Walking Across America-Day 71

A big thanks to Jim Burns from Quincy, IL who sent me a very supportive and optimistic email today. A big shot in the arm. And, he wired me $100 to help with my expenses too!

Jim I thank you again for your help but even more for your friendship and your words of encouragement. I trust your trip out to Colorado will be exciting and fun!

Looking forward to getting back to the Mahnken Ranch in Salisbury too. Thanks to Mark and Susie for all of their generosity with money and with their home and food and friendship!!

I am thinking that this decision to walk across America was the best decision I have made in years. I would never have met all the people I now count as friends across two states. And the best part is knowing that this will continue to multiply as I keep shuffling west towards the Pacific.

Although I am somewhat leery of going back to Salisbury because of the time factor I am realizing that as Jim Burns told me today my trip is a metaphor or a microcosm of life itself... two steps forward and one step back. That's life!

Can't wait to see the Mahnkens again!

But I am saddened by the thought of saying goodbye to my son Josh. We had some great conversations especially one in which he called me out on some childhood issues I caused. But as it turned out the conversation was productive...mainly due to Josh not becoming emotional but rationally relating to me the issues I needed to be confronted with. Thanks Hoss! I needed it! I am impressed by Josh's maturity and courage in bringing all of this into the light of day. I needed it.

I am sure I will be confronted by my daughter Allyson and my middle son Andrew at some point in time. It will be cathartic for all of us. I miss Andrew and Ally too. As someone once told me life is all about saying hello and saying goodbye. So true. So true!

Update: Leaving KC Tuesday

Leaving KC Tuesday and walking east. Will meet up with Mark Mahnken in Lexington or Wellington on Friday. He needs my help on the ranch so I agreed to work for him for 12 days basically the 12th through the 24th. Then he will drive me to Omaha NE where I will begin my new more northerly route to Denver.

The NE route is better for several reasons. The first is there are more towns on this route so water will be more plentiful than Kansas. Plus its 60 miles closer to Denver than KC. And I know this route better as I have traveled it by car numerous times.

So on Tuesday Josh will drive me to Buckner. Then I will begin walking east towards Wellington and Lexington. Mark has business in Warrensburg on Friday so he will be driving down Rt 24 and meet up with me on the road. By Friday I should be in Lexington.

Anyway it will be goodbye to Rt 24 after Friday. I may stay at a friends home in Omaha for a day or two. Then will walk on a road that parallels I-80 until I hit I-76 for Denver. There is a road which parallels I-76 too.

Hopefully get to Denver by end of August.

4th of July 2014-

Happy Birthday to these United States. Notice I did not say the United States. The term these United States recognizes that the individual states are sovereign. They formed the Federal Government in Washington to act as their agent in foreign affairs, to defend our shores and to deliver our mail.

Today after decades of shelving Article 10 of the Constitution giving the central government only specified or enumerated powers with all other powers reserved to the states and broadening the scope of the Commerce Clause the Federal Government now treats the states as their agent.

Anyway, it saddens me each fourth of July thinking how we let our Republic form of government what used to be called the great experiment slip away from us.

We were too busy and couldn't be bothered to notice and so it was taken from us.

The good news is that we can get it back. So on this fourth let's get busy go about the work of rescuing our great country!

WALKING ACROSS AMERICA

Walked back to Kansas to Barnes and Noble to peruse their maps. Beautiful area along Tomahawk Creek along 119th coming into Leawood Kansas.

Day 65- Camping out at McDonalds in KC

Feel blessed that I have a roof over my head the last few days especially with A/C.

I have been wrestling with the idea of being homeless with no place to go back to when I'm done with my trip. Maybe I won't stop. Just keep going. Maybe I will walk across Europe next. Haha! Just a thought.

But seriously, its a strange thing to live nomadically like this. To be utterly dependent on others which really means being dependent on God Himself. Well, in actuality we are all utterly dependent on God; its just do we know it...not just intellectually but in our hearts as well?

Two important revelations about my character: I'm a literalist and I have to learn things the hard way. So...to know my dependence in my soul/heart guess I have to strip away all pretenses and throw myself out there and then I will KNOW I depend on God for my daily provision. Literally, I have to do it that way. School of hard knocks and all.

Going to run out of money and food soon. Then we will see what Schoenbein is really made of! That's where trust/faith in God will truly kick in OR not!

I need this test. Scared but exhilarating too.

Before I left Illinois I did some research on people who walked across the country. Came across an unbelievable woman who clearly conquered her fears and submitted voluntarily to God's will. She began her walk in 1953 and walked 6 days a week every week until 1981! 28 years non-stop. She did not carry anything with her not even a tent. She took no money. She did not ask for money and if offered rarely accepted. She did not ask to stay in homes. She slept under bridges and in ditches.

She walked as a Christ follower for world peace. She claimed she would stop walking when peace was achieved. Which explains why she walked for almost 30 years.

The only reason she stopped walking was she was killed in a car accident when a friend picked her up on the side of the road to take her to one of the many speaking engagements she was invited to. On the way to such an event she and her friend were killed in a head-on accident.

Her name was Mildred Norman or as she was more commonly known by the moniker---Peace Pilgrim.

This was a woman with a spine made of steel!!!

I can assure you I do not come close to having the guts and determination she had!

Anyway...to the business at hand...

Set up shop at the McDonalds off of Red Bridge in KC. Emailed the July 9th article for my weekly column in the Morton Times. Should be in the East Peoria Courier too.

Josh is busy at work until 10pm. I am taking another look at my prospective travel route through Kansas. Looked at Rt 36 and 50 as alternatives to Rt 24. However, decided to stick with my plan to use 24. All three routes have towns with 25 to 30 miles between each other. No way around that unlikeable feature of hiking through Kansas.

Either going to leave KC this Saturday or Monday next. Today the high will only get to 75 degrees. Of course it will since I'm not hiking today! Nice and cool.

The temperatures forecasted for the rest of July will be in the 90s for the most part! Ugh!! Nothing I can do about it other than walk fewer miles or lighten my load or both.

Going to miss Josh. But that's what life here is: saying hello and goodbye.

Called Mark Mahnken today. He will ship his beef sticks to post offices along the way so I can have some food to keep going. Thanks to Mark and Susie for their ongoing support!

Busy now coming up with ideas for my next column article. Like to get a couple of articles done at a time. Never know if I'm going to have WiFi in the rural areas of Kansas as cell towers will be few and far between.

Lots to be thankful for today. Feeling restless again. Rt 24 is calling my name once again!

Walked 6 miles to Barnes and Noble-Leawood, KS

After spending a half hour in a packed Prayer Room decided to hoof it to the local Barnes and Noble in Leawood, Kansas my home away from home...so to speak. Read part of the book entitled "Walking the Amazon" by Ed Stafford. It details the author's hike down the entire span of the Amazon River.

His journey was a tad more adventurous and dangerous than my walk across the US.

Anyway, its a good read.

Will be hiking the 6 miles back to Missouri and the Prayer Room soon as Josh will be completing his work around 7-8pm.

Day 64- Photos of where the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails went through

Thousands of Conestoga wagons carrying settlers from the east to California and Oregon Territories in the 1840s and 50s crossed right here where the new red bridge spans Blue River in Kansas City MO.