DAY 24 

I went to Ben and Briar’s at 7:30 to get a family picture before their kiddos went off to school. Ben, more than anyone I have met reminds me of myself at his age (and Ben, if you’re reading this, that’s why you made me laugh, it wasn’t what you were saying, it was your drive, and I think it’s a great thing, so keep on keeping on!). The difference being that I was hard driven to succeed in the eyes of the world, whereas Ben is hard driven to serve God. He and his wife Briar helped me a bunch! Thank you Ben and Briar for all your kindness!

Downtown Alta Vista at 8:00 in the morning. I got breakfast in the café, but I was not very engaging, perhaps because I had been in online mode for a while and I when I get focused on something, it takes time to shift gears. Anyway, while paying my bill at the cafe, I asked the waitress if I could pass out cards to the people there. I gave her a Faith March card to read so she would know what I was passing out. She read it, handed it back to me and said no, I could not pass them out because people would not want them. So I left the café and walked around the town speaking with whoever would listen, and giving out cards and booklets. While going from store to store and person to person, I met Stan who I had met the day before. Stan said he had been looking for me, he gave me a kind fiscal contribution, special dog food for Jill, and 50 pounds of horse feed for Reba! Thank you Stan! (I should mention that the horse feed he gave me was from the Coop there in Alta Vista, which is known for being a good Coop. It was good horse feed!) Encouraged by my encounter with Stan, I went back to the café, stuck my head in the café door and said I would like to give a card to anyone who’d step outside. The cook then came forward and invited me into the restaurant where I passed out cards.

Leaving Alta Vista, I liked this row of trees. I had planned on going towards my next resupply point of Herrington and stopping at small towns along the way, but Herrington was 35 miles and I didn’t have enough supplies, so I headed south for Council Grove, only 13 miles.

On the road from Alta Vista to Council Grove. This is an old manure spreader (some folks call them politician wagons).

Lunch on the road from Alta Vista to Council Grove.

Reba drinking from a puddle on the road to Council Grove.

The trees are turning, fall is here on the road to Council Grove.

On the road to Council Grove.  Late in the afternoon, we camped in an excellent windbreak across from a farmhouse where I left a note because no one was home. I was a little reluctant to set my tent up until the folks got home, some neighbors came by and said they were almost certain the owners would not mind, but they weren’t sure. When the land owners got home and stopped to get their mail, I remember the look of surprise when they looked over and saw us. I went and told them what I was about, and gave them a card and a booklet, and they were fine with me camping there. In fact we had a good conversation, and they showed me where a closer spigot was to my camp. Their names were Ralph and Melba, and their son Larry. Thank you Ralph, Melba, and Larry!