DAY 10:

Camped beside a creek. Wagon doubled as frame for cook tent to avoid heavy morning dew and make for a dry breakfast area. That night, supper was fried potatoes, green peppers, onions, and grilled chunks of beef (most of the beef was bagged to be eaten later). Breakfast was cream of wheat with nuts and honey, plus half a green bell pepper and an orange. After packing up, the first order of business was to cross the creek, but the bridge there beside our camp was out. There was however a path where a bulldozer had gone down into the creek bed and up the far bank. We followed the bulldozer tracks down, and although the far bank was steep and high, I figured Reba would just power her way up it (I’ve had a lot of experience with her but I wasn’t expecting what happened). As she began up the bank, she started rearing and jumping like crazy! I was beside her with the lead rope, jumping myself in order not to be run over and trampled while keeping her going in a straight line to the top. With every jump, her front feet came up off the ground and her powerful back legs would thrust as she lunged forward, a huge and powerful horse, wild and intense, and then, we were at the top. Myself taken off guard, and getting over my surprise; I was impressed! A lot of horses would have balked at the bottom and refused to go, but Reba just threw herself into it! I next tied her off and walked back to pick up several items that had flown off the wagon.

Video of Reba in our morning camp before we crossed the creek. She's a high spirited girl with lots of energy and a good work attitude. The video ends with her looking towards the creek crossing as if she knew what lie ahead and was raring to go.

Text Post: DAY 10: Want to give a shout out to Bill who I met on the road. Bill told me I could camp on his and his dad Joe’s land. Thank you Bill!

Joe gave us a great place to camp including an electrical outlet so I could charge my wagon battery for my laptop, cell phone, and camera. Joe was 80 and still farming! In fact he had been driving a combine that afternoon. We had a great conversation, lasting well over an hour. Joe showed me a miniature train he had made using a  riding mower as the base for the locomotive, along with train cars made from barrels. The train was a big hit with children at rodeos and other events.

DAY 11:

From our camp at Bill’s place, we traveled 5 miles to Emmett, KS (a town so small, if you blink you’ll miss it). It was a mild and hazy fall day, and so intense was the glare of the sun; those without sunglasses squinted near to the point of closing their eyes. Ladies smiled and waved as I slowly rolled along (above right), I happily shouted what I was about, then stopped and asked if I could take their picture.

Carol and her daughter Stella on Main Street in Emmett. As I understand it, the State closed the school in Emmett and sent Stella to a consolidated school. Stella issued a written protest with the State, which was carried by a local newspaper. Stella’s protest centered on the closing of the school and God being kept out of the larger school. Stella is now being home schooled by her mother Carol. On hearing this, I said, “Way to go Carol and Stella!”

 

 

Yep, those are all her kids plus one in the “oven,” and Emily’s proud of it! The sun was behind me and the kids, who had already suffered many photos, were good sports. Emily (same as Carol and Stella), won’t be sending her children to public school but will give them a Christian education. In small town America, Jesus is King. Let’s stand together and keep it that way!

 

Jordon held her daughter Haydn while joyfully petting Reba. And like before, no one knew I was coming but our cultural bond (our gift) was an instant connection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank and sons Bill and Joe at their service station (Kennedy Oil) in Emmett, KS. Joe is pictured on right and is holding one of my cards. He was out in the company oil truck when I took the photo of Frank and Bill (on left). Joe came to switch places with Frank and Bill who were just leaving in company truck (visible behind Joe in photo on right).

 

 

 

It looks like Dorothy and Reba are telling jokes. Dorothy gave us a place to have lunch just outside Emmett with shade and lush grass for Reba. While we were eating, Dorothy came with cucumbers, tomatoes, and dog food and treats for Jill. Then we were on our way, traveling the gravel roads.

Tom lives a few miles from Emmett on the farm that his great grand-father started in the 1860s! Tom gave me a great place to camp with good grass, alfalfa, and spring water for Reba. Tom showed me the campsite in his truck and then brought me back to the farm house, whereupon I drove my wagon to an excellent camp by the spring.

