expedition56

Oklahoma – Thursday, November 15

Time to go see the west side of the state! I got out of Oklahoma City and then made a short little detour back into Mustang. I had totally forgotten to get a picture of the church where I made the donation to the food pantry and it was more or less on the way. A bit further along I stopped in the town of El Reno to get a little walking in. I walked through town and into the neighborhoods and down by a school. And then sidewalks ran out. But we got a little over 2 1/2 miles in. I tried following the historic route 66 for a while, but it gets confusing at times when it merges with the highway. And once I was led to believe I was on Route 66, but it was really an elaborate entrance to the highway going in the wrong direction from where I wanted to go…and it’s not always easy to get turned around! And then I couldn’t even really see it on the map at all, so I kind if abandoned that plan. I’d been making slow progress anyway, and needed to move along a bit. The problem with getting into more wide open ranch land and less populated towns means a lack of places to walk. Some of the towns are so tiny they’re not much more than a couple buildings at an intersection, and that’s no place to walk!

Today I was seeing lots and lots of wind turbines. So far I haven’t seen one working windmill, and I thought they’d be all over the place! The wind turbines are certainly efficient, and must be doing a lot of good because they’re out here by the hundreds – all lined up in some sort of order I know nothing about! But some people are opposed to them judging from bumper stickers and signs in yards. It kind of makes me wonder if I owned a ranch, and was in line for a bunch of wind turbines to be built on my property, how much say would I have whether I wanted them or not?? And there’s lots of oil wells – working, working – looking like some prehistoric big birds constantly pecking for seed. I’m glad to be driving through this part of the state when it’s in the 60s – it’s got to be pretty uncomfortable in the summer!

I had several possibilities for donations to a food pantry today, but hadn’t contacted anyone yet, as I waited to see how far I’d get. I came to the town of Weatherford and luckily it was big enough to get out and do some more walking – time was slipping away. And Weatherford was only about 10-12 miles away from the town of Clinton, which had a food pantry that was open til 5. Tula and I got in almost 3 miles of walking, and right when we were about to finish up, I walked by a tiny little storefront that had a Food Pantry sign on the door, and it said they were open on Monday and Thursday afternoons – and it was Thursday afternoon! I was happy I hadn’t called the other place yet. I walked in to see if they would be interested in a donation, and they were busy helping a client, so I waited for them to finish with her. Their food pantry is small, but well organized, and they guide the recipients through, telling them how many things they can choose from each of the categories – that way they get a nice variety of things. When they had finished (and the person seemed very grateful for the groceries), they thought I was next in line for some food! I explained that I would be happy to make a donation, but didn’t know if there would be time for me to shop and get back before they closed. The ladies said they would be able to wait for my return since they had some sorting to do anyway. They were low on breakfast cereal and dish soap, but other than that, they would be happy for anything I might get. So I went shopping and got a bunch of cereal and small bottles of dish soap, and spaghetti and sauce, peanut butter, and an assortment of other non-perishable stuff. I took it back to the food pantry and they had helped 2 other families while I was shopping, even though technically they were closed. The food pantry is called the Weatherford Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry and the church owns thw building. The space is only 17’x23′ but they have it organized, and make it work! Families are allowed to come in once a month, and they serve 85-95 families each month. They also said that the people of western Oklahoma are generous with donating food. As in so many places, hunger is a real problem – when I was doing the river walk a couple days ago, a food truck went over one of the many bridges and the sign on the side said 1 in 4 Oklahoma children struggle with hunger issues.

Aside from my enjoyment with meeting these ladies and helping put some food on the shelves, the visit may have helped me in another way. One of them had lived in Anchorage, Alaska and she was wondering what my timing was as far as getting up there. I told her my dilemma of being tempted to apply for one of the private vehicle passes which allow drivers to drive their own cars across Denali National Park instead of taking the bus. IF I were to be successful (it’s a lottery system), I would have to wait until mid-September to visit Alaska (they open up Denali National Park to private vehicles the weekend after Labor Day) and that could bring about some weather challenges. Her recommendation to me was to not wait until mid-September to go to Alaska – she has seen the snow advancing down the mountains (if you’re reading this, I think you had a pretty phrase for that!) by then, and I think I should probably heed the advice of one who knows!

