expedition56

Iowa – Thursday, June 20

I crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa right at Davenport, which is where I found The Friendly House. The Friendly House has been helping people in the local neighborhoods and towns since 1896, and their mission statement is “To respond to the needs of families and individuals through programs and services that will enrich their lives and strengthen our neighborhoods.” It was originally called The People’s Union Mission, and later it became non-denominational and changed its name to The Friendly House. In addition to providing general assistance, whether it was some food, help with child care, help with finding a job, or whatever else people needed, the Friendly House was also a social center, and they would organize theatre shows for the kids to participate in, and provide outdoor recreational opportunities, and even sponsor Penny Movies back in the days of the Depression. I was happy to find a place that has been around for so long, and has helped countless people for over 100 years. My donation will go toward their food pantry. The lady I gave my donation to said a nice prayer for me, and a couple days later I got a very nice email from their executive director who’s been there for 25 years, and she’s seen and heard some unusual donation stories, and she says mine is now one of her favorites. My intent with all of this was to simply reach out a little and help people in every state, but my story and journey also seem to be having an impact on the people I meet as I make my donations, and I didn’t expect that. I think they’re the ones with big hearts as the help the local people in their communities week in and week out – giving so much of their time. Meeting all these people and hearing from them occasionally has been an unexpected highlight of my journey.

And then it was time for some walking! Tula and I did a mile and a half of walking by the river front right in Davenport, and then another mile and a half just a little farther north in Bettendorf. They had a little display of all the marine logos on the stacks of the ships and boats – I imagine the river pilots can identify all the different companies at quite a distance. And then I made a stop in Le Claire, which is home base for the TV show American Pickers, so I stopped by their warehouse and expected to see a huge space full of all kinds of treasures that the guys have bought on their travels. But the place was actually surprisingly small, and there wasn’t even a whole lot of stuff available for sale – I heard one of the girls say they sell things almost as fast as they come in, so they don’t have a need for a bigger space. One guy came in while I was there saying he collects old gas signs, and he was hoping to get a couple, but they didn’t even have any of those in stock, except for a kind of rusty one outside. The TV show has made this a popular destination, and their inventory seems to turn over really fast. So I looked around at what was there, and saw a few pieces I’d seen on TV, but was definitely surprised that the place wasn’t bigger. It is a fun TV show to watch though 🙂

I did some more walking in the town of Le Claire – Buffalo Bill was born near here, and became America’s first “superstar”. Then I drove up to Clinton where I got another couple miles in along their riverfront. It got up to the mid-90s today, but the riverfront walks have been nice and breezy. Then I went to the little island town of Sabula, and walked another mile there. This was a day of relatively short river walks in a variety of towns along the Mississippi, and I really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere in all these places. The island of Sabula is clearly in duck-hunting territory. I saw so many duck boats in driveways, some still adorned with grassy camouflage, that I began to wonder if there had just recently been a duck-hunting season, but that’s very unlikely this time of year. They must just be ready to go the moment a season opens!

Then I continued to drive north a bit more, and came to Bellevue State Park, and the sign said they also had a campground. Since it was getting to be that time of day, I thought I would go take a look at the campground, and it was a beautiful, well-maintained place and there were quite a few campers but still plenty of campsites. So I picked out my spot and registered, and got everything set up before the mosquitoes got bad – and they never got really bad anyway. Then Tula and finished off our walking for the day, and did an extra 3/4 mile too. And when I got back to the campsite I fixed myself a very adult dinner of peanut butter and banana sandwiches!

Illinois – Wednesday, June 19

Since I had been following the Mississippi River for a while, I thought a food donation to the River Bend Foodbank in Moline would be an appropriate donation for today. So I went shopping for cereal and oatmeal, pasta and sauce, pork and beans, peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, and muffin mixes. I like to try to include Jiffy Corm Muffin mix when I can since it’s produced in my hometown. Then I found the River Bend Foodbank, and went inside the warehouse to find someone. It’s a huge warehouse, set up to take donations from individuals like me, or big donations from corporations. They appreciate it all! This foodbank has been helping people for over 30 years, and they partner with over 300 smaller food pantries in 22 different counties. They can store up to a million pounds of food safely and efficiently (my donation only weighed 55#!).

