| February, page 4 February journal entry 3-26-06 (continued) It only took a couple of hours for me to get to Breese and find the Knights of Columus Hall. I was there total about 1 hour. I talked with a lot of people about my walk. As I got ready to leave one guy told me there was a room reserved for me already paid for at the Breese Inn. I was taken back by their kindness. It was so nice to sleep in a bed & take a hot shower. I would like to say to the people of Breese, Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness. If I ever decide to move to Illinois, Breese will be the place. Take care all, Gary, "Keep on Walking, one foot in front of the other." Journal entry, 2-27-06 Today I had breakfast at PJ's Dinner in Breese. It was a very nice place and the breakfast was outstanding. I met the workers there and here's their pictures. After breakfast I started walking from Breese to Carlisle. As I was leaving town, Kelly Schomaker with the Breese Journal caught up with me for an interview. She really is a great reporter. She was so kind and friendly and had a unique way of asking questions. It made me want to talk with her all day. But after about 10 minutes, I bid her farewell and continued on my walk toward Carlyle. This was a very tough walk. There was no shoulder to walk on and the traffic was unrelenting. I'm afraid tonight my knees will hurt and keep me awake. I know this walk is tough and I am not complaining. I only want to let everyone know the good & the bad about a walk like this. Sometimes when a big truck comes by and blows my hat off, or I slide on the rocks and fall down, I must ask myself is there not a easier way to lose weight. But the pain is real and the cramps and aches are real. Losing weight is real. My walking across America to lose weight is real. I will suffer many hardships during this walk. But to stay focused on the end result is what I must do. I arrived at Cruisers Diner at about 6:15 pm. It seems to be the place to go in Carlyle. Once again the people were nice. One couple recognized me and came over. We talked for a while & I inducted them into my new friend list. So here is their picture. It is nearly 7 pm now and I am writing this Journal. I am getting very tired and still have to find a place to pitch my tent. I will finish it tomorrow. It is now the next day. Last night I found a nice quiet spot on a grassy area next to a river. The night went fairly smooth. I slept real good until 3 am. It started getting cold so I fired up my heater. At day light I tore down and packed. Gary, "Keep on Walking, one foot in front of the other." Journal entry, 2-28-06 As I prepared to leave Carlyle I saw a sign that said 14 miles to Sandoval. I noticed it was about 7:15 am and I figured I could make it before dark, no problem. I was counting on something like a store being some where along the way. I was wrong. Three miles out of Carlyle I noticed a business open and I went inside to ask if I could charge my cell phone. They said okay and I charged it for about 20 minutes. They told me there was nothing before I get to Sandoval. I met 4 really great guys there and we talked about my cross country walk. Here are their pictures: All I had was two bottles of water and 4 packages of cheese crackers. There was barely a shoulder to walk on. On each side of the road there was a deep drain ditch. All the fields were only prickly corn stalks, left over from the fall harvest. It was impossible to sit down or rest. Soon I started feeling tired and hungry. Imagine this, Walking on a shoulder facing traffic and stepping off onto a steep embankment to allow cars and trucks to pass every 10 to 30 seconds. It took about 11.5 hours to walk these 14 miles. I was beyond being exhausted by the time I got to Sandoval. When I finally got there, I had to walk nearly 2 miles to the other side of town just to find something open. I stopped at Fat's. I went inside and asked if they sold food. The owner, going by the name everyone called him, was Boog. He gave me a bowl of "Green eyed split pea stew." It was so good I asked for another bowl. Boog said his Stew came from a home made recipe handed down. I can tell you for sure, at that moment it was the best stew I ever had. I ate 2 bowls. I got to know a few people and took their pictures. My new friend list continues to grow. I continued on to the other side of town and set up camp across from Hucks store in a nice field. I had a very good sleep and didn't have to use the heater. I am getting more and more used to sleeping in the tent. It is becoming like a home to me. My Castle. Take care all, Gary, "Keep on Walking, one foot in front of the other." |
