Georgia!

76-year old biker in Geneva. He bikes across Georgia every year in the "Ride Across Georgia."

Friendly Georgia guy.

Bright red Georgia clay!

Great name for a road!

Cody isn't sure if these were business or residential, but they were railroad cars that were hooked up to water and electric.

Jerry Moncrief, Reynolds, GA. Jerry left a comment on Cody's blog one night after he'd talked to Cody so we'd know he was all right!

Peach cobbler with peach ice cream on top.

"This is what Georgia is supposed to be about," says Cody.

Yummy!

I wish I could hear the story Amy was telling!

Tiny and Teensy (?). Not sure if that's their exact names, but their names definitely have the same irony as the ones I've assigned them!

Cecil with the dogs.

Cecil and Amy, good friends of Cody's. They run a great guest house, too! Besides Cody staying there for a weekend, they housed Mom and Dad a night on their trip.

Craft family of Dublin, GA. These are the folks who had mercy on Cody on a cold, snowy night and opened up their church center so Cody would have a warm place to sleep! I don't know what he would have done if they hadn't stopped and helped him out!

Well, folks, that sort of exhausts the pictures of Cody's trek. This is the Official Last Post. Cody is heading to Minnesota mid-April to work on a friend's farm, and who knows where after that? (If I decide he's doing something real exciting, I might have to post a quick note on here!) Anyway, thanks to all the folks who gave Cody food, shelter and encouragement on his odyssey. As his older sister, it reassured me every time Cody told me of some further kindness from strangers and friends alike. He had an experience that most of us can only imagine, and it was fun to write about it as it happened.

Thanks, also, to those who contributed to Cody's fundraising page for Doctors Without Borders. Your donations totaled an impressive total of over $2700. The page will stay active until November 2009, so feel free to tell your friends about this blog and the fundraiser, and they can contribute if they like.

Hope you all enjoyed meeting Cody, either as he walked along or as you sat in front of your computer. I'm sure you can all agree he's a one-of-a-kind guy!

Or, as Scott Porter would say, "Giver!"

Alabama

Welcome Center for Alabama, where Cody camped for the night. The sunset the next morning.

Gorgeous!

Historic bridge.

J. R. and Cody.

J. R. checked in on Cody over the course of three days and insisted on giving him money for dinner one night. Cody said the people of Alabama were all very generous.

Walking on the railroad tracks.

Frank Rogers, owner of Frank Roger's Country Store in Marion Junction, Alabama.

Crossing a river. Since Cody was walking on the tracks, there weren't any signs to tell him which river, but he said it was a fairly major one.

Train! Glad Cody's a little off the tracks to take this picture.

Donna-- she gave Cody a soda and directed him to a library in Thelma.

Old Live Oak Cemetery in Thelma.

Cody says this cemetery is historically significant, but he couldn't remember the exact story and I'm too lazy to go look it up. Pretty trees, though.

Cody walked this whole trail.

Theodis Williams, Army Corps of Engineers.

Cody met these friends for lunch in Montgomery one Sunday.

Alicia, a shy store clerk.

Pretty little road. Cody says there were many intriguing roads in Alabama. This was in Tuskogee National Forest.

Grand southern house.

Mississippi

We're now flashing back to the state of Mississippi. In the current-time news, Cody is working with Justin doing carpentry work this week. I'm not sure if it's for longer than a week, but it's work! Cody's going out to Minnesota in mid-April to work on a farm there for a while.

Big barge on the Mighty Mississipp.

Bridges across the Mississippi.

Site of the Battle of Vicksburg.

And, in history closer to home, the site of the Cage Fight between the Old Alpha Stroller and the Brash Backpack.

Alpha Stroller seems to be on top...

but Backpack has got some moves, too.

Vicious!

The carnage afterwards. (Or, more mundanely, Cody repacking the stroller contents into the backpack.)

Joey White.

This owner of a lumberyard in Morton, MS let Cody borrow a hacksaw to cut down his backpack frame.

Ricardo, Cody's colleague in the Chicken Coop Construction Company.

The house Cody worked on for a few days in Morton, Mississippi.

