By: Arnold Bustillo
Left to right is Hope, Patrick, Catherine, and Cordette, who hosted me for a Jamaican style dinner party in Hollywood, FL.
When I finally made it to Miami, FL - completing the first quarter of my #4CornerWalkAroundAmerica for the charity HomelessRemedy.org, I had walked a total of 2,932.64 miles. Since beginning the second quarter of my walk, I have walked 185 miles from where I stopped in Miami, FL to the town of Palm Shores, FL on the Space Coast. That makes my total number of miles walked so far 3,117.64.
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Miami, FL
As mentioned in my last post, I took a bit of a vacation in Miami. I rented a bed in what was essentially a hostel and killed about 3 weeks.
People always seem surprised when I tell them how little I enjoy being a tourist or doing touristy things. I think people assume that anyone who would dedicate time to walking all 4 corners of the United States would have to be somebody who enjoys playing tourist. I'm proof of the contrary.
Being that I'm not a touristy person, most of my time was spent in the hostel - which I loved - because of all the people I got to meet.
First, there was Jermaine and LaCrown, a pair of 20 something models from New York who came down to Miami to explorer the local modeling industry and job prospects. Then there was Lana, an 18 year old from Canada who visited for about a week but failed to mention to her mother where she was going. Next was Patrick, a guy about my age who moved to Miami from Ohio and was living at the hostel until he found something more permanent. We took a couple of trips together, but we didn't go far.
As mentioned in my last post, I took a bit of a vacation in Miami. I rented a bed in what was essentially a hostel and killed about 3 weeks.
People always seem surprised when I tell them how little I enjoy being a tourist or doing touristy things. I think people assume that anyone who would dedicate time to walking all 4 corners of the United States would have to be somebody who enjoys playing tourist. I'm proof of the contrary.
Being that I'm not a touristy person, most of my time was spent in the hostel - which I loved - because of all the people I got to meet.
First, there was Jermaine and LaCrown, a pair of 20 something models from New York who came down to Miami to explorer the local modeling industry and job prospects. Then there was Lana, an 18 year old from Canada who visited for about a week but failed to mention to her mother where she was going. Next was Patrick, a guy about my age who moved to Miami from Ohio and was living at the hostel until he found something more permanent. We took a couple of trips together, but we didn't go far.
LaCrown and Jermaine, New York Models
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Lana, the crazy Canadian.
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Patrick, from Ohio.
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I also met two different guys from France who arrived on two different nights. The first was Juls, which I think is a nickname for Julian, who is a former special forces operator for the French Army. He was just traveling the world since his enlistment expired. The second was Guillaume, French for William, who was still on active duty but enjoying some leave in south Florida. He worked in logistics.
I got along great with Juls and Guillaume. The two spoke pretty good English, but Google Translate helped fill in some of the gaps in understanding. I've met foreign soldiers before, but these two were my first from France. Juls carried a bunch of pictures from his time in service, and Guillaume actually carried a basic field manual that he had been issued, which I was able to understand because it was a bilingual manual in French and English. We used our phones to show each other the different uniforms we wore, vehicles we operated, and guns we carried.
Google Translate wasn't always perfect, but it came in handy when I tried to tell Juls, the special forces operator, a joke. It goes something like this:
How can you tell a suicide bomber from everybody else?
Just ask if he has plans for tomorrow, because anyone with plans tomorrow doesn't plan on blowing himself up today.
I'm glad to say that Google Translate worked, and the joke got a pretty good laugh.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture with Juls or Guillaume, so I stole these from their social media profiles.
I got along great with Juls and Guillaume. The two spoke pretty good English, but Google Translate helped fill in some of the gaps in understanding. I've met foreign soldiers before, but these two were my first from France. Juls carried a bunch of pictures from his time in service, and Guillaume actually carried a basic field manual that he had been issued, which I was able to understand because it was a bilingual manual in French and English. We used our phones to show each other the different uniforms we wore, vehicles we operated, and guns we carried.
Google Translate wasn't always perfect, but it came in handy when I tried to tell Juls, the special forces operator, a joke. It goes something like this:
How can you tell a suicide bomber from everybody else?
Just ask if he has plans for tomorrow, because anyone with plans tomorrow doesn't plan on blowing himself up today.
I'm glad to say that Google Translate worked, and the joke got a pretty good laugh.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture with Juls or Guillaume, so I stole these from their social media profiles.