By this time, the sun was beginning to set, and they told me about some walking paths in a local park so I could finish off the couple of miles I still needed to walk. Their directions were good, and we finished our walking, and then drove northwest for a while – up to Woodward near the panhandle. A couple times along the way, I saw huge rows of flashing red lights extending out into the dark – like an airstrip for some giant outer space vehicle, and couldn’t figure out what they were. The mystery was solved when I checked into my motel – the lights were on the rows of wind turbines! I had really wanted to camp tonight – it had been in the upper 60s today and was still in the low 50s by early evening, so I headed out of Woodward to the Boiling Springs State Park, which I knew was open for camping, but the closer I got, the more the temps kept dropping, and when I was only a couple miles away, it was 37 degrees out. Too cold for me!

Oklahoma – Wednesday, November 14

I was still in the Oklahoma City area – so many good places to walk! This morning I went to Bricktown – a renovated warehouse district with a mile-long canal flowing through it and paths along each side. There were canal boats for people who didn’t want to walk, and bridges and trees and shops and restaurants – a wonderful area to walk through! I went all the way to the end of the canal and unexpectedly found the coolest monument I have ever seen! The monument was multi-piece tribute to Oklahoma’s Land Run days. So many of the towns around here were literally formed in a day – an area of land would be opened to homesteaders, and everyone would line up and wait for a gunshot signifying the start of a race for the land – whether for a plot in the new town, or a bigger parcel to farm in the country. Some people jumped the gun and left too soon to try to get a parcel – they became known as the “sooners”. This monument consists of slightly-greater-than-lifesize men, women, horses, wagons etc all in a mad dash to claim their land. I could almost smell the dust and hear the shouting and I almost felt like I was going to be trampled by the horses! It’s quite a piece of art, and it also took a great deal of effort for the monument to be completed. I had no idea it was there and I’m so glad I saw it.

After finishing the morning walking, I saw that I had parked right by the Spaghetti Warehouse and it was after noon on “Warehouse Wednedsay” where they have spaghetti, salad, garlic bread lunch specials for $5. And it hit the spot!

Before leaving Oklahoma City, I wanted to actually walk in the city and around the grounds of the Capitol building. We walked all around town, and I assumed I would come to the Capitol area, but I couldn’t find it! Turns out the Capitol Complex was a little outside of town. Oklahoma’s Capitol building is the only one in the U.S. to sit on top of oil reserves – and there’s working oil wells too. There’s also a pretty area where all the different Oklahoma Native American tribes are represented by their flags. We walked all around the grounds and into the historic Franklin neighborhood too, covering over 3 miles.

For my donation-of-the-day, I had planned to drive back to Tulsa to participate in Oklahoma’s biggest fundraiser for The Make-A-Wish Foundation for seriously ill children. They were having a 3 day radio-thon in a big park, and I was going to make a donation and do some more walking. But, I changed my mind. As I was driving on the turnpike between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, it just suddenly didn’t seem to be the right thing to do today. I was backtracking along a similar route that I’d already been on, and returning to a city where I’d already been, and I knew if something else didn’t come up, I could always phone in a contribution. (And I will make a donation to them at some point in the journey.) So I got off at the next exit, paid my toll, and had to figure out exactly where I was. There was a town called Shawnee about 15 miles down the road, so that became my new destination. I did some quick research and saw there was a food pantry called Mission Shawnee that appeared to be open til late afternoon, and was located in a church. So I drove there, but the doors were locked, no lights were on, and the sign on the door said the food pantry was open every day but Wednesday. I was a little disappointed and started walking back to the car, but there were 1 or 2 other cars in the lot, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to go back and ring the bell, just in case someone was there. And I’m glad I did. There were indeed a couple ladies there, who were just beginning preparations for a free community dinner offered by The Good Shepherd Church. So I talked with them, and since the food pantry operated out of different space in the same building, they told me they would be happy to take a donation for them. Since this food pantry had a fridge and freezer space, they said some meat and frozen foods would be nice for them to get. So I found the local grocery store and got hamburger, chicken, hot dogs, some frozen dinners, and chicken nuggets and that sort of thing. And I added in some spaghetti and sauce, some beans, and mac and cheese, and went back to the church. By this time, they were busier with getting a dinner ready, and some local college students had come to help out. They took my food donation for Mission Shawnee and got back to work with their dinner, while Tula and I went out and finished our walking near a park in town before it got too dark. I began to feel bad that I had made a donation to the food pantry that was located there, but hadn’t done anything for the actual church, who not only sponsors dinners twice a week, but sends a van out to pick up some of the local kids who could use a hot meal! The meals are primarily for local children, and after they eat, they go into different classrooms with the college volunteers for some class time. So I went back when I figured the kids would be done eating, and made a donation to the Good Shepherd Church too – that donation was just a check so they can use it for either food or gas for the vans to pick the kids up. I talked with the pastor and some of the volunteers from dinner, and they told me more about the programs and we went into the classrooms for pictures with the kids. The college volunteers were all working hard with some energetic kids! The church and the people are trying to make a difference in their community, and I was really happy I went back. So I’m glad I got off the turnpike when I did!