Willy Poe, owner of said house.

Don and Debbie Oldham, who gave Cody a ride to meeting and a bed for a few nights.

Their dog.

Cody setting out again.

Some estate Cody walked by.

Louisiana

Here's the rest of Cody's pictures from Louisiana. He sent a batch of pictures when he was mid-way through Louisiana-- you can see the first pictures from Louisiana in the post, People #1-- the Paul family.

Shreveport, LA

Bayous of Louisiana.

Luke and Noah. "Hope of a new generation," says Cody (who was rather into mud-bogging for several years). Cody gave Noah a slingshot, since he looked like the kind of kid that needed a slingshot.

Mike Thompson-- Mike wants to bike across America in a few years. He saw Cody and wondered if he was crossing America. He bought Cody dinner in Vicksburg.

Think you're a little lost, Cody. Quebec is close to home, not your southern route of travel.

A live oak in Tallulah, Louisiana-- a beautiful little town with friendly postal employees.

Another scene from Tallulah, LA.

Approaching the mighty Mississippi!

The Big Finish, Pictorially

Scene of Cody's momentous finish.

The day Cody first met up with Mom and Dad, and gave them his pack.

Scarfing some food.

Dad and Cody.

Tori and Cody.

Strange face, and the little backpack he used from there on out-- he had found it in the ditch that morning.

Some pictures Dad took of beautiful Tybee Island while he waited for Cody.

Lots of tankers off the coast!

Cody, the little red dot there in the middle!

Mom was up at the road, calling him on a cell phone, so she missed the initial sighting!

Closer...

And closer... He wasn't running by this point. He ran about 10 miles of that day-- after two nights with no sleep to speak of.

Posing with the Tybee Island water tower in the background.

Removing his shoes...

And his shirt...

For the plunge!! (This is a video, click on the arrow in the middle.)

Sitting, finally.

Then lying!

The poor, tormented feet!

Leaving Tybee. Cody bought a Tybee Island T-shirt that said, "Tybee Island: So Near, Yet So Far!" Quite appropriate!

Cody's welcoming committee at my cousin's house.

Celebratory cake.

The hero poses.

After sleeping...

(Not sure if he slept on the floor or not!)...

Cody was en route home, to his flock of sheep.

And the people who'd cared for his sheep while he was gone.

This weekend, all of the siblings, excepting the Alaska branch, were able to be together on the farm. Cody enjoyed checking out the cows with Dad and Owen, and seeing all the lambs-- four were born on Saturday. He got to wear different clothes, after wearing the same skimpy wardrobe for a long time. (We all wondered at his choice of acid-washed jeans from the 80s, but they were different!) I hope Cody is enjoying being home for now, we all sure enjoyed seeing him! His five nieces and nephews that were present were properly excited about having him back!

I have lots more pictures to post of Cody's final month in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. I'll be posting them over the next week or so, and keeping you informed of Cody's latest plans. Thanks so much for all the blog comments, it amazed Cody how many people had been rooting for him through this whole adventure! It's also exciting that he raised $2500 through his fundraising page.

Swimming IN the Atlantic!!!

Cody Vaughan has made it!!! Over 2300 miles later, he is swimming in the Atlantic (there were porpoises and dolphins there a few minutes before he made it). He is cheering and waving his bandana, and looking forward to eating in a minute. Wow!!!

Exclamation points are called for here.

Running to the Atlantic

Cody stashed his backpack somewhere behind a filling station earlier this morning so he could walk faster. Now, Mom and Dad have met him, and he has handed everything over to them so he can run the rest of the way! That includes his cell phone and spare change-- it's just him and his sneakers! (And clothing, of course!) He has crossed over to one of the islands east of Savannah-- I'm not sure exactly where in the route he is, but it's about 13 miles from the bridge until the beach on Tybee island. So definitely less than 13 miles! That seems so short, until you stop and consider how many of us run a half-marathon every day. Cody is pretty amazing in that he tosses off 50 miles a day without making it look hard! Mom says he's pretty sunburned at the moment, his lips are cracked and bleeding, and he looks tired, but he's still going!