticker” and quickly regretted it when he was pushed out of the way by the owner of said vehicle during a photo. She then gave me a stuffed animal, saying I was lucky as she’s usually not so generous (the bear was later laid to rest when safely out of sight). As we left, Brian & Matt were told they were “making history”.
 
We were happy to get on the bridge out of there (done so by crawling through a fence, scaling a steep overgrown incline, and hopping the guard rail). After crossing the 2 mile bridge, we finished out our day in Samoa by default (unexpectedly, the nearest campsite was 18 miles up the road). We had an emotional dinner at Cook House before Matt and I headed back to the bay. Big Red was still en route and arrived shortly after we left. They would take over the support role from Stephen who did so much for the boys this week – him and Carol both. Many thanks go out to them!
 
Then, for the first time in 18 days, Matt climbed into a car by his own will (as opposed to when the strong arm of the law told him & Brian they couldn’t walk on highways) for our trip to SFO airport. He sat in the backseat to stretch and elevate his legs, so I had a lengthy 5 hour conversation with the rear view mirror and occasionally his feet resting on the passenger seat in my peripheral vision. Disappointment was expressed – now he wouldn’t know for sure if he could have made it to Portland on his own two feet. But that was secondary to the desire to be there for his best friend Marvin and the devastation he felt over the loss of Charlie. Matt has been so blessed to have endless support from friends and family throughout this endeavor – now it is his turn to be there for a friend. This journey really has taken so many twists and turns: physically, mentally & emotionally.
 
Three days later… Had I not picked Matt up from SFO airport during rush hour, I think we would have burned rubber on the way out of town. He was so eager to get back to the team and we had a long drive ahead of us. 6.5 hours to be exact. Enough time for him to fill me in on the emotional days in Kansas City, family, friends… and a lot of time to harmonize with the radio. We arrived in Crescent City @ 1am where the team was camping in the lot of an abandoned drive-in movie theater. We found this incredibly random location, not with maps or dumb luck, but with flashlight signals sent by Phil & Doug stationed on the street corner. We pulled into the “camp site” and it appeared all had called it a night. We were filled in on events of the past few days by Phil & Doug who kept things lively in the camp. Phil is a machine. He had covered 90+ miles over 3 days in 2nd hand running shoes and still was up for having a good time. Sadly, we were not… exhausted from the long drive, we crawled into our sleeping bags shortly after.

Per Phil: in Matt’s absence they had incredible weather, beautiful scenery, several beers and lots of blisters. He had anticipated a lot more time to chat with people along the way – but found fatigue often prevented that. These missed opportunities to meet interesting strangers seemed most disappointing for him. The majority of his conversations with Brian revolved around their ailments – but they still managed to enjoy themselves… walking together, as well as time spent in their own thoughts at their own pace. He didn’t fully anticipate what a challenge this would be but did great and deserved to celebrate his last day of unexpected participation!
A note on Big Red: she is a little slice of heaven for any boy on a road trip… especially if 2 of those boys are traveling on foot. Her distinct red exterior is impossible to miss – while her homey interior is much appreciated each night with its functional kitchen, 4 walls shielding them from the elements, all the storage one could ask for, and a little monkey standing guard on the dash. The roles in Big Red are as follows: Elliot is captain, Phil the navigator, and Doug the entertainer – but each man wears several hats on the small but mighty support team. Kudos to them!

Unfortunately I couldn’t capture much of the commentary or photographs we know and love from Brian on this brief trip. He was nestled snugly in Big Red when we showed up at the campsite and stayed there until the last possible moment before another 35 miles resumed. As he and I may be tied on the low end of the “morning person” spectrum, I thought I could relate (and would have done the same had Matt not started calisthenics in the tent circa 6am, nor had Phil & Doug dove in shortly after for pillow talk). Then I remember he has covered the coastline of Northern California on his own two feet, the last 6 days of which have been consecutive — and never mind, I can’t relate at all. He needs every ounce of reserve he can get!