(didn’t mean for photos to post twice! don’t know how to fix that!)

I wanted today to be a double donation day to make up for the rainy Sunday when I didn’t make one. I figured an animal-related donation, and a food pantry one would be good for today, so I had researched some options. When I googled ‘animal therapy training’ in Oklahoma, one of the sites that popped up was an organization called A New Leash on Life. They train service dogs for people who have a disability of some sort; therapy dogs for visits to people who are elderly or ill; and have also had prison inmates working with shelter dogs – providing a nice connection for everyone involved. They had a wish list of items on their website, so after talking with them, I went shopping for some of the items and ended up getting paper towels, bleach, laundry detergent, dog treats and dog toys. Then I drove to the facility and met Jill, one of the trainers. She offered to show me around, and talked more about the programs. They have a wonderful, large place that is also shared with another animal organization, and can be rented out to other groups too. It used to be an auto repair place, but they did a lot of work, and now have nice indoor space for the classes and training programs. So they’re doing a lot of good for people and dogs! There’s quite a waiting list for people who could benefit from having a service dog, and they work hard matching the right dog to the right person. There was a young man working there as well, and they told me how to access a long river trail by the Oklahoma River that wasn’t too far away. And Tula and I were ready for some walking! Their directions were good, and it was a beautiful day, and we ended up walking about 6 1/4 miles – there were lots of trains crossing bridges, a few oil rigs right along the river and some big grain elevators in the distance. Lots of the river bank was very neat and pretty, and it was a really nice walk. It was a little later than I thought when we got back to the car, and I knew I had to get going to beat the clock for Donatinon #2!

When I had looked into food pantries in the Oklahoma City area, I saw there was a food pantry at Chisholm Heights Baptist Church in the town of Mustang, southwest of Oklahoma City. And, someone would be there until 4:30 (not all food pantries are open every day – many are open just a couple days a week, or a few hours a day, which is why I always contact someone before going shopping.) So I picked them simply because I liked the name of the town, and they were open! They had said any non-perishable items would be good – and maybe be sure to include some pasta and spaghetti sauce. Luckily I had shopped earlier in the day for them also, but it took me a while to get there because I was on the east side of town, and they were off to the southwest, and there was the usual highway construction and all. And, my GPS doesn’t always like state highways as an address, so I had to call them a couple times for directions – they were very patient with me! I got there just a few minutes before they were closing up, and met the 2 ladies who were there, and they showed me the food collection box inside the church, and I got everything carried in. They wondered how I had found them, and we talked a bit about what I was doing. As we were all leaving, one of them said a very nice blessing for me – a total stranger who she had just met! – and that was special. I still had a little over 2 1/2 miles to walk before dark, and as I was leaving Mustang I saw what looked like a park, so I pulled off and got Tula out, and as I began to wander around, I realized I had come across a huge, beautiful community sports complex – complete with softball fields, an aquatic center, and a couple miles of trails around a pond that I found behind the softball areas. It was a perfect place for walking the last couple miles – lots of people were out enjoying the evening.

Oklahoma – Monday, November 12

Tulsa’s Veteran’s Day Parade is the nation’s 5th largest, and one of the oldest in the country (94 years), and I was looking forward to watching it. So I drove downtown and found a community park to leave the van at, and walked a mile to the starting point of the parade. They had estimated the crowds along the parade route to be about 10,000, and even had to use some fences to keep people out of the street – nice to see so many people turn out in support of all the veterans! It was a good parade that lasted for an hour with a big assortment of participants – the most gut-wrenching were a couple trucks with a mom/wife holding up huge photos of their lost loved ones. There were big groups of people in various uniforms, bands, scouts, tanks, a bagpipe-playing regiment, and even a couple of WWII vets. The organizers did a really nice job. Tulsa’s a pedestrian-friendly city, and when the parade was over, Tula (who waited very patiently during the parade, but kept eyeing the muffin the little girl next to me was eating) and I walked a couple more miles around town, then stopped at a hotdog cart in a plaza for a quick bite. They even gave Tula a complimentary hotdog!