The guy who took my donation pointed me in the right direction for the river walk in Moline, so Tula and I set off for that, and got out for about 4 miles of walking along the river. Then, since Moline is the home of the John Deere organization (and the town is known as the Farm Implement Capital of the World), I stopped by the John Deere pavilion and looked at all the amazingly huge and expensive farm implements. Many of the combines are run by automatic GPS systems for the most efficient planting and harvesting operations, and that’s partly why all the rows in huge fields are so straight. I climbed into the cab of the biggest combine, and it was full of technological stuff – I can’t imagine how long it must take to learn how to operate one! The on-board computer systems can even analyze the soil, and spread fertilizer, or other things, in only the areas it’s needed. There was also an interactive computer system to “drive” your own combine and try to plant a field and harvest the resulting crops – let’s just say it’s a good thing I drive a van, not a combine! There also happened to be a really interesting video on how jeans are made and dyed (I think the video was there because John Deere makes a cotton-picking machine), starting from the cotton fibers, and going through the weaving (a ratio of 3 blue threads to 1 white thread) and cutting and sewing and coloring. And apparently indigo dye is yellow until it’s exposed to oxygen.

Once I was done at the John Deere Pavilion, I wanted to get over to the Mississippi River Visitors Center, and that was located on Arsenal Island, which is a military place. My AAA book says the Rock Island Arsenal is the government’s largest manufacturing arsenal. So I had to go through a checkpoint to get to the visitor center. As luck would have it, some barges were in the process of going through this particular lock, and there’s a viewing platform right outside the visitor center for a birds-eye view of any boats and barges that are going through the lock. But, I was only there for about 15 minutes when the visitor center closed, and then I could only watch through a fence. But there was a pretty good view, and there was another lady there who was explaining to her friends that when the string of barges is too long to all fit in the lock at the same time, it becomes a much more time-consuming process because the first group of barges is pushed in by the boat, which then backs out; the water level is raised; the barges are winched out since they don’t have their own power; and then the process is repeated for the next group…and then repeated at the next series of locks. I was at Lock #15, so they have to do this at least 15 times going all the way up the river, and I’m guessing there’s more than that!

And then I needed to finish off my walking for the day. I never made it out of Moline since there was so much to see, but the Belgian Olde Towne area, and some old German and Swedish neighborhoods gave me lots of good walking places, and I got another 4 miles done – about half of it with Tula. It was a pretty evening for walking, and the city parks were full of people playing soccer and softball.

And then my time in Illinois was finished. I walked all 56 miles walked, and made 7 donations – Bravehearts Therapeutic Riding, Freedom House, Isle of Erin Irish Dance fundraiser, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Madonna House, Illinois Veterans Home, and River Bend Foodbank. Illinois was a pretty state to drive through, and now I’m ready for State #38!

Illinois – Tuesday, June 18

After we left the campground and Nauvoo State Park, we headed for the historic town of Nauvoo itself. This town was one of the early headquarters for the Mormon people and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They created a very organized town and many of the old brick buildings are the same as they were from back in those days. The streets are wide for walking or driving through, and there are also horse-drawn carts for people who prefer not to walk. The old town covers a surprisingly large area. There were lots of people dressed as they were back in the day, and it was fun to just wander up and down the streets and past all the old shops. I don’t know much about the Mormon people, other than some of their practices, such as polygamy, made them seem somewhat peculiar to outsiders, and that led to a lot of legal and political tensions among other people in the areas they tried to settle in. The Smith brothers (or one of them at least) was considered the prophet, but one day they set off back east with their horses to face some legal charges and ended up being killed by angry mobs, which led to some confusion as far as leadership succession, and that’s where Brigham Young stepped in. Although they continued to live in Nauvoo for a while, Brigham Young eventually led the faithful out to Utah.

There is a huge Mormon temple in the other part of town that dominates the skyline. It didn’t really look as though it fit in with the rest of town, which has clearly been around a very long time, and I read a little history about it. The temple had originally been built in 1846, but was then burned down by arsonists a few years later. From my understanding it wasn’t rebuilt until around 2002, in the exact same place, and I don’t know why there was such a gap of time. Altogether I walked about 3 miles in Nauvoo, and then found a fun old-style cafe where I had a late breakfast for lunch. I did some walking in the other part of town too.

Then I headed north out of Nauvoo through the Illinois countryside. I saw quite a few trains as I drove along, and there were about 3 long trains that I saw within about 1/2 hour that were all hauling what appeared to be containers that semi-trucks would later haul. It looked like they could simply be unloaded and hooked up to a truck and continue on to its destination. But these containers were stacked 2 high, and there had to be at least 150 per train, which is way more efficient than having another 150 trucks and drivers out on the road! Of course they could have been containers destined for ships too, but they were about the size that semis would haul. And then I got stopped at another train crossing, and I could see through the little slats in the train cars that it was hauling cars and pick-up trucks – either 3 pick-ups or 5 cars were in each train car. Again, a nice efficient way to transport large quantities of vehicles!

