Weird Dirt Road in Duncanville, Georgia
It was hot as I wobbled by the peanut farm on the noisy but straight route 84 just East of Duncanville. Desperate for shade as the 1 PM sun blistered above I suddenly noticed a desolate yet parallel road on the North side of the highway. The dusty dirt surface wasn’t the best but the tall trees broke the monotony. Then the dog attacked.
An African American man repairing a beat up pickup truck in front of a run down, but neatly kept house, called off the beast. I waved my gratitude as we exchanged friendly greetings. Five hundred paces later a group of porch sitting elderly women, also African American asked me if I was OK. “I am coming from Alaska and all is well”, I replied. Then two more local men, working under the hood of yet another pick-up, waved congenially. I saluted them back. All was fine. That is, until I headed back on to highway 84 and the police arrived.
When the officer in the highway patrol car saw me and made a quick U turn in the middle of the highway I knew he would be topping to check me out. “What’s going on? We had a call about you”, he asked pleasantly. In a speech rehearsed many times I explained My Dream Walk and thanked him for taking the time to stop. He nodded. Then he speed off down the highway.
The moral of the story – neighbors everywhere are weary of strangers.