On my way back to the car, I walked by VFW Post 577. I had decided earlier in the day that I wanted to make my donation-of-the-day to them in honor of Veteran’s Day. They had held a big fundraiser breakfast before the parade (I think just for veterans and families) where people make whatever donation they want, and they were also one of the sponsors of the parade. I always prefer to make donations in person if possible, but since I’d spent quite a bit of time walking around Tulsa after the parade, I wasn’t sure if anyone would still be at the post. But when I walked past, I saw the door was wide open, but I still didn’t want to just walk in since I had Tula with me. Luckily, a couple ladies came by, and they started to go into the building (there’s an attached ladies auxiliary) so I told them I would like to make a donation in honor of Veterans Day, and they went in and talked to someone, and they said Tula and I could both go in, even though there were still a couple parade participants eating lunch. One of the members sat and chatted while I wrote out the donation check. Their post has been around for a long time, and has hundreds of members, although the number of “regulars” is more like 30-35. He mentioned they still have a few WWII members, although they are in their 90s now, and don’t come out to a lot of events, but a couple still try to show up at funeral services out of respect. And he pointed out dozens of photos of past post commanders on the wall. They offered me lunch (which I would have enjoyed if I hadn’t just had the hotdog!) and then he went and got the post commander for a picture.

When I got back to the car, I saw that there was a trail in the park that went around a little pond, so we walked that too. Altogether we walked about 5 and a quarter miles in Tulsa. And then I was ready to sit in the car for a while. I headed toward Oklahoma City, following Route 66. It is not always easy to follow, with so many turns, and once in a while merging with the highway. (There seem to be a lot of toll turnpikes near both Tulsa and Oklahoma City, and sometimes you’re simply expected to have the correct change to toss into a basket to pay the toll…I’m not sure how they expect out-of-state people to know they need to have a lot of change with them!!) I had to do a few u-turns now and then to take a picture of something that caught my eye. I liked an old roller-skating place, and sometimes the sides of buildings still have old logos or ads on them. We finished the last of our walking in Stroud, and as I was parking the van on Main Street, a couple of cowboys rode their horses right down the sidewalks of Main Street. And both man and horse looked like they’d been working hard! Guess I’m in Oklahoma! I finished the drive to Oklahoma City and called it a day.

Oklahoma – Sunday, November 11

The expected rains came during the night, but it wasn’t as stormy as they had forecast. The rain continued all morning – heavy at times – and I was in no hurry to leave. At checkout time, I decided to head west a bit…hoping that the rain would begin to let up. And it finally did. I ended up driving to the town of Broken Arrow – just because I liked the name of it! Tula and I got out and walked a mile and a half through town and an adjoining neighborhood – there weren’t many people around, but that was probably because it was Sunday afternoon. Broken Arrow wasn’t actually named for broken arrows; it got the name because of the plentiful reeds that used to grow along the riverbank, which the Native Americans would break off to make their arrows. This town celebrated its centennial in 2002, which meant it was founded in 1902 – it’s so different to see this after having spent so much time in New England where some of the towns are nearly 300 years old!

Next I went to Jenks – where many of the old turn-of-the-century buildings have been turned into antique malls, making Jenks the “antique capital of Oklahoma.” There were lots of people out and about in this town, and I enjoyed my walk around it, but it wasn’t real big, and we only got another mile and a half in, and I still had miles to go. As I was driving across a bridge on my way out of town, I saw some guys riding their bikes across an older bridge that was parallel to the one I was on (which turned out to be a pedestrian bridge), and then I saw a paved path at the other end, and realized there was a nice river trail to do some walking on. So we got in another 3 miles of walking before dark, but because I had such a late start due to the rain, I had to finish up my last 2 miles of walking in a big shopping mall south of Tulsa! I hadn’t been in a shopping mall since I was in northern Maine on a similar rainy day, and this mall was a huge 2-story one – I only had to walk around the bottom story once, and the top story twice to get my 2 miles in.

