I got up early this morning and started walking at 6:30. By noon, the temperature had hit 90 degrees, and I had hit 14 miles. In about an hour and a half I'll go out and do my final 6 miles for the day. Hopefully it will be a bit cooler than it is right now. Valda told me a few minutes ago that the heat index is about 115 and the actual temperature is 100. Whew.

We are sitting in a campground in Nebraska City, NE. I stopped walking 5 miles from town and when finished for the day, I should be pretty close to the Iowa line. We are supposed to have a hot day tomorrow and then the days should be cooler for the rest of the week. I sure hope so.

The terrain continues to be rolling hills, and I continue to walk a divided four lane highway that looks a lot like an Interstate. It has the truck traffic of an Interstate too. I am walking NE Hwy 2 and after walking 2 miles afterwhile, I will pass the 500 mile marker. Now I'm not positive but I don't think there is a state east of the Mississippi River that can boast one road that is that long (maybe US 1 in Florida). I'm sure there are several out west, and probably several in Texas alone. I would hate to enter Nebraska in the northwest corner and see a sign that says Nebraska City is 505 miles away. I'm glad I didn't have to walk it.

Miles covered:  20  Total:  1853.5

Money found:  $0.01  Total:  $57.61

Iowa is about 25 miles away and in a couple of days of walking I'll be crossing the bridge over the Missouri River and walk into the cornfields of Iowa. It will be the sixth state I will be in. I'm in a sort of race to get to Indianapolis, IN by September 6th and the flat roads of Iowa and Illinois will be welcome.

The weather is still hot and the terrain is still rolling. Corn is the prevelant crop now and it's interesting to see all the various stages of development in the fields. There is still some hay around and the large bales dot the landscape. Some of the farmers are now gathering them and occasionally there is a semi that passes with twenty to thirty of them on a flatbed. The trucks with the corn mash still pass and the stale beer smell is ever present. All in all, the area is teeming with farm activity and I imagine it will continue until I reach Pennsylvania.

I had something curious happen today. It was 3:00 and hot as you can imagine. All of a sudden a breeze came by and it was like someone opened a freezer door. The cold snap lasted about five seconds and then was gone. I have no idea how it happened, but I'll take it again if it wants to come back.

Today was a typical day as far as walking is concerned. I did have a deputy sheriff stop and inquire about what I was doing. Other than that, nothing happened. Tomorrow we are going to take the day off in Palmyra. Hopefully Sunday I'll be in Iowa by the end of the day.

Today's stats:

Miles covered: 20.5 Total: 1833.5

Money found: $0.25 Total: $57.60

Thursday's stats:

Miles covered: 20 Total: 1813

Money found: $0.08 Total: $57.35

I've been walking in Nebraska since July 11 and have gone through countless small towns and cities. This is in rather stark contrast to Nevada where the towns encountered could be counted on one hand. It has been rather nice. Most of the small towns in NE have a city park and a lot of them have campsites with electricity and water. A lot of these are free for the first night or two and just two or three dollars after that. I don't know how they do it, but it is surely a welcome sight to us.

Okay, I've had some people guess about the gas station in Kenesaw, NE. Yesterday I mentioned that it isn't a Pure or Sunoco station. Mikey in Indianapolis got it right and also got it first. He said it was a DX station and he is right. My dad owned a couple of these stations in the early 60's and I instantly recognized the sign even though it had no inside. Also, just a few minutes ago, I got a comment from Brent Parker of Kenesaw who owns the restaurant and bar across from the station. He too guessed DX. Sorry Brent, but you were a few hours behind Mikey. Mikey, you win the first prize: a no expenses paid trip to Kenesaw, NE where you can see and take a picture of the station yourself, and if you can catch him you could probably have an ear of corn with Lloyd Steiner. And, you will need to stop in and see Brent and rub it in a little. Maybe he'll buy you a drink. Brent, you get the second prize: you get to entertain Mikey when he comes to town. Thanks guys for your comments. It was fun for me.