It was another hot day out, and I stopped in the town of Monmouth for some more walking. Tula only did a mile with me, and then I did another 3+ miles while she waited in the comfort of the van. It was another good town for walking – a nice Main Street area, old tidy neighborhoods and Monmouth College, which was also pretty to walk through. I saw several old signs saying Monmouth was the birthplace of Wyatt Earp, and there was supposedly a small museum, but all I ever saw was old wood fencing with some rundown things inside.

Since I had made 2 donations today, I didn’t make one today, so overall it was kind of a quiet day. I drove on to Moline, where I stayed in a really nice Motel 6 – yes, they do exist! It used to be a Quality Inn, so I had a nice spacious Quality Inn-like room at Motel 6 prices, and no charge for Tula.

Illinois – Monday, June 17

I headed back into Illinois and drove along the Great River Road up to Quincy. Along the way I passed several rock quarries and other busy-looking agricultural loading/unloading places. I was also curious about a place where semi-trucks would drive down a hill and into a tunnel at the base of some of the limestone bluffs – it made me wonder what’s down there, and why they’re going underground!

I got to Quincy and it looked like a good walking town. Tula and I headed out for a mile, and then because it was a pretty warm day, she stayed in the air-conditioned van while I covered another 3+ miles. Tula seems to be doing pretty well overall, but the medication she’s on recommends avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun, so I try to be extra careful about that on hot, sunny days. My AAA book said Quincy is known for its architecture, and there were certainly lots of interesting old houses and neighborhoods along my walk.

I ended up walking a little longer than I had planned, so when I got back I headed right for a grocery store to shop for my first donation today, which was going to the Madonna House – a safe place for homeless pregnant women, or women with custody of their young kids. I had read about them on their website, and tried calling to make sure their wish list was current, but no one had answered. So I just shopped from their list and ended up with a bunch of cereal, oatmeal, pasta and sauce, canned tuna and chicken, mac and cheese, and soup. Then I took the food over to the Madonna House, where I met Cindy and Megan. They were happy to get the food, because Madonna House has a food pantry as well, and they’ve seen an increased need with the flood and tornado problems this year. They told me there are 5 apartments in the house, which gives the families more of a home-like feeling than if all the residents were sharing the same space. They just finished adding a 6th apartment and as soon as it’s inspected, that one will be available as well. Madonna House just celebrated their 25th anniversary on Mother’s Day so they’ve helped a lot of people along the way, and I’m glad I found them!

Then I headed over to the Old Soldiers and Sailors Home, which is now simply called the Illinois Veterans Home, but I like their original name better! It was built back in 1886 for veterans of the Civil War. They just happened to be in Quincy too, so it turned into a 2-donation day. The veterans home was located on extensive grounds, and they welcomed visitors. There was an old Huey helicopter, and a Red Cross jeep and a tank on display, as well as a military museum (which turned out to be closed on Mondays). There were lots of buildings and I went in the wrong one at first, and then found the right place, and I met a lady who could take my donation. After I explained what I was doing, she excused herself, and to my surprise she came back with the staff photographer, and we went out and took a couple pictures by the helicopter, which will go into their newsletter. She told me I was welcome to wander around, so Tula and I set off for a little walk and it was very enjoyable. We ran across an interesting eternal flame sort of memorial that was erected by WW1 veterans, a Vietnam Memorial (even Tula stood at attention!) and the original entry gate from 1886. I was about ready to leave, and then I saw a road I had missed, so I got out for a little more walking, and unexpectedly came upon a deer park (with llamas in there too) and a pen with a couple of buffalo! I was glad I had left Tula in the car for that short walk!

Before I left Quincy, I stopped in Washington Square, which was the site of one of the Lincoln/Douglas debates before the 1860 presidential elections. The other bit of trivia I learned was that Washington Square was originally called John Square – so there was John Square in the town of Quincy in Adams County – clearly they were fans of John Quincy Adams! And then I went down by the riverfront, but didn’t find much of a trail, and it was kind of wet down there anyway. But I did see more barges – I think those of us who don’t live near major rivers don’t realize how much freight is transported by barge!

So I finally left town and continued north. We stopped in the little town of Warsaw, which was also by the river, and got another mile of walking in. And then I headed toward Nauvoo. Before I got there though, I passed a sign for Nauvoo State Park, and there was also a campground, and since it was evening, I pulled in to have a look. It wasn’t a very big park or campground, but it was very neat and well kept, and it wasn’t crowded. I decided that I would camp, and I crossed my fingers that the mosquitoes and bugs wouldn’t be too bad. The little office just asked people to self-register, so I chose our campsite and registered. I got everything set up without any trouble from mosquitoes, and closed up the van, and Tula and I took another short walk around the park to finish off our 8 miles for the day. As it was getting dark, the mosquitoes came out, so we retreated to the van, and I kept the windows shut for quite a while so the bugs would stay out, and it got pretty warm inside. Once it was totally dark, I cracked open the windows and that cooled things off. In the end, the bugs weren’t so bad, and I actually needed my quilt before morning!