I didn’t make a donation today, so will be doubling up later in the week. With a late start on a very rainy Sunday on a holiday weekend when so many places were closed, I had trouble finding something that would work out today, but I know I’ll be able to easily get caught up during the week!

After a quick mile and a half walk around the campground and down by the lake, I called The Caring Kitchen. Last night when I was looking for the Honey Creek State Park, I totally overshot the turnoff for the state park, and ended up going about 5 miles too far – but in doing so, I saw a big sign that said “Hungry?” on it, and then said something about the Caring Kitchen. So I took note of that, and read a bit about them before calling this morning. As luck would have it, they serve a big meal every Saturday, and it just so happened to be Saturday! So I knew I wanted to make a donation to them. I called them to see what would be more helpful – a donation check, or groceries. They said a donation check would be most helpful, because meat for the Saturday meals is the most expensive item, and they could use the money for next week’s meat. I drove to the building, and even though the meal was still a couple hours away, there were a lot of volunteers working to get the meals ready – and what a feast they were preparing! Chicken, turkey, mashed potatoes, veggies, deviled eggs, fruit salad, desserts etc. Plus there was a table in the entryway full of different kind if boxed foods, and the families would be able to pick several items from that pile to take home. There were some teen volunteers too – they had pooled their tip money from a job to donate to the kitchen, and were also there to help out. I met the founder of the program, and he showed me their storeroom, and told me more about how the program has evolved. They’ve only been doing this for a little over a year, but they have already served 25,000 meals through their Saturday lunches and some outreach programs. There are food pantries in this area, but there hasn’t been a soup kitchen sort of place since the Depression years.

After visiting the Caring Kitchen, I headed to the Natural Falls State Park, where Tula and I chalked up another 3.5 miles of walking on most of their trails. It’s still in the upper 70s, but heavy rains are coming. Then I took the scenic drive down to Tahlequah – but I had to do a u-turn after I passed a little BBQ place with a separate small building where everything was smoked. I enjoyed a delicious pulled pork sandwich on my way to Tahlequah,which is the capital of the Cherokee Indian Nation. While walking around town, I was talking to my neighbor back home (if I haven’t said it before, my wonderfully awesome neighbors deserve a shout-out because they’re dealing with lawn care, a horse and my mail so I know the homefront is in good hands) and while on the phone with her, I got 3 requests from college-age students (I was right by a college campus) to take a picture of Tula – they were on a scavenger hunt for some organization, and needed a picture of a dog…and there really weren’t many dogs out and about! So Tula helped some guys on a scavenger hunt mission!

I was heading toward Muskogee tonight and I stopped in the town of Fort Gibson on the way to finish off my last mile of walking for the day. It was a cute little town with an old west appearance but it was like a ghost town! Shops were closed, there wasn’t much traffic, and the few people I saw were in the adjoining neighborhood that I walked through. But I finished my walking and ended up with .3 miles extra, which I’ll use on my last day.

Oklahoma – Friday, November 9

I drove into Oklahoma from the north on Route 66, after driving a few miles through a small corner of Kansas. My intent was to get here a little earlier in the day, but historic Route 66 is not the most efficient way to travel – lots of stop and go traffic, and lots of turns. But, it’s got more character than the highways! I thought I would take my first Oklahoma walk in Quapaw since it was the first town I came to, but it was a pretty small town, and didn’t really have any sidewalks or anything, so I had to move on. Oklahoma is a state with one of the highest Native American populations, but for a sad reason – in the 1830s many Native Americans were forcibly relocated from the southeast U.S. along the “Trail of Tears” to the new Indian territory, which eventually became Oklahoma. It’s really difficult for me to think about how the Native Americans were treated.

The next town I came to was Miami, and there was enough daylight to get out and walk a little over a mile and a half. Despite the fact it was a late Friday afternoon, there weren’t lots of people out and about.

In my few short hours in Oklahoma before dark, I didn’t come across anything for a donation today (although I got my idea for tomorrow!), so will catch up with that next Friday before moving on to State #11.