Personal to Butch and Marilyn Sievers of Atlanta. Thank you for your recent donation to Gateway For Cancer Research and also thank you for your check to help Valda & me buy gasoline. It was unexpected but certainly much appreciated. Butch, we may not be related anymore, but you will always be family to Valda & me. Thanks again. Thanks also to Olivia Emery and All Cooped Up for their recent donations to Gateway. They both are much appreciated.

I'm currently in Crete and should be in Iowa on Monday or Tuesday. I plan to take Saturday off and hopefully we'll be in Nebraska City by then.  The pictures below are of Valda listening to the corn grow, and a 1957 Ford that I bought for my brotrher Don.  Don, send me a check for $38.00 + $2.00 handling fee.  You will have to go to Friend, NE to pick the car up.  I don't think it runs.

Miles covered:  19.75  Total:  1793

Money found:  $0.01  Total:  $57.27

Tuesday's stats: 

Miles covered:  20  Total:  1773.25

Money found:  $0.01  Total:  $57.26

Well, I'll try this blog again. I spent forty-five minutes last night blogging and hit the left click button on the mouse and presto...cyberspace again. Then I did what anyone would do, I shut the computer off, and went to bed. If I loose it today, I don't know when I'll muster the strength up to get it posted.

We left Hastings on Sunday and I am currently sitting in a small campground in Exeter, NE, some 50 miles east of Hastings. I put together a couple of 19 mile days and so far today I've logged in 11 miles. I will be going back out in about an hour to do another 6 miles, then another 3 miles this evening. The day is overcast and fairly cool compared to what it's been.

It was really good seeing my daughter, her husband and the two grandkids. I want to personally thank Nic and Jude for walking with me last Saturday. It really made my day. I have some other people to thank concerning the Hastings lay over. First, Don & Mary Brown (see picture below) for all they did both before and during my visit. Also, thank you for your contribution to Gateway. It is much appreciated. Also, thanks to Kevin Junker, Brenden Scherbarth, Danielle Wornkey, and Julie Henry for your dontations to Gateway. They too are much appreciated. I want to thank Tom Pavelka and Dwight Dunsworth of Pavelka Trucking Co. for aligning the front end of my RV. They did this for nothing even though they did not know me. Thank you very much. Valda sends thanks to the following friends of daughter Syndi in central Oklahoma: Natalie Still, Kathy McCauley, Laresa Boyle, Irene Fick, and Shannon Ellis for sending her reading material and notepads. Now she's happy.

Those trucks that have been passing me that smell like beer are carrying processed corn mash. Don Brown told me that the ethanol plants buy the corn, extract the sugars and anything else out of the corn that goes into ethanol, then sells the corn mash back to the farmers to feed their livestock. Sounds like a racket to me. Anyway, I get to enjoy the brief smell of stale beer as they pass.

I've had a couple of people inquire about the gas station sign in Kenesaw. Mike at the radio station wondered if it was a Sunoco. Sunoco is diamond shape but has an arrow or something going through it. Pattie Stump though it might be a Pure station. Pure signs are round, Pattie, or at least I think they are. It is not a Pure or Sunoco. I'll give you a hint, it is two letters of the alphabet and vowels need not apply. I don't know if this gasoline company was in the east or not, but they were in Indiana and points west. They have been out of business for 35-40 years, so some people probably don't have a clue. I'll let you know later.

If you are in the market for a tent camper, pull trailer, 5th wheel, or motorhome, you won't want to miss the sponsor's promotion from Four Winds RV of Decatur, IL. Check out the August newsletter for details. The promotion starts when I enter Iowa, and continues until I leave Indiana. Check it out.

Monday's stats:

Miles covered: 19 Total: 1753.25

Money found: $0.15 Total: $57.25

Sunday's stats:

Miles covered: 19 Total: 1734.25

Money found: $1.12 Total: $57.10

The days off in Hastings are quickly drawing to a close. Valda & I have spent the last three days with Syndi, Trace, Nic and Jude. We've gone swimming at Hasting's fabulous water park, swam at Hasting Campground's pool, and swam at friend's Don & Mary Brown's pool. We've gone out to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We went to the Adam's County Fair and visitied the Hasting's Museum, and saw a dinosaur film at the Lied IMAX theater. We all had a good visit and it was good for Valda & me to see the kids. Something else we did this morning was walk a few miles together. It was something that the grandkids have talked about for weeks and they did a pretty good job of keeping up with Grandpa. Jude (age 3) walked about 3/4 mile and Nic (age 8) walked about 3 miles. I think they both got a good sense of what I'm doing.