Juls, former French Army, traveling the world as a civilian.
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Guillaume, active French Army who came to south Florida on leave.
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Pompano Beach, FL
Since my route north had me double back across a few towns I had already visited on my walk south into Miami, I walked into Pompano Beach, FL for a second time. For those who don't remember, Pompano Beach, FL was where I met Catherine, who hosted me for a small dinner party at a local restaurant with a few of her friends. I knew Catherine before my walk, and she followed me online for much of it, but we never met in person until I got to Pompano the first time. When I came back through, it was like running into an old friend. Catherine was so nice that she put me up on her couch for a few days while the weather was questionable. While I was there I met her daughter, Hope, who was visiting from the west coast, and the three of us - Catherine, Hope, and I - were invited to another small dinner party.
The hosts of this dinner party were Patrick and Cordette. Patrick, like myself, is former Air Force. He now works as a professional photographer. His partner, Cordette, is a former model who has since gone back to school to pursue an education. I actually met Patrick at the first dinner party Catherine invited me to when I was heading south through Pompano Beach, but I didn't get to meet Cordette until the second dinner party on my way north.
At their home in Hollywood, FL, Patrick and Cordette served a great meal of Jamaican food that was unlike anything I had ever tasted - in a very good way. As a guy who loves to eat and who loves trying new food, I can honestly say I'm grateful to the pair for introducing me to all those new tastes and flavors.
The main picture, at the very top of this page, is from my time at the dinner party.
Since my route north had me double back across a few towns I had already visited on my walk south into Miami, I walked into Pompano Beach, FL for a second time. For those who don't remember, Pompano Beach, FL was where I met Catherine, who hosted me for a small dinner party at a local restaurant with a few of her friends. I knew Catherine before my walk, and she followed me online for much of it, but we never met in person until I got to Pompano the first time. When I came back through, it was like running into an old friend. Catherine was so nice that she put me up on her couch for a few days while the weather was questionable. While I was there I met her daughter, Hope, who was visiting from the west coast, and the three of us - Catherine, Hope, and I - were invited to another small dinner party.
The hosts of this dinner party were Patrick and Cordette. Patrick, like myself, is former Air Force. He now works as a professional photographer. His partner, Cordette, is a former model who has since gone back to school to pursue an education. I actually met Patrick at the first dinner party Catherine invited me to when I was heading south through Pompano Beach, but I didn't get to meet Cordette until the second dinner party on my way north.
At their home in Hollywood, FL, Patrick and Cordette served a great meal of Jamaican food that was unlike anything I had ever tasted - in a very good way. As a guy who loves to eat and who loves trying new food, I can honestly say I'm grateful to the pair for introducing me to all those new tastes and flavors.
The main picture, at the very top of this page, is from my time at the dinner party.
West Palm Beach, FL
I took some unplanned downtime in West Palm Beach, FL. I had to get some blood work done at the local VA hospital and had to wait around for the results. Everything is great, but I couldn't leave town without getting the results, so I bounced around to three different hosts I met on CouchSurfing.org.
The first was Joe, a young guy in commercial real estate. Like me, he likes to write, so we spent some time talking about a novel he's working on and some of the short stories I've written (and want to write). He also introduced me to Sweet Tomatoes, a franchise that I've seen around and never tried prior because I couldn't quite tell what kind of food they served. The mystery was solved, and for those reading this from southern California where I grew up, it's exactly like Souplantation.
Next was Adz, who was my age, who hosted me for two nights. He was into mom and pop coffee houses and restaurants, so we spent our time, among other things, at a couple of those around West Palm Beach, FL.
Finally was Rusty, Chris, and Jay - a trio of roommates in West Palm Beach. Rusty, who owned the house, is pretty active as a host on Couchsurfing.org, so we talked about our experiences with the community and the travels we had taken. Chris, who was a recent newlywed waiting to reunite with his new wife, was also great, and actually helped me with an errand I needed to run while I was there - so thanks to him for that. Then there was Jay, who I thought bore a striking resemblance to Mike the P.I. from Breaking Bad - he even sounded like him. We talked quite a bit - mostly about nonsense - and mostly while getting tipsy. Unfortunately, he had never seen Breaking Bad, so we didn't talk much about that.