DAY 12:

Up and moving at 4:30am. Thunder and lightning coming on strong from the north. Made and ate breakfast, then packed everything except Reba’s portable pen. Not yet daylight when the storm hit. Winds at 60 mile per hour with cold driving rain from the north! I crawled under the wagon and used a tarp like a space-blanket. I was so tired, I fell asleep in 2 inches of water. It was nowhere near enough sleep, but it worked out well because had I waited until after the storm to pack, I would not have been ready to go until 2pm, and that’s too late! So I got packed, God sent the needed rain for the farmers, I got some needed sleep, and after the storm passed, we were on the road by 10am. Later, I stopped and had lunch including tomatoes and cucumbers from Dorothy. Reba ate lunch by grazing the ditch (excellent grass grows in the ditch because it’s never grazed). Reba and I usually ate lunch on the road in this way.

Pioneer ruins along roads between Emmett  and Louisville.
 

Camp 12, out in the middle of nowhere!  No farms, very few fences, just prairie. I don’t think we were supposed to be there. It was an emergency rest camp on government land. We had to stop, all three of us. Jill was limping, Reba sleep walking, and I couldn’t think straight. So we just left the road and took off across the prairie. We found some water and camped beside it.

 

 

DAY 13:

A day of rest. Thank you Lord! I’d had left shoulder trouble since two weeks before beginning, and last night I woke to such pain, I took two aspirin and went back to sleep (I hadn’t taken anything for it until then). My right thumbnail finally fell off which makes using my right hand easier and it is getting better each day (I smashed my thumb at work before starting this trip). I did work on my journal (via my laptop computer), but a day’s rest (and two aspirin) helped a lot.

DAY 14:

October sky, cold wind but good day!

Reba is telling me to get the heck off the wagon, seriously, she has gotten use to me getting off before she pulls up hills, and now she stops at the base of every hill, and if I don't get off, she looks back at me like, "GET OFF!"

What a vista!

Muddy October Roads.

Two steel gussets on the wagon had broken, probably when Reba pulled it up the bulldozer tracks where the bridge was out (see prior post). I met Jim on the road and in our conversation, I told him that I was going to Wamego to resupply and make some repairs, and when he heard about the gussets, he told me that he had a welder I could use. That's me in the photo, fixing the wagon. (Note: The welds that broke were not my work, they were pre-existing). Thank you Jim!

Entering the town of Louisville (don't blink, you'll miss it).

   

I was really worried when I entered Louisville because stopping to repair my wagon had put me behind and I didn't want to be out in the dark without a place to stay...but I shouldn't have worried; Rodney was out in his yard, and when I asked him if he knew of anyplace I could camp, he set me up with great grass for Reba, and water too. Thank you Rodney! (From left to right: Rodney, his wife Tanya, grandson Tyler, granddaughter Kassidy, daughter Melissa, and son-in-law Rusty). Rodney and Tanya brought me breakfast this morning (Day 15), an unexpected but very, very appreciated surprise, they also helped me charge my computer battery because my charging system is not working. Thank you Rodney and Tanya!

Curtis (not shown in photo) came to my camp and invited me to a jubilee at the Cowboy church tonight, just a half-a-block from my camp. At the jubilee, that's the Kansas Cowboy Poet Dwight Burgess, and man was he good! (Thank you to Don, his wife, and all those who worked to organize the event, it was free, with popcorn and treats! What a treat!)

After the Jubilee, I had a great time talking with Curtis and his wife Debbie, and their kids, and Ken and his wife (whose name I do not have). What a great time! We were the last guest to leave! We told stories about the pioneers and other local history. Curtis offered me hay for Reba, and offered to pick me up a bag of feed in Manhattan, but Reba had plenty of good grass, and Ken wrote down his cell phone number and told me to call if I needed anything. (Photo from left to right: Ken and his wife, Curtis and Debbie, and their kiddos.

 DAY 15 

           

Reba, sleeping like a babe in 

Louisville. 

                                Louisville, the old school.

Text Post: DAY 15: From Louisville, we traveled south on gravel roads about 3 miles to the edge of Wamego where I made camp just over a rise from town and behind a band of trees about 20 yards deep in a weedy waste area where I found a small patch of brome grass just big enough to feed Reba. It is not a place that anyone would hay or graze. I left a note at the nearest farmhouse before we camped there.

