Journal

Episode 3: Walking Through Heat and History: My Journey Across the Yuha Desert

May 12, 2025

On April 12th I celebrated the 13th anniversary of when I started my journey to wellness and recovery from memory loss with Dr. Dale Bredesen's protocol. The rough course today challenges my resolve. The wind pushes me forward and back. The narrow ledge on the shoulder limits my walking space. But my walk is a journey, not a race. I don't feel pressured to meet impressive daily mileage. With excellent team support, and all the wonderful followers cheering me on--I am confident that I will reach my destination. As I continue, I encourage followers to experience with me the excitement of walking across America. Perhaps, walk and talk with me whenever possible.

My route today is along the lengthy road that intersects the two thousand square mile Yuha Desert, parallel to Interstate 8 towards El Centro in the Imperial Valley—which drops below sea level. The pace is manageable and easy but after an hour or so walking on the hot asphalt, my feet heat up. You could say I'm “hot footing it” across the desert! After a couple of hours walking, I need to take breaks in my support RV to remove my shoes and cool down. Thanks to one of my sponsors, UCAN, I boost my electrolytes with their excellent hydration and energy gel packs.

Another sponsor, Trifecta, provides delicious meals for myself and Mike, my support driver and videographer. Not only are they very tasty but they have saved us valuable time since all that is needed is to warm up the food. Don't get me wrong, I like cooking, but it is enormously helpful to have healthy prepared food and save the time it would take to shop and prepare from scratch. That time and energy is best used for walking and recovering. Sadly, finding sources for healthy food across my walking route isn't easy. That speaks to the difficulties encountered by the general population in rural areas.

Today, I encountered around 15 to 20 dune buggies off-roading and kicking up sand as they passed through the beautiful sand dunes. Luckily, the wind blew the sand away from me, but I put away my camera briefly as a precautionary measure. I am rarely bored on the long stretches of my walk, which gives me a lot of time to ponder and reflect. I enjoy listening to my weekly online class on the James Joyce novel, Ulysses. What a different experience now from when I first read Joyce as a college student! I'm greatly enjoying listening to Dr. Bredesen's new book, The Ageless Brain, as I walk. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Catch you further down the road,
Judy