I took some unplanned downtime in West Palm Beach, FL. I had to get some blood work done at the local VA hospital and had to wait around for the results. Everything is great, but I couldn't leave town without getting the results, so I bounced around to three different hosts I met on CouchSurfing.org.
The first was Joe, a young guy in commercial real estate. Like me, he likes to write, so we spent some time talking about a novel he's working on and some of the short stories I've written (and want to write). He also introduced me to Sweet Tomatoes, a franchise that I've seen around and never tried prior because I couldn't quite tell what kind of food they served. The mystery was solved, and for those reading this from southern California where I grew up, it's exactly like Souplantation.
Next was Adz, who was my age, who hosted me for two nights. He was into mom and pop coffee houses and restaurants, so we spent our time, among other things, at a couple of those around West Palm Beach, FL.
Finally was Rusty, Chris, and Jay - a trio of roommates in West Palm Beach. Rusty, who owned the house, is pretty active as a host on Couchsurfing.org, so we talked about our experiences with the community and the travels we had taken. Chris, who was a recent newlywed waiting to reunite with his new wife, was also great, and actually helped me with an errand I needed to run while I was there - so thanks to him for that. Then there was Jay, who I thought bore a striking resemblance to Mike the P.I. from Breaking Bad - he even sounded like him. We talked quite a bit - mostly about nonsense - and mostly while getting tipsy. Unfortunately, he had never seen Breaking Bad, so we didn't talk much about that.
Joe - West Palm Beach, FL
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Adz - West Palm Beach, FL
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Rusty, Chris, and Jay - West Palm Beach, FL
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Overlooking downtown Stuart, FL
Stuart, FL to Ft. Pierce, FL
Beyond West Palm Beach, on my way to Stuart, FL, I began having trouble finding hosts to put me up for a night, so I was back to sleeping outside. Then, on New Year's Eve, I got in touch with a local couple, both vets, who liked me, liked what I was doing, and offered to put me up. They drove up to meet me in Ft. Pierce and took me back to where they stayed in a town called Port St. Lucie.
Their names were Ray and John. Ray is an Air Force vet, like me, but served a special duty assignment on Air Force One. John, an Army vet, served as a policeman, like me. It was really cool talking to both of them, especially about how the service had changed since they were active in the 80s and 90s.
Beyond West Palm Beach, on my way to Stuart, FL, I began having trouble finding hosts to put me up for a night, so I was back to sleeping outside. Then, on New Year's Eve, I got in touch with a local couple, both vets, who liked me, liked what I was doing, and offered to put me up. They drove up to meet me in Ft. Pierce and took me back to where they stayed in a town called Port St. Lucie.
Their names were Ray and John. Ray is an Air Force vet, like me, but served a special duty assignment on Air Force One. John, an Army vet, served as a policeman, like me. It was really cool talking to both of them, especially about how the service had changed since they were active in the 80s and 90s.
Just a cool shot from a bridge crossing from south Stuart into north Stuart, FL.
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Ray, Air Force vet (L) and John, Army vet (R)
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Vero Beach, FL, Palm Bay, FL, Melbourne, FL and Palm Shores, FL
For the most part, my time through these towns was pretty quiet. I did meet someone very cool in Palm Bay - his name was Woody - and he was in his mid 50s. We met at a local park, Castaway Point, where I was resting and he was walking his dog. A few words turned into nearly two hours of talking. I told him about my walk and he told me about his life. I wish I could have taken his picture, but he didn't want me to, nor did he want me to relay any of the stories he shared. I guess he's really into his privacy, or he's in the witness protection program. If his stories were true, then I can tell you that he was definitely a kindred spirit who loved a good adventure. Unfortunately, I've got to take his stories to the grave with me.
For the most part, my time through these towns was pretty quiet. I did meet someone very cool in Palm Bay - his name was Woody - and he was in his mid 50s. We met at a local park, Castaway Point, where I was resting and he was walking his dog. A few words turned into nearly two hours of talking. I told him about my walk and he told me about his life. I wish I could have taken his picture, but he didn't want me to, nor did he want me to relay any of the stories he shared. I guess he's really into his privacy, or he's in the witness protection program. If his stories were true, then I can tell you that he was definitely a kindred spirit who loved a good adventure. Unfortunately, I've got to take his stories to the grave with me.
Vero Beach, FL
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Castaway Point Park in Palm Bay, FL
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Historic downtown Melbourne, FL
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As always, here's a map of the route I walked!