It was so warm and pleasant out that I wanted to camp again, especially when I knew a big storm was heading this way over the weekend, and temperatures were going to be dropping. Oklahoma has a lot of state parks, and I headed to Honey Creek State Park because the iPad told me there was year-round camping (although later, when I couldn’t find some trails it mentioned, I realized the iPad was telling me about Honey Creek State Park in Iowa!) But, camping was available at this park in Oklahoma, and I was happy to try out the new air mattress (my early Christmas present from the grandkids! When I was “camping” with Raelin in Ohio, it was very obvious the old one had a leak!) This state park was on a large reservoir, and had a 24-hour boat launch, and I think it’s popular with people who fish. There was a little traffic at odd times of night – I don’t personally know why anyone would need to launch a boat in the middle of the night! But I was happy to spend my first night in Oklahoma in a state park.

Missouri – Friday, November 9

The claims adjuster arrived right on time first thing in the morning, and he took some time to assess damage and write up a quote for the repair work. It’s kind of shocking what all needs to be fixed from a relatively little bump. He scratched more than I realized, and the passenger door is misaligned a bit which accounts for some of the new wind noise I’m hearing. When all is said and done, the passenger door needs to be completely replaced; the back sliding door and front quarter panel need repainting, and some trim needs to be replaced. Ugh. The only thing that bothers me at the moment is the extra wind noise (and a bit of a draft), but I’ll live with it for now – its not a repair that can be done in a day. They gave me a check to cover expenses once I do have time for repairs. So at least paperwork is taken care of. It’s an inconvenience, but, it could have been so much worse.

Then, I was ready to head over to Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield for my last long walk in Missouri. This was the site of a Civil War battle, and I tend to forget the Civil War had an impact out west too – I associate it more with the eastern states. There was a 5 mile road around the park – one way traffic with a lane for cars (only saw a few) and a lane for pedestrians (I seemed to be the only pedestrian!) Horses were also allowed in this park – I saw some horse trailers but didn’t see anyone out riding. The park was very similar to the Gettysburg National Battlefield that I walked around back in Pennsylvania – rolling hills and open countryside. I’m guessing all the hills provided good cover for advancing and retreating soldiers. It was nearly 80 degrees out with little shade – it’s the first time I’ve been uncomfortably warm for a long time! Hard to believe it’s November! It was a good walk though.

I headed west on historic route 66, which took me through several small towns, and I stopped in Carthage to walk my last mile in Missouri. I’m still surprised by some of the ornate courthouses that I see in some of these towns. I continued along Route 66 into Joplin, and didn’t see any tornado damage from a year or so ago, but I didn’t drive through many neighborhoods. Then, it was time to say goodbye to Missouri – all 7 donations had been given, and all 56 miles had been walked. And I know a whole lot more about Missouri than I did a week ago!

Missouri – Thursday, November 8

I didn’t want to venture too far from Springfield in case I had short notice to meet up with the claims adjusters, but luckily Missouri has a lot of rail trails – having been a hub of so much expansion to the west has left them with a lot of now-unused rail lines, and many of those have been turned into wonderful hiking/biking corridors. So I headed for the Frisco Highline Trail, the 2nd longest rail-trail in the state, and 1 of 10 overseen by the Ozark Greenways organization. (The KATY trail, which starts back in St. Charles – and I walked on part of that – is the longest rail-trail in the country at 237 miles – it stretches across nearly the whole state). The Frisco Highline trail is 35 miles long, and as I read more about it at the trailhead, I can’t imagine what else could be done to make it more accessible and enjoyable for absolutely everyone of all ages. Lots of the trail is paved which works for people in wheelchairs, walkers, joggers, skaters and bikers. Eight miles up, it turns into a crushed stone trail, and horses are also allowed to use the trail, so that adds another component. And it’s paved again for miles at the other end. There are parking lots conveniently located at different intervals so that the trail can be accessed in a half dozen different places. There were quite a few people out enjoying the trail while I was walking. I was getting ready to turn around at the 3 mile mark, and I passed a lady walking an exuberant beagle – the dog was so excited to see another dog that he pulled against his leash until he was standing on his hind legs and he literally hopped at least 20 paces to get to Tula – it looked pretty funny. While the dogs were becoming acquainted, the lady and I talked for a few minutes, and she said if I walked just a little farther on, I would see a “rest area” set up by the local storage unit owners – so I did, and there was a water dish for dogs, a water pump for humans, a picnic table in the shade, and flowers in baskets on tricycles. It was so unexpected! Tula didn’t want the water in the dish – but when I turned on the pump, she had fun snapping at the water gushing out, and playing in the spray – she has always had a fascination with water spraying from hoses and this was no different. No ladylike sipping from a bowl for her! The storage unit also had inexpensive mini-storage units for bikes in case someone lived somewhere that was too cramped to keep a bike. It was nice to read and see all the extras with this particular rail trail, and since I’m in full support of communities working together to provide good outdoor recreation, my donation today went to Ozark Greenways.

