I only walked a mile from Cody WY when I got my first ride offer.
I turned that one down, but accepted one from Joe Cruz
who drove me many miles through the Wind River Canyon
en route to a date at a casino in Riverton.
Railroaders from Burlington Northern
kept an eye on me during my walk through eastern Wyoming.
Three of them stopped to visit for a moment
and offer me bottles of water. I accepted thankfully.
I ran into Anthony Grubbs (above) twice.
The second time he pulled my leg
telling me he was Anthony's twin brother.
It worked only for a few moments,
but it gave me one of the best laughs of the Walk.
I met two young, hip police officers in Douglas.
They gave me suggestions on navigating the town.
Don't you love Officer Coates's sunglasses?
Gypsy appeared as I passed through Douglas.
He said he had been on the road for five (5) years,
but was getting ready to return to Los Angeles
and go back to school.
Law School. Good luck, Gypsy.
I ran into Jack in a convenience mart in Glenrock.
We visited for a few moments.
Later we passed by each other,
he in his car on the way to work and
I walking the other direction with my flag.
He said something like,
"I look for something positive every day.
Yesterday when I saw you on the highway,
that did it for me.
You made my day.
Thanks."
Thank you, Jack.
Randy Lund is a contractor who drives a big mail truck
between Denver and Billings.
He saw me walking the highway south of Glenrock
and stopped to visit and share a sandwich with me.
We chatted for a while intending to meet again on his return trip.
My route avoiding the Interstate prevented that from occurring.
I sent him a postcard miles later as a thankyou.
I made a great find in the El Rancho Restaurant, south of Glendo.
Early in the day, I got a ride through road construction and
rested for a few hours under trees in front of the restaurant.
Rain began to pour just before opening time.
I settled under the awning until 5:00.
Then, I treated myself to dinner and
visited with bartender Tiffany, waitress Kim (above),
and beer man Geno who avoided pictures.
Geno had been the area's milk man for many years.
But, beer was obviously he drink of choice.
I emailed this photo to Tiffany the other day.
After a day's rest at Guernsey,
I spent some time at the library and then at the visitor center.
I had a long conversation with Kathy Troupe (right).
We covered quite a bit of territory in our talk.
When the Andersons came in,
I decided it was time to head out.
But not before taking a photo of the three.
Matt and Brandon run the Saloon at Fort Laramie.
It was a Sunday morning when I walked into their establishment.
They couldn't sell me anything because of the day and hour,
but sent me down the road with a couple sodas
and some bottles of water.
Thanks, gentlemen.
Toni Genua works at a grocery store in Gering, Nebraska.
She saw me buying chocolate milk for the next leg of the trip.
Later, she noticed me drinking my purchase on outside the store
even before I started back walking.
Before long I had an invitation to camp
on the living room floor of her apartment for the night.
Next day, we drove out to Scottsbluff National Monument.
Then, she dropped me off when she returned to work.
I proceeded east on the Old Oregon Trail.
When I took two days off in Oshkosh, Nebraska,
I found Jenny Bean's Bakery and Emporium.
I felt like I had arrived in Oz
because Dorothy and her friends were everywhere.
Tom Nelson's mother was a great fan of the Wizard.
Tom's huge cinnamon rolls were yummy and inexpensive.
Making Gothenburg, I stepped into the first convenience mart.
I went over to the soda dispenser.
Sidney, the cashier, followed behind me and said,
"A customer gave me a dollar
to pay for a soda or water for you if you should come in."
When I went back to the counter,
Sidney had small change to make up the shortfall on
the $1.07 purchase.
When I eventually made it to Kansas,
I stayed with the real Dorothy at apartment in Atchison.
Dorothy Barnett is getting close to 90,
but still walks 10 blocks twice a day and
does reflexology - on a donation basis -
for anybody who is interested.
After a week in Atchison,
Dorothy drove me to Lawrence,
the occasional home
of JFK - Jim Kinerk.
I stayed in his travel trailer for six weeks,
waiting for him to exit the hospital - nursing home.
No luck.
While waiting for Jim,
I got to know Jack Corrigan
who takes care of the 40 acre-property
which surrounds Kinerk's trailer.
Jack comes four days a week to manage the property,
take care of the livestock - Yellow (above) and Blackie,
and keep an eye on JFK when in residence.
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