While here, I had another TV interview, two newspaper interviews, and a radio interview. I had a physical and a complete blood workup at the VA in Grand Island and they were very pleased at the condition I'm currently in. I want to thank Karen Kulp and her nurse Rose for taking me in on a rather short notice and for their efforts in helping me eliminate some of my diabetes medicine (there will be more on future blogs as this materializes). I also learned what a cornhusker is, and I got to visit some of the guys I've worked with at Hastings Utilities in past years. I also got the front end of the RV aligned. So, the stop has been fruitful and tomorrow morning, it is back to work.

I want to thank Mike Smithson of KHAS Radio for the radio interview. He also informed me that a cornhusker is someone that removes the husk from an ear of corn. I mentioned to him that I thought that was shucking corn, and he said shucking corn was removing the kernal from the cob. Now, I didn't know an ear of corn had so many technical jobs associated with it and it got me to thinking about my mom. When I was a kid, my mom had all of these jobs associated with corn. First, she was a planter, then a grower, then a picker, husker, cleaner, shucker, cooker, server, eater, and because she had five boys who didn't know any better at the time, she finally was a cleaner-upper. All this associated with an ear of corn. Who knew it was so demanding? I imagine in a year or two, it's all going to go to ethanol and we won't have to worry about any of the above anymore anyway.

I've got a lot of people to thank here in Hastings and will as soon as I get it all compiled. Check out the pictures below.

Today's stats:

Miles covered: 4 Total: 1715.25

Money found: $0.34 Total: $56.98

Wednesday's stats:

Miles covered: 9 Total: 1711.25

Money found: $0.34 Total: $56.64

Well, we're in Hastings. We got into town around 11:00 this morning and after a short break, I did another TV interview, this time with KHAS-TV Channel 5 of Hastings, the local NBC affiliate. I want to thank Jennifer Berry for the interview and the opportunity to spread the word of what I'm doing. Later in the day, I had a newspaper interview with John Huthmacher of the Hastings Tribune. That should come out tomorrow and I want to thank John for that. After all of that, and by the way, this all came after a 9 mile walk this morning, I went swimming. What a day.

I also want to thank Don & Mary Brown of Hastings for arranging some of the interviews, and doing some legwork for us while we will be here. Don actually came out and walked the last 8 miles with me this morning and that brought back memories of his and my walking together while I was here working in 2004 and 2006. Thanks Don.

I passed a field full of Texas Longhorns this morning and stopped and took some pictures. I was surprised to see Longhorns this far north and I wondered if there are any Nebraska Cornhuskers wandering around the hills of Texas. Then I got to thinking, what exactly is a cornhusker? I know what a corn husk is and I know that if you remove that husk, you are shucking the corn, not husking it. I asked Don what a cornhusker was and he didn't know either. He said he just rooted for the football team. So, if anyone out there knows what a cornhusker is, let me know.

In the next few days I am supposed to have some more newspaper and a radio interview. I'll keep you posted. Check out the Media Page and Viedo page for links to these after they happen.

The bottom picture was taken in Kenesaw, NE.  It shows an old gas station.  If anyone out there knows what the brand of that station was, let me know.  I have four brothers who know because our Dad owned one in Indianapolis in the early 60's.  Hint: The sign gives it away.

Miles walked: 9 Total: 1711.25

Money found: $0.34 Total: $56.64

Ten more miles tomorrow and I'll be in Hastings, NE, my halfway point.  Today we left Minden and I did a 20 miler.  The day itself was overcast all morning and cool, then scattered clouds in the afternoon and not too hot.  There was a nice breeze out of the east all day and I don't think it hit the 90's that was projected. 

We are currently sitting in the driveway of Lloyd Steiner of Kenesaw, NE.  Valda & I drove into Kenesaw for our dinner break, looking for a city park or some shade tree somewhere.  We saw Lloyd outside and stopped and asked where the park was.  After a brief conversation he said to pull into his driveway and use his shade tree, which we did.  After I completed walking, we came back here to spend the night.  I want to thank Lloyd for the hospitality, the four ears of sweet corn he gave us, and for letting us plug into his garage for electricity tonight.  The generosity of strangers continues.

