Total Time Spent Traveling: 10 hours (oddly specific)

Day 3

Today was probably the most difficult day of dribbling we have experienced thus far, as we all awoke at 6:30am, complaining of blisters, soreness, and back pain. Our morning conversation was so pitiful; it could have been used as an advertisement for Metamucil. To add insult to injury (literally) we were forced to pack up our things and move on from the Jones family home, much like zoo animals being re-introduced to the wild. Needless to say, it was a rough start to the day, and when we finally reached our starting point at 9:00am, we were in desperate need of motivation. Our motivation was provided once again by members of the St. John’s Methodist Church congregation, who shouted words of encouragement and support as they drove past us on their way to work.

As we dribbled the first few miles, we gained strength in our legs once again and began to focus on our goals for the day. We were able to arrange a meeting with the News Herald, the newspaper in Morganton, and after lunch, we dribbled to their headquarters for an interview by Ms. Cheryl Shuffler, whose article can be found here. After the interview, Dylan, Sasha and myself partook in a relaxing break by playing a few games of soccer tennis, which Papa subsequently joined in on. We left the interview, revitalized, reenergized and ready to finish the last 10 miles of our dribble.

We reached our destination at around 6 in the evening, finishing our dribble at a local ice cream parlor, Myra’s Ice Cream Shop in Valdese. We then headed to our home for the night, the First United Methodist Church in Marion, where they have accommodated us with everything we could ask for and more. This further proved the old adage that a stranger is simply a friend you haven’t met yet, as western North Carolina has embraced us with open arms.

I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past few days and how we feel things have progressed. Thus far, the past three days have been an unreal experience. The amount of support we’ve received from family, friends, and complete strangers is unbelievable. We’re quickly realizing that our sore feet are a small price to pay for the level of happiness and satisfaction we receive from spreading our message and reaching out to people. Our most sincere thanks goes out to all of the people who have helped us thus far; the Jones family, who hosted us, fed us, and put up with our shenanigans, the friendly strangers who wave at us or ask us what we’re doing, the supporters who send us messages/texts/tweets/fan mail/carrier pigeons, it is thanks to all of you that we wake up every morning with smiles on our faces and go to bed, exhausted, but ecstatic. Our expectations have been exceeded in every capacity, and it puts a smile on my face just thinking of all of the people who believe in our cause and share our passion for peace and coexistence

Total Distance Traveled Today: 21.7 miles
Total Time Traveled Today: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Total Distance Traveled: 65.25 miles