After I had turned around and was walking back to the trailhead, I finally got a call from the claims adjusters, and their mobile units were all tied up today, but we made an appointment for first thing in the morning, and I was happy it would all be taken care of before leaving Missouri. Even without seeing my damage, they have already accepted liability (as they should!), and they will make a repair estimate and give me a check to cover expenses right then and there. I got back to the car after walking about 6 1/2 miles, and decided it was time to take care of a few little shopping errands – mostly I needed a new air pump for my new inflatable mattress (my old one has a leak somewhere) and I’m being optimistic I can camp again soon. With those finished, I then headed to the other side of Springfield to go walking on the trails at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. This was a really nice nature preserve, and it’s so close to highways and everything, but one would never know. Tula couldn’t come on those trails, but she was ready for a nap anyway. Lots of the trails were boardwalk, and there were hills and it was so quiet and peaceful – there were quite a few deer and turkeys around. I got a couple more miles of walking in – I’m trying to do a little extra walking today, so I have fewer miles to walk in Missouri tomorrow before moving on to State #10. Then, since I was going to be spending my 2nd night in Springfield, I decided I should maybe walk around the historic part of town since I hadn’t really seen that yet. So I found that area, and Tula and I walked some more, but it just wasn’t an area of town that I enjoyed walking in as much as other places – but that’s bound to happen too!

Missouri – Wednesday, November 7

This morning Tula and I walked all over Independence. City workers were busy putting up Christmas decorations, and as much as I like to hear Bing Crosby singing Christmas carols on loudspeakers throuout town, it didn’t seem quite right when it was a warm, sunny day – it’s too early! We also walked the presidential trail – and read some of the 20+ plaques embedded in the sidewalk with historical information. Apparently Harry Truman loved to walk, and there are banners of him all over town – a silhouette of him with hat and cane. There’s also a street named after him and his house is a national park site – he loved his hometown! While I was out walking, I got a phone call from the insurance claims person asking for my account of the little fender bender in the parking lot, and a description of location of damages on both vehicles. I offered to email the photos I took, but they need their people to do that. So I had to quick think where I would end up for the next couple days so I could meet up with the claims adjuster. Since I was out walking, I didn’t have a map with me, so I said Springfield, and was relieved to get back to the car and see that was the general direction I wanted to head!

My donation-of-the-day came to me unexpectedly while I was out walking – a weird combination of homeless students and my Norwegian heritage! I had passed a Scandinavian store while walking through town, and I don’t see those very often, and I decided to backtrack once Tula was in the car so I could pop in to look around. When I entered the store, a flyer taped to their window caught my eye – it said something about a fundraiser breakfast for homeless students. I just glanced at it quick on my way in, and wanted to take a better look on my way out. But then I forgot to look at it again, and realized that about 25 miles later. So I called the store, and the guy working there was very nice and went outside to read me everything on the flyer. This time I took notes! The event is a fundraising breakfast, lunch, and dinner all on the same day (this Saturday); sponsored by the Independence Alumni Association to benefit homeless students (primarily to help with clothes and food expenses). I liked the idea Of local alumni helping current students, and since I couldn’t be there to eat one of the meals and make a donation, I ended up calling the person in charge a couple days later. She was very gracious and told me a little more about the program. Apparently last year the district had 1000 homeless students – not all at the same time, but it’s still a staggering number. This year at the start of the school year, she estimates there were about 300 homeless students. I was very happy to be able to send in a donation.

On the way to Springfield, I stopped in Warrensburg to get in another 3 miles of walking, and then a little farther down the road, we stopped at Knob Noster State Park and walked a couple more miles on one of the trails. Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees by now, and it made a thick carpet of leaves to crunch through, but the leaves also hid some of the tree roots and rocks, so I walked a bit slower than usual – didn’t want to fall flat on my face!

Then I finished the drive to Springfield – still haven’t heard back from the claims adjuster and am hoping we can get this all taken care of before I leave Missouri.