Brian and Matt both had their game faces on after breakfast, scrutinized & strategized over the map with Phil, and then hit the road. They are doing such an amazing job. I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to wake up and know you are going to cover 35 miles that day on foot… and then do it again the next day… and the next… and the next… we have true road warriors on our hands here. After they set off, I enjoyed coffee talk with Phil in the captain’s seat of Big Red before heading back to San Francisco – with little more than road construction and a lone Paul Bunyan tribute keeping me on my toes. I am truly looking forward to being in Portland next week at this time, cheering on the boys as they cross the city limits! And will proudly be wearing my lime green Oakland 2 Portland: Blood-Sweat-Guts-Beers t-shirt printed by Carol, designed by Phil.

-Update from Sam: I talked to Matt and Brian today.  They are just south of Coos Bay where they plan on meeting a reporter tomorrow.  Also, due to time constraints they are planning on walking 40 miles tomorrow instead of the normal 30-35.  They plan on making it.  Now they just have to push that much harder for the final few days.

Matt and Brian are a few miles north of Gold Beach, Oregon.  They had a nice lunch at the Crow’s Nest with the bartender, Kim.  Last night they stayed in Brookings. 

Matt rejoined the team 2 days ago when they were just north of Crescent City.  Barbera picked him up at the airport, drove all evening to get him there.  Where they found Brian and the boys hanging out with some friends from SF, Ashley, Jenny, and Jen, who stopped by on their way back to the bay.  Barbera drove back home the next day.  She’s putting in a lot of miles supporting the cause.  Thanks Babs.

Brian made Matt talk on the phone because he is having to dig his deepest right now to keep going and to stay positive.  He didn’t have the energy to talk.  But knowing Brian, he will keep going.  These men are amazing. 

Soon they will be going through Coos Bay, the hometown of Prefontaine.  Excitement is rising.

Walking.  One foot in front of the other.  Hours.  Hours and hours on end.  As Phil just told me, “It’s hard work Sam.  I didn’t think walking would be this hard!” For the last three days Phil has joined Brian on the road. Yesterday they did a long, 40 mile day and are going a bit slower today.  They are approaching the Oregon border.  Right now they are in Crescent City and 20 miles south of the border.  They will cross tomorrow! A nice mile marker that they are looking forward to crossing.

Matt is on his way back and will rejoin Brian on the road tomorrow.

Elliot and Big Red have been their providing support for the walkers.

As Brian and Phil approach the Oregon border, let’s regale them with the stories of our walks.  Post your stories in the comments here.

Last night Stephanie, Sue, Barbera and Carol joined Brian, Matt and Stephen.  And this morning Stephanie and Sue joined them on the road. This morning was very inspiring.  Stephanie walked 5 or 6 miles with them this morning. Walking with her was an honor.  Matt and Brian were so happy she could join them on the road for a while.  They also walked with Barbera for a few hours in the afternoon.  Having people join them makes the miles go so much faster.  And they arrived in Eureka this evening.

However, there is sad news.  Matt is on his way back to Kansas City right now.  A good friend of his passed away and he is returning for the services.  Our condolences to the family and friends.  Matt will be rejoin Brian on the road in three or four days.  Phil, Elliot and Doug are arriving this evening in Big Red (Elliot’s RV).  The three of them will be walking in Matt’s place.

Don’t forget that tomorrow is the day to go out there and walk! I’ll add a post tomorrow where everyone should add their stories.

sidetracked by all things not the road. i too have been on the fringe of news coming in from the running duo.  that will all soon change as we are gearing up for a caravan to join up with brian and matt tomorrow.  this group will consist of the advance group of stephanie goode and sue gwin.  these ladies hope to depart early friday morning and meet up with the fellas by early afternoon and get in some combined group walking!  barbara is also taking off to meet up tomorrow and hopes to stay with the guys till sunday or monday.  rounding out the travellers will be elliot, commanding BIG RED( the support RV) while doug hauger and myself will be cabin fodder as we slosh along in the void of its vast cavernous belly.   we hope to meet up by late night friday. perhaps after  their big  day run, but rest assured there will be another the next day.