Illinois – Sunday, June 16

My first stop today was the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which was only a short drive away. It’s like a step back in time – there’s about 9 city blocks right smack in the middle of Springfield which have been restored to Lincoln’s era as far as building appearance and streets and lamps and all. No vehicle traffic is allowed, and it’s a refreshing oasis in the middle of a big city. Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary and their 4 young sons all lived in the home that is now the centerpiece of the historic site. It has been restored to the condition it was in when they lived there, and some of the pieces of furniture, such as black horsehair chairs, a bookcase, a curio shelf, Mary’s sewing box and the cast iron stove are all original. The bannister by the stairs going up to the second floor is also original, and the park ranger told us it’s about the only thing that Lincoln touched that we could also all touch without getting in trouble! This is the house Lincoln was living in when he got word that he was the Republican party’s Presidential nominee in 1860, although it took him 4 days to consider his decision before he agreed to run for president.

The Lincoln house was very grand for its day, and it was the only house that he ever actually owned. It was much bigger than the neighboring houses, although when they first moved there, the house was quite small. But Mary inherited some money, and she used that to raise the roof of the house so that they had a full second story of rooms for their growing family. Rumor has it that the Lincolns were very lenient parents and didn’t believe too much in discipline, and the 4 boys were rascals, and ringleaders in pranks and practical jokes. Life was good for the Lincolns during the 17 years that they lived there before he became president. But they left all that behind when they moved to the White House, and, as we all know, he never returned to the home in Springfield – and neither did Mary. In fact, 3 of their 4 boys died prematurely – one of them while at the White House, and he accompanied his dad on the funeral train. Robert Todd Lincoln, the only surviving son, sold the house to the State of Illinois for $1, with 2 conditions – 1) that the home be forever well-maintained and 2) that it would be open for the American people to visit at no charge. The State of Illinois eventually turned over administrative duties to the national park service, and they continue to fulfill the wishes of Robert Todd Lincoln.

There were a couple of donation boxes out though – one of them in the backyard of the Lincoln House, and another in the visitor center. In a way, Lincoln is one of the fathers of our country, since he was ultimately successful in keeping the country from becoming a divided nation over the slave issue. And since today was Father’s Day, I thought that making a donation to the Lincoln Home was an appropriate one. So I wrote a note and put my donation into the box in his back yard. Lincoln died at age 56, and one wonders what he might have accomplished had he lived a few more decades.

After I had toured the house, I got Tula out and we wandered around the rest of the historic site. There were some people dressed in costume to add to the historic appearances. And then we returned to reality and walked around part of Springfield too, and saw the state capitol building. From there I headed to Lake Springfield which was right outside of town, thinking there would probably be some good walking trails by the water, but it was mostly a wild goose chase – there just seemed to be a lot of boat ramps and fishing docks, although we did get one mile of walking done by a lakeside park.

Before leaving Springfield, I returned to the Lincoln Tomb, so that I could go inside and see what was there. There was a big granite gravestone to mark the spot where Lincoln is buried, and a security guard keeps an eye on things. Mary and 3 of the sons are in a crypt across the aisle, and the oldest son was buried in Arlington due to his wife’s wishes (so she’s buried there too) instead of in Springfield with the rest of his family.

Since it seemed like it was a day for Lincoln (which is kind of hard to avoid in Illinois!) I decided to head up to New Salem, where Lincoln lived and worked for a while in his younger years. I think he had a half-interest in a general store, and he also tried his hand at guiding a flatboat down the river, but it became stuck. Unlike the genteel brick and wood homes in Springfield, the New Salem site was full of log cabins and a more primitive lifestyle. Tula and I walked through the whole New Salem site. The barrel shop smelled so good, and there were wood shavings all over the floor. There was also someone making some legs for a piece of furniture, and a shelf of dyes for coloring different fibers. The general stores were “stocked” and it was fun to take a look inside the cabins. These buildings were in the woods, and the mosquitoes were kind of bad – I’m not often bothered by them, but they were getting to be a bother today, and one of the volunteers told me they’re just going to bad all summer because of all the extra water.

From New Salem I began to head west across Illinois. I stopped in Beardstown, which was on the Illinois River, and did another mile and a half of walking. Their town square was lined with hundreds of American flags, and Tula and I walked from there out into some neighborhoods and then down by the river, although there was just a short riverwalk along the top of the floodwall.