I plan to blog tomorrow night, but after that, I'm not sure.  I know I won't be walking on Thursday but plan to walk on Friday and maybe Saturday, though not a full day of walking.  We will leave Hastings on Sunday morning and head toward Iowa.

Valda took some pictures of a cropduster today.  We may not be in the mountains, but the picture opportunities come in different ways. 

Miles covered:  20  Total:  1702.25

Money found:  $0.00  Total:  $56.30

I had my big interview today and by listening to what others say, it went pretty good. You can view it on my video page, just click on the top black box. I want to thank NTV, the ABC affiliate in Kearney, NE for their interest and the opportunity.

Something happened this morning that fits right in with some of the stories I've related over the past few months concerning unexplained coincidences. I did the interview with Leslie Means at the TV station and then another reporter, Chris Neyenhouse did an interview inside the RV for broadcasts later in the day. Chris said he hadn't been in Nebraska too long and I asked him where he was from. He was from Plattsburgh, NY. Now Plattsburgh has a population of around 20,000 people and Valda & I know exactly one of those people, Linda Noyes whose son Roger married Valda's & my niece, Kim Kilby. Guess who Chris knew? Yep, he knew Roger and said his mom and Linda taught at the same school. Now what's the odds of that happening? Chris moved to the Axtell, NE area (population 204) at about the same time I started my walk. I've thought about this all day and I just can't figure out how something like this happens.

I emailed Vincent Yu yesterday and got a response from his wife in Taiwan. Seems Vincent is somewhere in Poland and has very spotty internet access. His wife said he is doing well and getting along okay. She will pass my message along to him via phone. His email address is yusweb210@yahoo.com.tw. How about dropping him a short email and wishing him well. I really think he'd get a kick out of it and I imagine you'll get a reply from him one of these days.

Personal to Mick McCarthy of Highland Park, IL. Thanks for matching my 'money found' up to 100%. It is very much appreciated.

We are in Minden, NE at the present and about 30 miles from Hastings. As I was walking today I remembered walking into and out of Minden, NV a couple of months ago. I wonder how many people in the world have walked from Minden, NV to Minden, NE before? Strange things I think about while walking in the heat. I'll try to get the pictures on this blog tomorrow, too little signal tonight.

Miles covered: 15 Total: 1682.25

Money found: $0.01 Total: $56.30

Well, after all the grief I got (from relatives mainly) about picking up an ear of sweet corn and eating it for supper yesterday, Valda decided to do the right thing and bought some ears today.  We had them for supper this evening, and they were good, but the one I picked up off the highway...it was exceptional. The only problem with it was that it was pretty small and there was only one.  I saw some today too, but they were all brown and dried out.  I left them on the road, but the thought of putting them in a caserole did cross my mind.

We are currently near Axtell, and that's where I have a live TV interview tomorrow morning.  More later on this subject.  It was pretty hot today and I didn't walk in the afternoon, choosing instead to sit in the A/C and walking a little further in the evening.  I have three more days to get to Hastings and it is only 45 miles, so the next three days I may slack off a bit.

Please take notice of our apparel/merchandise shop on the right side of the web pages.  You can click on and purchase any quantity of several different items with the RWA logo and Gateway logo on them.  A portion of the profits go directly to Gateway For Cancer Research.  Please take time to browse through the items.

Personal to Dennis Schlick from Illinois for his personal donation to us for gasoline exspenses.  Many thanks for your help, it is much appreciated.  Also personal to Len & Carol Surprenant, currently of Peoria, IL for their 100% match for my "money found".  Many thanks to you also and it too is much appreciated.

Valda & I are working on a couple of fund raising events that will take place in the Indianapolis area when we reach there.  Check out the August newsletter for more info on these events.

Today's stats:

Miles covered:  15  Total:  1667.25

Money found:  $0.22  Total:  $56.29

Yesterday's stats:

Miles covered:  20  Total:  1652.25

Money found:  $0.00  Total:  $56.07