before i forget , i needed to backtrack and mention an awesome sponsor that we encountered way back on day two:  a big shout out to THE MARSHALL STORE & OYSTER BAR  in Marshall ,Ca.  at very close to the end of day two, we came upon the outdoor seating section: the runners, matt and brian and then stephen and myself on bike support.   we ended up chatting with the oysterman who it turns out was the proprietor. all steely grey and friendly right down to his grey galloshes. says he’s been an oysterman all his life and he thought the run was really something, and all the best to us all! a few moments passed as we had just rested enough to think to go inside and get some drinks when out came Shannon. maybe father and son had talked, i assumed so since Shannon says that we should help ourselves to anything they had to offer.   the  offer was so very heartfelt and genuine ! i  wanted to say on behalf of all of us on that day so many thanks to the father/son team  at the Marshall Store & Oyster Bar.  it is this kind of generosity that creates community and good will .  we will all certainly be visiting  in the near future when we wont have to be pushing off to get another bunch of miles down before the sun sets. 

next visit we will linger , as might you . thanks again. phil

Just got off the phone with Matt. Today they walked 32 miles or so.  From the Standish-Hickey campground to the town of Miranda.  Matt feels good.  The shinsplints are letting him walk.  Brian is feeling strong. A few things of note happened today.  One, John Klein, known to some as the Mailman, arrived on the scene today.  John went to college with Brian at CSUMB.  He’s always good for a morale boost. Another interesting thing was that they learned that it is illegal to walk on 4 lane highways.  They were pulled over by a cop and told they had to walk on the side road, Route 271.  Highway 101 was too big and unsafe.  Luckily, they didn’t get any tickets. Matt has a bit of a silver tongue.  However, there were 2 times where they had to ride short sections of the road in Stephen’s car.  Better to not get arrested and take the car for 5 minutes, especially after being warned.

Matt also had a nice run in with some folks on the road.  As he was walking next to the Eel River he kept passing people swimming and enjoying the beautiful, but hot, countryside they are walking through.  As Matt passed one swim hole he saw a guy waving at him.  Matt waved back, thinking nothing more, he walked on.  Around the next bend he spotted a sweet looking, 1970s 4×4 VW Vanogan decked out with mountain bikes and gear.  A sticker was slid under the wiper and on he went.  In Garberville, 2 hours later Matt saw the man from the river standing next to the van.  A conversation ensued and the couple, Gary and Diana, teachers from LA, were enthusiastic and supportive of the endeavor.  Little interactions like this bring a smile to Matt’s face. 

Tomorrow they walk on and more support is on the way.  Philip and Elliot, Barbera and more stickers.  The crew is out in force and the walkers march on.

This afternoon Matt called me from the Peg House, where they have been kind enough to let him use the phone to reach out to the world.  He is feeling much better.  I won’t say he is at 100% but he is definitely going to be walking again tomorrow.  He sounded upbeat, chipper and happy to have all the support he knows is out there.  As I relayed the various comments from the site to him, I could hear him swell with pride and joy.  Together we are keeping them going. 

Stephen’s arrival Wednesday as support has also been invaluable.  He has made it possible for them to eat well, stay well stocked with ice, and have a high morale. Matt did say that he and Brian have been talking about how to proceed.  They are going to begin walking again in the morning and keep going as far as they can.  Portland will be reached one way or another.  If one of them has the misfortune of being unable to continue (which we all hope won’t happen) then someone else is going to assume the walking duties.  It might be Stephen, maybe Phil, maybe Barbera, maybe you.  Whoever is there and capable will slot in until they can return to the road. The miles will be walked!

Matt also pointed out that we shouldn’t overlook the success that has come of this so far.  They started this journey to raise awareness of these two causes, Stephanie and her battle with breast cancer, and the John Muir Elementary Outdoor School.  They have definitely gotten the word out.  Thousands of dollars have been raised.  Thousands more have been pledged.  Major newspapers have picked up the story leading to major sponsor donation.  They have done radio and television interviews. The word is spreading and the real goal of this journey is being accomplished.