DAY 29 

Up at 4 in the morning (again). Except for my stay at Lenox’s, I’ve been getting up at 4 and listening to God for ½ hour before going to work. By getting up early; I get my tent put away before the morning dew fall, and have breakfast, etc… We were rolling at 8am, heading towards the tiny town of Wilsey. Photo is of the old railroad track, on the Santa Fe Trail.

Text Post: DAY 29: I'D LIKE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO PINKY AND JANET: While on the road to Wilsey, I met a rancher named Pinky in his truck, and gave him my card (and maybe a booklet), and told him what I was about. I then asked him where I could get drinking water because I had given mine to Reba on the night before (we camped beside a halfway-decent-sized creek, but to my surprise it was dry, I walked its bed and found no pools). Pinky said that everyone around there hauled their water because the well water was too salty and there was no rural water line. Pinky said he would call his wife and have her leave me a gallon jug by their mail box, and I thanked him for it. Pink then headed on towards town, but soon his wife Janet came along in her truck and said she had left the water for me. Janet also asked if I needed water for Reba, and she was very kind, and went back and filled a 5 gallon bucket for Reba to leave with my gallon beside the mail box. So water could have been a real problem on that day, but the good Lord had it all worked out. Thank you Pinky and Janet!

Text Post: DAY 29: NEAR DISASTER: So far on this journey, my relationship with Reba has grown in such a way that, if I need to leave her for a bit, I don’t have to tie her, and she will wait for me, or sometimes follow me. But as good as Reba is, and she is truly an extraordinarily good horse, she does have this little problem being that she wants to pull the wagon like right now man! Like let’s go James! And she gets impatient about it! Well, today on the road to Wilsey, after having some water, I felt the call of nature, so I stopped the wagon and walked into the weeds when, about halfway through my business there, Reba took off walking down the road, so I ran and caught her, and told her to stay, and then I returned to the weeds, but she took off walking down the road again, like she just was not going to wait on me anymore. So I had to run and catch her again, but just as I was getting a hold of her, she started to try to get away, like she was saying no I don’t want to stop! And she kept going faster and faster until my legs were out from under me and we were probably going about 20 miles an hour when I couldn’t hang on anymore I took a hard dive onto the gravel and took some skin off the side of my hand. Reba meanwhile continued running down the road. So I ran after her carefully so that when she looked back I stopped so she wouldn’t think I was chasing her, after about a half mile she missed our turn, I was hoping she would at least take it so we wouldn’t lose any time, a little after that I finally caught up to her, and she saw me and started to veer away into the ditch and I went with her thinking I could stop her there but just as I was getting hold of her she turned on a very serious display of speed and power. She drug me along, I couldn’t hold on and had to dive out of the way for my life so as not to be run over by the wagon. The wagon wheel clipped my heal, that is how close it was, and so much dirt was flying, that it went all the way up into the wagon, lots of dirt and gravel, so that it was all over in there (as I would later discover), so I had to limp along behind, and lucky for me and Reba (because I was wanting to kill her at that point), she turned into a driveway and couldn’t really go anywhere and I caught her there. I didn’t whip her or beat her but I told her that her punishment would be to gallop in order to make up for lost time and also for almost killing me. I was skinned up and I lost my stocking cap and gloves which had been on the wagon seat but were gone, and that ain’t good in this weather. So Reba had to pull the wagon at a run for a good while, and she knew that I was seriously upset with her. Lunch time came soon, and not trusting her, I tied her to a pole so I could get my lunch out of the wagon, and while I was tying her, she tried to mussel me as if to say, “hey, we’re still buds ain’t we?” and I said, “No, I’m your master right now, and you will fear and respect me (for the sake of everyone safety; I cannot treat this 1700lbs mass of solid muscle like a toy poodle, at least not all the time). Anyway, I am now certain that the good Lord was using Reba’s little problem to help me see my own frustration…and I am grateful for although I feel a little sore at Him about losing my stocking cap and gloves in this weather, I still say, “Thank you Lord, for keeping me safe, and for showing me the way, even if sometimes it gets a little harry!” 

I entered Wilsey with a plan. First, I wanted to throw my sticking computer in the outhouse of the city park but I did not. Instead of doing that, I drove around town telling kids that I was going to be giving wagon rides at the city park later on that afternoon, and they could come along if their parents said it was okay. And boy-howdy to see the looks of joy on their faces and in the next instant they were tearing home to ask mom and dad. Ha ha!

In town of Wilsey, Kansas. Population 150

After employing the children in my mission, I need hay for Reba, and straight away I met Sarah who told me they were having a reunion at the church a few blocks away and there would be someone there who could help me, so I followed her. Thank you Sarah! At the church a man pointed to the Mayors house, only 2 houses away, and I went and got permission to camp in the park. Thank Mayor JC! I then returned to the church where I met Calvin. Calvin said he had some good hay for me and that he would go and get a bale in his truck, I asked if I could pay him but he wouldn’t accept any money. I met him a very short time later at the park, and he asked if I was hungry, and it was only 3:30pm and I’d had lunch recently but I figured I had better do supper then if my plan was to work, so I returned to the church with Calvin and had fried chicken and corn and green beans, and pumpkin pie! I told what I was about all at one time to everyone, and then passed out cards. And while I sat eating, I had a great conversation with a man named Bob who was 81 years old and had lived on a farm near town all his life. I then hurried back to the park. 

Altogether, it was like the good Lord was saying, this is how you do it! Employ the kids, introduce yourself at the church, and then go like a madman to get everything set up, not to forget your camp and Reba’s pen… then empty out the wagon, the kids will show up just then. Yeah, in fact everything worked like clockwork. Also, I would like to thank Marci who I asked to help me with the kids. Marci, you were absolutely great! Thank you! (Marci is only partially shown in photo, and no, I didn’t crop the photo, but hopefully I can get a compete photo of Marci later). Thank you Marci, and thank you people of Wilsey!