Heading home

Today I drove from Kansas to Ohio where I am looking forward to spending time with my family. 

I spent the last two nights with Karen and Bill Barker. I met Karen when a Tater Tour bus trip came to Pennsylvania last October. The bus load of walkers did two Philadelphia walks one day and two Valley Forge walks the next. There was a large contingent of Liberty Bell Wanderers that joined them on their walks. 

Karen and Bill have an amazing house out in the country where you can hear coyotes howl at night.  Karen gave me a tour of the City of Leavenworth and the Army Fort. Both were very impressive and picturesque being located along the shore of the Missouri River.  On the Fort we toured the Frontier Army Museum which was very interesting. 

Brenda Lange who was on the same Tater Tour trip also offered to put me up. Brenda and Karen are both members of the Kansas Jaywalkers and Clay-Platte Trackers AVA clubs. I have a great picture of the two of them doing their Rocky impersonation running up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They each had planned to walk an entire day with me on Tuesday and Wednesday so I added their names to the blog. 

Carol Robinett who had put me up the prior thirteen days also graciously offered to put me up until I was ready to drive home.

Thanks

I started to count all the people that helped me with the walk and I easily came up with over 1000. You know who you are.  Thanks a million. 

The primary purpose of the walk was to raise awareness for ovarian cancer. I feel we have done that. 

I was given $5664 to cover lodging expenses.  I will donate the entire amount to the OCRF. Thanks to everyone's incredible generosity I have not charged OCRF for any  expenses. 

The donation site at OCRF for the walk will remain open. I will keep the blog active and make occasional posts. I will be glad to talk to groups about my experiences with ovarian cancer, AVA, walking across the country and the National Road. 

With apologies to Robert Frost " I have miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."

The end of the walk

Yesterday, Memorial Day was the last day of the walk. I am fine but my feet are telling me loud and clear that it is time to hang up my sneakers. I will make a summary post on the blog tomorrow. 

Robin Robinett fellow Liberty Bell Wanderer's Mom, Carol hosted me for the last thirteen days which is a new record. She definitely treated me as a member of the family bringing me to her grandsons high school graduation where he was awarded a nearly  $70,000 Army scholarship and took me to an outdoor wedding. She was concerned I wouldn't have any dress clothes and shoes and called to find out my sizes (not necessary). 

She took me to the gate of Whiteman AFB to see the B-52 on static display. In Sedalia she gave me a tour of the state fairgrounds, the KATY Depot and the memorial park for Scott Joplin. 

As I moved further west we spent the last nights at Robin's sister Rachel's families house. Great meals were provided throughout. Carol spotted me and my car every day. She was determined to get me to Kansas and she did. 

Day 089 - Freeman MO to Louisburg, KS

Temps started in the 70's.  It poured during the first half of the walk. The rain gear worked well. During the second half of the walk the sun came  out and the temp was near 80. 

On the way to Freeman I passed a BP fuel storage tank farm. You could smell the petroleum. I also passed an RV Park. I passed Midway Elementary School which looked brand new. I traveled on Missouri 2 until at the state border it became Kansas 68. 

Towards the end of the walk I passed two working oil wells and the entrance to Cedar Cove Feline Conservancy Park. 

Kansas is the 10th state I've walked in and the first state that I had not been in before. Once when I was flying home to Norfolk from Corpus Christi, Texas my co pilot was from Kansas and we were supposed to make a stop in Kansas. It didn't work out. I have been to 39 states. Joan was in every state I was in except for Kentucky. 

Day 088 Pleasant Hill to Freeman MO

Temps were in the 70's. The day started out mostly sunny and finished mostly overcast. 

I travelled south on Missouri 7 to Harrisonville which is the midpoint for the walk. I passed a number of well kept homes quite a few with man made lakes. I walked past a Christmas tree farm and multiple horse farms including one that specialized in therapeutic riding. 

I came upon the largest dead turtle I've seen. The shell was about 12 inches long. I passed a golf country club that was busy on a Sunday morning. 

In Harrisonville the Catholic Church had outgrown it's old church. The new church has an interesting architecture.  I came across the Sharp-Hopper Log Cabin and could see the clock tower for the Cass County Court House. 

At the western side of Harrisonville I left Missouri 7 and proceeded east on Missouri 2. The shoulders on Route 2 were paved and very wide which made for easy walking. I passed a farm with a large herd of cattle. 

Day 087 - Lone Jack to Pleasant Hill MO

Temps were in the 60's and 70's on a mostly sunny day. For the first five miles I traveled east on Missouri 150. I passed a number of really well maintained homes and barns. 

I passed the Lone Jack Civil War Museum and a historical marker detailing the battle of Lone Jack. The battle occurred here on August 15 & 16, 1862. It resulted in a Confederate victory. 

A short distance away a herd of donkeys came over to check me out. Further down the road I saw a herd of cattle fording a small stream. 

Once I got to Missouri 7 I headed south thru the town of Pleasant Hill. Before entering the town I came across a couple horses that followed me the entire width of their property. 

After leaving the town I came across a peach and nectarine orchard. 

Day 086 - Pittsville to Lone Jack MO

Temps were in the 50's and 60's on a mostly sunny day. There was a 15 mph tailwind from the east south east. The terrain was the same rolling hills I've encountered the last couple weeks. 

Right at the beginning of the walk I passed a  property with a number of impressive new buildings. A short distance later there was a very colorful minivan that advertised that they would buy old cars for cash. 

Near the midpoint of the walk I passed the entrance to Powell Gardens. I could not see into the gardens from the highway. Next was a series of colorful abandoned buildings. They looked like they belonged on the set of a Hollywood western. 

Towards the end of the walk I passed the large Black Cat Fireworks Outlet.  WINCO Fireworks was founded in 1979. Something different I saw today was a handful of dead turtles that were not much bigger than a silver dollar. 

For over 100 miles in the vicinity of Kansas City US Route 50 is on Interstate Highways. Because of this I will be passing to the south of Kansas City working my way towards Emporia, Kansas where Route 50 is walkable again. I will be using MO 150, MO 7, MO 2, KS 68 and Old State Highway 50.  

Trivia Answer:

I walk between 13 and 15 miles per day. On average I walk 4.5 to 5 hours per day.