I continued driving west toward the Mississippi River, and the farmland between the Illinois River and the Mississippi River must be some of the most low-lying land in Illinois, and it was apparent there had been a lot of water – there were big “ponds” in some of the fields, and other fields simply looked too muddy to get equipment out into it, and other fields looked like they had only recently been planted. There were dry fields too, where corn was well on its way, but that only made the wet fields more noticeable. And there’s not much the farmers can do about flooding and too much rain. Despite all of that, it was still a very scenic drive.

My destination for the night was Quincy, although I stayed across the river in Hannibal, Missouri because I was able to find a much cheaper pet-friendly place to stay. That was very interesting because it brought all my Hannibal memories from last November back – I could instantly remember the whole day in detail, from my unexpected donation for a local Meals on Wheels program, through walking in the town of Louisiana, and then walking all over Hannibal and seeing all the Mark Twain stuff. I could remember the people I talked to, what I ate, and even what side of the street I walked on! I was happy with the detail of the memories – I think all the walking gives me time to have everything sink in, and then keeping the blog helps cement the memories, and my stop in Hannibal seemed to prove that my memory isn’t becoming all jumbled with everything!

Illinois – Saturday, June 15

I woke up to gray skies and drizzle and took my time in leaving for the day. The rain eventually let up temporarily, so after breakfast I headed out to see if I could find one of the rail trails in the area, so I could get a couple miles of walking in before the next round of showers. But first I had to go to the post office – I’d been taking care of some things that needed to get mailed, and in finding the post office, I also found my unexpected donation-of-the-day! I always enjoy when that happens!

I was driving along the road to the post office when I noticed some kids on one of the street corners, holding a big poster board sign saying something about a bake sale to benefit Irish dancers. That got my attention, but I needed to get to the post office first, and simply hoped they would still be there when I came back through. And they were. I pulled in and found out what the bake sale was for – a group of Irish dance students from the Isle of Erin Irish Dance studio were raising funds to help them travel out to New Jersey to compete in the national competition. When I got there, 3 dancers were in their new costumes, and were doing some dance steps out on the corner to draw attention to their bake sale. I met their instructors and they told me that all entry fees have been paid, and the fundraising was to help pay for gas to drive all their equipment out and stuff. And I’m happy to support a dance group on a road trip! This is actually only the 3rd dance group I’ve made a donation to, so I was very happy to run across them. This bake sale had originally been scheduled a couple weeks earlier, but the bad storms that came through Illinois a few weeks ago interfered with that. I also bought some homemade baklava at the bake sale, and was very happy I had to go to the post office, or I wouldn’t have seen them. Good luck, Erin’s dancers!

With good directions from the dance instructors, I found the Rock Island Trail, and Tula and I were able to get 3 miles of walking in before the rain started up again. Thunder started rumbling when we were heading back to the van, and I was walking fast – at one point I even did some jogging (and I really don’t like to run!) to get back to the car before the rain started, and Tula thought that was some kind of fun new game. That didn’t last long though! I can walk for miles and miles and have never understood how people can run for miles! We only got a little wet.

Since I had had internet problems last night, I took my computer into a local McDonald’s (nearly all of them have free wi-fi) to catch up with some stuff while I waited for the rain to let up again. Once it stopped, it cleared up pretty fast, and I drove into downtown Peoria to find the riverfront. I got almost 3 more miles of walking in along the paths by the Illinois River. There was a rock memorial along the river for Dan Fogelberg, who was born in Peoria. There was also a Steamboat Festival going on with carnival rides and food and stuff – it was surprising how much more crowded it was on my way back since the rain had moved on and the sky was blue.

After Peoria, I wanted to head down toward Springfield. I was planning to go to the Lincoln National Historic Site in the morning, and it was a good time to get in the car for a while and I enjoyed a pretty drive through farmland – blue sky, green fields of corn and white farmhouses and barns. When I was close to Springfield, I saw signs for the cemetery where Lincoln’s tomb is located. It was evening by now, but the cemetery gates were still open, and I went in and found Lincoln’s tomb. It was huge and wonderful, and it made me wonder why I couldn’t recall ever seeing even a picture of it. It never occurred to me to wonder where he was buried – I spent time at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, and maybe I thought he was buried there. I took some pictures, but since it was after 5pm, I couldn’t go inside the tomb to see the actual gravestone. There was also a bigger-than-lifesize sculpture of Lincoln’s head in front of his memorial, and the nose on him literally glowed. A local couple told me that everyone rubs his nose for good luck, which is what I figured it was, and I had already touched it for good luck! There were also a lot of pennies (with Lincoln heads on them of course) around the base of the sculpture. The sculptor’s name looked familiar – Gutzon Borglum – and it made me think of Mt. Rushmore, which I looked up later and it was the same guy. I also drove over to the area that had memorials for the veterans.

