The Lucas House is now heated again thanks to Joe E and the Blackwells. The water however has yet to be turned on. The thinking is that there is a frozen pipe somewhere in the deep inner recesses of the basement. The problem is that there are openings in the 150 year old stone foundation in the south and west walls which allows the subzero cold to freeze the pipes in the basement.
I am in the process of writing up sermons for when I arrive in Quincy, Illinois for the months of April and May. The church board will soon be deciding on the exact dates I'll be speaking. They will also be considering the stipend and the costs of transporting me to IL. Jim Burns has invited me to live in his home so my room/board is decided.
Writing my book is taking a decidedly hard turn. It has become a daunting task to say the least! I have yet to commit to write every day as I know I should.
Jaime from the public library is buying a travel atlas for me on her own credit card. I came into the library the other day asking to see their US Atlas or maps. She advised they had none. She knows I am walking to Seattle soon so she took it up herself to order one for me at her cost. She said to consider it her contribution to my journey! Wow!
I need maps because many times my smartphone battery dies or there is no internet out in the wilds so I cannot rely solely on my Google Maps for direction.
I have been looking at an alternate route to the Pacific Northwest. This one involves walking straight north through Wyoming specifically Cheyenne, Douglas and Gillette then into Montana to Miles City where I can catch Interstate 94. I can't actually use 94 but I can use parallel roads to head west all the way to Seattle.
I'm a huge fan of "Lonesome Dove" the western TV mini series and book. In their cattle drive from South Texas they traveled through Nebraska and Denver, Colorado up through Wyoming to Miles City, Montana where Capt Gus McRae Texas Ranger of Lonesome Dove fame eventually dies of gangrene. So, the idea of shadowing the same route through Colorado and Wyoming appeals greatly to me.
Once I get the Atlas I will map out up to 3 separate routes and then decide which one has the best amenities and accommodations. I will pick the route that has the most towns and the route where the towns are usually a days hike between each other where I can obtain water and food.
No matter which route I pick to get to the Pacific Northwest the towns and villages are very few and far between with 50 to 100 miles between each other. Considering I will be hiking in late spring and through the summer I will be encountering 90+ degree heat walking on windless tree less prairies especially in Wyoming with no cover from the withering heat.
I worked a storm disaster in Gillette, Wyoming in 2003 and I can remember driving from my office in Denver to Gillette and I swear once I crossed the Colorado border into Wyoming and got past Cheyenne and Douglas I counted about 8 trees from the town of Bill population 3 all the way north to Gillette about 80 miles! I saw nothing but prairie and herds of antelopes from horizon to horizon.
Incidentally, its very difficult for me to forget my adjusting gig in Gillette. It was in Gillette where I fell from a 2 story factory roof. It was only the second time I fell from a roof while adjusting an insurance claim in my long career. I ended up falling ontop my company vehicle. One of my legs crashed through the rear window and the other leg stayed on the roof. I cut up my crotch pretty bad and injured my back.
I had been descending my ladder when a huge gust of wind blew me off at the top of the roof. Wyoming is known for its constant wind. In fact, Caspar is said to have an unusually high suicide rate because of the non stop winds.
Had I not parked directly below I would have landed on the concrete parking lot and I think the outcome would have been much different.
I briefly considered driving myself to the emergency room but instead I dusted myself off and drove back to my hotel room and bandaged myself and took the rest of the day off. I never did file a workers compensation claim which is surprising as I started my insurance career as a workers compensation claim examiner. But, I was too proud to admit to my company that I had fallen off a roof. It was pride. I should have filed a claim as I to this day suffer back pain which I attribute directly to that accident.
Oh well.
I am getting antsy here in Idaho Springs. I've been here now a bit over a year. And, I have been in Colorado since August of 2014. It's high time I get back on the road. I'm losing my sense of adventure here.
I have had many people wanting me to stay here in Idaho Springs permanently. It is a town I could live in. But, doing so would defeat my purpose and my mission. So, come the first week of June or before I intend to strap the Beast on my back and head west to the Pacific Northwest. I expect to arrive in Seattle around October of this year. Then, I plan on taking the train back to Illinois to spend the winter of 2016/2017 in Morton at the home of my mother. Mom will more than likely fly to Southern California to spend winter there as is her custom.
When April of 2017 comes around I plan on walking out of Morton on my way to the Atlantic. Upon my arrival there I will have finally traveled the length of the United States. What I do after that is anybody's guess. I will either tramp around the Appalachians going town to town or train back to Colorado and tramp around the mountain towns.
I do not plan on going back to my previous life. But, then again I do not know what God has in store for me. I no longer need certainty and clarity. I revel in the mystery of not knowing. I have learned patience and to accept reality as it is and not the way I want it. So, you see, this journey has been fruitful already even though I am not even close to the finish line.
I have found God, love, mystery, hospitality and purpose. I expect to find more and more about myself the farther down the trail I get.
Saw this article in the Denver Post about a former Colorado State Rep named Bruce who violated his parole. So, I took a pic of it. Thought it was funny.
See y'all later!
BR Schoenbein
February 11, 2016- Thursday
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