The Weather Hasn't Been Generous on Dave Brown's Trek, But People Have

Editors Note: This is a weekly column following Collegeville’s Dave Brown, who is walking across America in memory of his late wife, Joan, and to raise money for Ovarian Cancer. To donate, click here.

Dave Brown’s trek has had ups and downs in the weather department – ranging from the 70s to the 40s in a 24-hour period – but he was recognized over the past week, and he has raised more than $14,000 towards ovarian cancer research.

His week started out with a call from Brown’s former employer, Vanguard.

“Apparently I am still on the on-call list,” Brown joked on his blog. He was asked about an IT elevation that was underway.

When Brown mistakenly went to the wrong town when positioning his vehicle for a walk, he happened to run into a man who had lost his mother to ovarian cancer three years ago. The man made a generous donation to Brown’s cause and offered a place to stay in his home, according to Brown’s blog.

Brown also had walking companions along the way, including one woman battling the same form of ovarian cancer as Joan.

The week wasn’t all good news, though. On Saturday, Brown spotted a donut shop as he was positioning his car for the walk.

“I spent the first half of the walk trying to decide what type of donut I would buy,” Brown blogged. “I arrived at Al's Donuts which has been in business since 1960 at 9:58 AM. They close at 9:30 (unless sold out earlier). I could see the empty display case and smell the aroma of donuts. Life is definitely not fair.”

Later in the day, Brown came across Dawn’s Diner, which had unlimited cinnamon rolls.

“Life is fair after all,” Brown said.

On the fundraising front, Brown is up to over $14,000 for Ovarian Cancer Research.