 DAY 16  

Text Post: DAY 16: Up early, big day ahead, lots to do in Wamego. Rolled into town at 9am, saw a man in a truck, told him what I was about, and I asked him if I could test my power converter (converts 12v to 120vt) in his charging port (we used to call them the cigarette lighters). He let me test it, and I could hear it trying to work, which told me two things; one being that my wagon battery was weak, and two being that the converter had a fan bearing inside that was sticking. That was task one for the day, to test the converter, and it was done upon entering town - great start! In the course of our conversation about rural and small town America, the man said that what we have is “priceless” and I thought that was an excellent way to put it. I do not remember the man’s name, I was extremely focused on getting a long list of tasks done soon enough to not be looking for a campsite in the dark!

Going on directions from the kind man in the truck, I went west on 40 Hwy in Wamego from the east to the west end of town, a stretch that could be called the new business district, with McDonalds, Auto Parts Store, Grocery and the like. It was four lanes with a fair amount of traffic, and people were waving and smiling all the way! Reaching the west end of town, I pulled into the doctor’s office across from the laundromat and went inside to ask if I could park there because there was no place to tie-off at the laundromat. Permission was given at once, and many people there in the lobby, both patients and employees were enthusiastic, and I gave away all the FAITHMARCH.COM cards in my back pocket, and three different people gave me money, which I promised to put it to good use. (I never ask for money, and am shy about taking it, but am very grateful). Also, Curtis from Louisville saw me while driving by in his truck, and he pulled in and gave me his phone number and told me to call him if I needed help with anything.

Text Post: DAY 16: While at the laundromat, I charged my computer – 2 birds killed with one stone equals a total of 3 important tasks done, the day is going good! Leaving the laundromat, I went back east on the 4 lane in the new business district to the NAPA auto parts store (I would have taken side streets but there was not enough time). I pulled into the NAPA parking lot and parked in a parking place with a light pole in front of it, so I was parked like other cars, but the tail end of my rig hung out like a trailer on a truck. It was funny looking, sorry there’s no pic. At the NAPA service center, I asked the mechanic if I could use his air pressure to blow into my broken power converter, but he didn’t want to because he said it would kill the converter. I told him it was already dead, so there was nothing to lose. I then bought a can of WD40 and sprayed a bunch of it into the converter, then followed that with high air pressure sprayed into its fan vents (to spread the lubricant around inside the converter which is a sealed unit). I then let it sit while I purchased a new battery for my wagon, the best NAPA had, and most expensive, ouch! I then installed the battery and plugged the converter into its port, after a few seconds, it came to life! Yeah Baby! And it’s been working fine since. Two more important task accomplished!

Because things were going so well, I was able to do the optional task of washing my wagon at the car wash. Got that mud off!

At the grocery store in Wamego, people converged on Reba, and as some left, others came, and I was telling what I was about, and handing out Faith March cards right and left. And the enthusiasm spread into the store, so that folks were talking about it in there while I was shopping. This was not due to me, I wasn’t like having a really up day, in fact I was consumed with getting my tasks done, it was the people; they were great!

From the grocery store, I headed towards the COOP to get grain for Reba. Again I would have taken side streets but there was no time. It was 4:40pm and the COOP closed at 5, so I had to beeline it. This photo does not do the old town justice; Wamego is one of the pretties towns I’ve ever seen. Reba dropped a load of “horse-apples” right in the downtown, so I quickly tied off, shoved it up, and rolled on to the COOP which was at the other end of the business district, beside the river bridge. 

Text Post: DAY 16: At the COOP in Wamego, I met JoAnn, a very nice lady who sold me a bag of Sweet 14 horse feed, gave me water, and told me I could camp on the property (I was beyond my usual time for starting a camp). I thanked JoAnn for her kindness, but I didn’t camp on the grounds there because all the grass was cut short and Reba hadn’t eaten all day.