By this time it was getting dark and the cemetery gates were going to close, but there was a long street leading up to the cemetery that was divided like a boulevard, and there were lots of lightposts in the grassy area between the lanes, and it made a pretty place to get our last mile of walking done for the day.

Illinois – Friday, June

Since I stayed in Rockford, I headed down to the riverfront first, and found a river trail, and got my first 2 1/2 miles of walking done. From there I decided to take the scenic route southwest toward Dixon, and it was absolutely beautiful following the meandering Rock River. After a while I came to the town of Oregon and it looked like a great place for some walking. Tula and I set off along Batwing Boulevard through town and did a mile and a half together, and then she waited in the car while I walked another 3 miles around the wonderful old neighborhoods adjoining town. The neighborhoods seemed to have a timeless feel to them – generations of families being raised in big, white, wooden, 2-story homes with front porches, and they’ve been well taken care of for decades. Kids were out riding bikes on wide streets; pretty trees lined the streets; people were out mowing and gardening; and kids were running around. It could have been the 60s, the ’70s or any other generation. And then an old station wagon turned a corner and I almost wondered if I had time-traveled back to the ’60s! It’s just hard to put into words – all the walking gives me time to soak up a lot of atmosphere, and this was classic small-town America. And I’m really enjoying being back in the midwest in all the summer greenery!

Then we did the short drive to Dixon, which is a very presidential town – Abraham Lincoln, Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis were all involved in the Black Hawk War here in their younger days (I had never heard of that war – the conflict involved the pioneers digging up ancient Indian burial grounds for their farmland – yikes), plus this is where Ronald Reagan grew up. So Tula and I did a little walking around town, and we walked past Reagan’s boyhood home. Tula didn’t seem to want to walk much (her energy levels still aren’t back to normal, and I’m not pushing her) and I just wasn’t enjoying this town as much as Oregon. Then I drove across the river, and came upon a pretty riverside path. I was going to leave Tula in the car, but she really seemed to want to come along, and she was full of energy and chasing squirrels for a couple miles – I can’t quite figure it out! I did one other short walk in the opposite direction along the river, and watched a couple kids pull in a big carp – lots of people were out fishing. And pelicans were fishing in the river too – i passed one big rock in the rover that had about 20 pelocans huddled on it. Altogether I did over 9 1/2 miles, so I have a little extra for a day when I might need it.

With all my walking done for the day, I was happy to get in the car for a little driving. It was a pretty time of day to drive past the endless cornfields and big farms, and I also passed a wind farm with the big turbines. I took a detour to visit another covered bridge – this one stated there was a $5 fine for driving more than 12 horses, mules or cattle across at one time, or for leading any beast faster than a walk. i wonder how many fines were collected back in the day!

It was evening by now, but there was no rush to my donation place – they’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. My donation was going to Freedom House, a sheltering home for women who have suffered some sort of abuse. Freedom House was located in Princeton, and they have been providing hope, comfort and a place for them to live for 30 years. I met the volunteer who was working, and she buzzed me into the shelter – it seemed strange to be doing a donation so late! Freedom House is located on church grounds, and it just seemed like a nice safe place. The numbers of people in the house fluctuate, and they’re often full, and even sometimes have to turn people away, which must be very difficult. Some of the other shelters I’ve made donations to keep the actual location of the shelter a secret, to help protect the women. But this shelter doesn’t operate like that – it’s a very secure building, and there are several buzzers spread around the building that can summon the police by a touch of a button if necessary, and they can be there in a matter of minutes. The volunteer told me that fortunately she’s never had to press a buzzer. Freedom House is well supported by the local community, and one of their more popular fundraisers is called Walk A Mile in Her Shoes – where local men (often police officers) put on red high heels to walk a mile, and the volunteer showed me a calendar that they had made with photos from the last fundraiser.

I had reservations down near Peoria, so I still had a little driving to do, and finished it off in the dark, before the expected rain arrived.

Illinois – Thursday, June 13

I still had several hours of driving through Wisconsin before I crossed the border into Illinois, but I got busy right away! We stopped in the first town we came to, which was South Beloit – both Tula and I needed to get out and stretch! I found a big park with a lake, and Tula and I got our first couple miles of Illinois walking done, and then I did another mile in an adjoining neighborhood.

From there I drove on to Harvard, and we walked another 1.6 miles through town and a neighborhood. There were a lot of Mexican shops, including one with “formal” wear for little tykes – probably for a special religious occasion. This town is also the Home of Milk Day, and they have a Milky Way park, Milk Days Festival and a giant Dean’s Dairy.

