Day 9: Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

The Fool walked from his Days Inn Hotel to the Chester public library, where he did some more research. Then he proceeded southwest, through an area of oil tanks and refineries. Here the Fool had his first encounter with cops!

He had his video camera out and was filming the industrial landscape when he saw some trucks go by. A few minutes later a police car arrived. The officer asked the Fool what he was doing there, why he was filming, etc. Another car was called. Eventually five police cars were there. The police officers asked to see what the Fool had taped. He rewound the tape and showed them some of his footage. After about 20 minutes of patiently answering questions, complying with requests, and completing paperwork, the Fool was free to leave.

He crossed the state border into Delaware — his fourth state — and walked into Wilmington. He asked a local man there about the best routes which would take him west out of the city. According to the man, all the west-bound routes went through "dicey" neighborhoods. However the Fool discovered that the so-called dicey areas were rather ordinary.

The Fool found a wooded area about 5 miles west of Wilmington and set up his tent for the night.

Route thus far