It was 5 o'clock rush hour and I didn’t want to cross the Kansas River Bridge during the rush hour (the bridge was right there at the end of town, just past the Coop). So I went due east on a road that turned to gravel and was out of town in only 3 or 4 blocks, and I found a perfect campsite beside the road, in a nice band of brome, mostly cut short but with a tall stand of grass in the woods, along a row of trees, with a stream with flowing water. It was a perfect campsite, and lots of people drove by and smiled, waved, got out and said hello. It was a great day, very productive in that I got resupplied and made needed repairs, but far better than that were the people of Wamego.

DAY 17

JoAnn with Reba at the Coop in Wamego. It was mid-morning, the time I planned to cross the bridge because traffic would be light at that time (hopefully).

Crossing the Kansas River. 

Reba did great!

Love those stone ruins, on the road between Wamego and Alma.

This is Tom who shot a bunch of photos of Reba and Jill and I as we were entering the town of Wabaunsee. The historic Beecher Bible and Rifle Church is in the back-ground, built 1859-1862.

James and Sue, who are brother and sister, gave me a tour of the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church. Sue lives in Wabaunsee, and James lives in Washington State and was visiting for the funeral of their brother. Both are married with families, and are Christians. Thank you James and Sue for showing me the historic church!

On the road to Alma, looking back from where we came, the Kansas River Valley.

Mike helped us find a campsite. Before we got to Mike’s house, Reba had really been pulling hard like she was driven to make miles, but later she became tired, and when we stopped to ask about a campsite, no one was home at the first house, and Reba was very upset because she’d come to understand that pulling into driveways at that time of day meat her work was done and it was time for grain, grass, and rest. I tried to tell her that there was no one home, and we couldn’t make camp without permission. It’s funny that a horse could show anguish, but she clearly did. The next house was Mike’s house, and Mike, who was very friendly said we were welcome to camp on his land, but he knew of perhaps a better situation next door with better water and grass. Over the phone, his neighbors, Joe and Barb of Downey Ranch, were very hospitable, and gave me an excellent campsite beside a pond. Downey ranch is about 2,000 acres I think, and Joe was out of town, and Barb had her hands full with a cattle operation that afternoon, but as it turned out, Barb and I had already met briefly in Wabaunsee. The pond was not visible from the road, so Mike, Jill, and I got on his ATV and he showed me where it was, or at least he was fairly certain of where it was even though we couldn’t see it from the road, and I remember Mike joking about getting old and forgetful. Just prior to that, while on the phone, Barb had asked me if I had Google Earth…I got out my laptop, plugged in my air-card, and sure enough there was the pond exactly where Mike thought it was (even while we drove up and down the road looking for it). It was just hidden. Thank you Mike, Joe and Barb! Second photo is looking across the prairie to the pond we found with Google Earth. Thanks again to Joe and Barb of Downey Ranch!

 DAY 18 

Our morning camp at Joe and Barb’s Ranch.

 

The wagon, loaded up and ready to get back on the road. Thank you again Joe and Barb for your hospitality!

Back on the road to Alma, love the old stone structures.

Reba pulling the wagon up a long hill, on the road to Alma.

Crossing the I-70 Bridge, on the road to Alma. It takes a steady horse to walk above big trucks!

Love the old stone ruins, this one was a schoolhouse.

This is Buddy. I was stopped on a small bridge, getting a bucket of water for Reba when Buddy came along in his truck. I told him I was on a faith-based mission, and I had word of a low water crossing up ahead, just off the main [gravel] road, and that one side of the crossing would be okay to camp on and the other side might not be (different land owners), but I couldn’t remember exactly what I’d heard regarding which was the good side and which was the not so good side. Buddy told me that I could camp on his land, which was right there where we were standing and that there was a creek, plus a spigot, good brome, alfalfa, and electricity, and I was welcome to all of it. And it is worth knowing, Buddy didn’t know I was coming, which has been the case so far, people just step forward and help. Thank you Buddy!

Little Jill is tired out.

The bull across the fence came over and challenged Reba, so Reba walked over and put her head down for a face off.  After squaring off with the bull, Reba sees that the whole heard is approaching. They’re probably worried for the bull. Ha ha!