Then I drove a short ways out of town to the BraveHearts Therapeutic Riding Center, which was my destination for my donation-of-the-day. I had called them earlier to see about making a donation, and they told me riding sessions would be going on until 7pm and that I was welcome to just show up and watch whatever was going on. When I got to the farm, I couldn’t find anyone at first, and then I noticed some horses and people out in an outdoor arena. Two students were just finishing a class, and I went over and watched them come back to the barn. BraveHearts works with people who have disabilities, whether it’s children with physical disabilities, or returning veterans with mental disabilities. Last year they had around 1200 sessions with veterans alone, in addition to all their other students. Today’s riders were teenagers, and their parents gave me permission to take a picture. They have a really cool harness that helps move students from wheelchair to saddle and back again. Each of the riders had their horse and 3 people around – always one person at each side, and another by the horse’s head. And of course the horses are carefully screened for suitability – and some horses work better with different kinds of people than others. The PATH-certified instructor I spoke with was named Misty – just like my old horse back home! She was very nice, and she gave me a tour of the barn, and it was easy to see how much she loves her work. She estimated they had about 100 students, and 20 horses between their 2 facilities. This farm focuses on actual riding therapy, and the other location uses horses as an aid in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. The founder of the farm (who I did not meet) survived a very serious illness, and figured she recovered because this was her mission. She has a couple Lippizan mares, and I saw one of the new foals. It was a very well-maintained place and I was happy to find them!

After my BraveHearts visit, Tula and I found the Milky Way park and walked about a mile around that. There were several soccer games going on.

And then I enjoyed a pretty evening drive back toward Rockford, where I was going to stay for the night. But along the way I drove through the town of Marengo, and it was a nice town for a beautiful evening walk, so I got another 2 1/2 miles in. I think I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy evening walks since it stays light so late!

Wisconsin – Wednesday, June 12

I set off toward Menomonie this morning, where my mom was also going to meet up with me. Menomonie was my maternal grandpa’s hometown, and my grandparents and great-grandparents are all buried in the local cemetery, so I knew I wanted to make a donation somewhere in Menomonie. But first, we had to get there. I started my drive south, and after awhile I saw a sign for the Norske Nook Restaurant and Bakery. With my Norwegian heritage, I could not resist a stop there, to see what all they had. In addition to Norwegian pancakes, they had all kinds of lefse wraps, and fresh lefse to go. I enjoyed the Norwegian pancakes – thin, almost crepe-like (they reminded me of my homemade ones!) with lingonberries and whipped butter. Plus I got some lefse for both my mom and me.

After some more miles in the car, I met up with my mom, and the first thing I needed to do was get Tula out for a walk. We found the Red Cedar Bike Trail, and Tula, my mom and I walked 2 miles and got back to the car right as it started to rain. We then headed over to the local university library to try to get some sort of map for the cemetery so we could hopefully locate my great-grandparents’ graves (they are not buried near my grandparents). And they had a very helpful map.

After the library, we went shopping for my donation-of-the-day. I had decided to make a donation to the Stepping Stones Shelter, and when I called to see if their wish list was current, they said it was, but that they also could use some new pillows. So we shopped for a half dozen new pillows, some can openers, kitchen towels and dish cloths, and a bunch of food storage containers. Then we found the Stepping Stones office, which was right by their food pantry, and carried the stuff in. The lady I met was very kind, and supportive of my journey, and she told us the shelter can accommodate quite a few people in multi-room furnished apartments. In addition to emergency housing, Stepping Stones also offers housing assistance and referral services. I got a very nice email from the shelter coordinator a day or 2 after the donation – a woman with a special-needs child and a disabled mother had recently come to the shelter, and the coordinator was getting one of the apartments ready when she realized she was short on pillows – and then she discovered the new ones in the office, so they were put to good use nearly right away. That was fun to hear 🙂

From there we went to Evergreen Cemetery, and started trying to find the gravesites for some of the extended family on my mom’s side, according to the sites that the librarians had marked on the map. We found a gravestone for my grandpa’s uncle, but other than the last name, there were no other identifying names or dates – although a small marker partially hidden in grass had the name of one of his children on it. We went to visit my grandparents’ gravesite, which I have visited in the past, and then we had quite a hunt to find my great-grandparents’ graves, which I had never seen before. My mom was the one who finally found their marker, and with 6 names and dates engraved on it, it seemed to create more questions rather than answer any!

When we were finished at the cemetery, we stopped for dinner, and I was finally able to go through some of the family history that I had learned out in Massachusetts; some of which was new to my mom. So it was a real family history day! My mom headed back to Waupaca, and I still had a couple miles to walk, so I went back to the cemetery (it’s a really pretty one with rolling hills next to a lake) to walk around the whole thing in the falling darkness, but it wasn’t creepy – with extended family spread out from one end to the other, it seemed like a good place to finish up my Wisconsin walking.

So, State #36 is complete! I walked all 56 miles, and did 7 donations – Mukwonago Food Pantry, Food for Thought, King Veterans Home, Kinship Mentoring program, K-9 dog fund for Tomahawk Police Dept, Lakeland Food Pantry and Stepping Stones Shelter. I stayed in Wisconsin for the night before heading into State #37.

Wisconsin – Tuesday, June 11

Since I’m enjoying northern Wisconsin, which has thousands of lakes, I figured it was only appropriate to make a donation to the Lakeland Food Pantry which was just north of Minocqua. They’re open every Tuesday morning, so my timing was good. I called them in the morning to see if they would like a financial donation or a food donation. They said a financial donation would be best since they can shop at a food bank and get more for their money than I could. So I got in there as their busy morning was winding down, and dropped off my donation, and talked with them for a few minutes. The Lakeland Food Pantry has been helping people for over 30 years, and it originally started on the pastor’s porch, and then moved into a school basement, and now they have a nice building of their own to work out of. They have a big group of volunteers, and help hundreds of families – their website says they sometimes give out more than 14,000 pounds of food a week. One of the ladies I met has several dogs, and we got to talking about dogs and flea and tick medications, and she told me about a new flea and tick collar that is available from their local vet (and ticks are a huge problem up here so they know more about all of this than some places) so when I left the food pantry, I went over to the vet clinic and talked with them a bit about Tula, and I ended up buying one of the new flea and tick collars which I’ll use when her current dose is finished. I wanted to try something else anyway, since the brand I’d been using didn’t seem effective enough.

I finally left Minocqua and drove a little farther north to Manitowish Waters, where we did 2 1/2 miles of walking. Then I started heading west across the pretty countryside of northern Wisconsin. I passed a sign that said there was a covered bridge a few miles down a side road, so I turned off the main road and went to see the covered bridge. Apparently I missed yet another turnoff, and as I drove along I ended up seeing a big peacock by someone’s farm yard! I turned around and passed the peacock again, and saw a little sign I had missed directing me down a dirt road. I rounded a bend in the road and saw a big bear out in the middle of the road! As soon as it saw the van, she scurried off into the woods, and I drove up a little farther and put the window down in case I could hear or see anything else. There was a rustle in the tree by the road, and I looked up to see a bear cub looking down at me! I scrambled for my camera, but the cub was quick – it descended the tree down the back side and all I could see were paws on the side of the tree. (The photo I was able to get just shows a black smudge on the side of the tree, but when I zoom in I can see the paw and its claws). The cub landed on the ground, partly hidden by all the brush, and ran off after mama bear. It was fun to see them, and it made up for not seeing a loon yesterday! I abandoned any thoughts of walking there, and I wouldn’t have lasted long anyway – the mosquitoes were vicious and even in the short time I had the window down for a picture, a bunch of them got in the car.

I continued on and saw the covered bridge – and was very happy I took the detour to see it, because it also led me to the peacock and the bears! I got back out on the main road and before I’d gone very far I came across a big turtle making its slow way across the street. I pulled over to make sure it would get all the way across, and the I saw cars in the distance so I picked it up and carried it the rest of the way across.

We stopped in Park Falls for a short walk by the river and a longer walk in town. Apparently Park Falls is the Ruffed Grouse Capital of the World!

Then I continued on to Spooner. Lots of the towns up here were part of the lumber business, and I passed a paper mill and trucks and train cars full of wood, and piles of cut trees stacked up like toothpicks. I got out for a mile and a half of walking, and got caught up with Tara on the phone – it’s always good to hear the grandkids in the background! There was a big train yard in town (they do short scenic tours out into the countryside) and I walked along all the old cars and engines. That eventually led to the Wild Rivers snowmobile trail, which people use for walking and biking. I went back to get the van and drove it out too the parking lot near the trail, and Tula and I enjoyed a pretty 2 1/2 mile evening walk. She even spotted a deer along the trail and wanted to go make friends, but that didn’t happen! There were a few ATVs out on the trail, which I don’t normally see, but since this was a snowmobile trail, the ATVs are allowed in the summer. There were signs for snowmobile trails all over this part of the state – once on the trails, they have their own directional signs and little stop signs. There’s recreational opportunities all year ’round up here!

By the time we finished our walking for the day, it was nearly dark, and although I thought I’d drive a bit toward Menomonie, which was my destination for tomorrow, I drove past another cute little northwoods motel, and I decided to stop for the night. The room had pine paneling, and a big photo mural on one wall that made it look like I was sleeping on a lakeshore. It was a good way to end another northwoods day!