Nick Walks America: August 2008

Day 74 Sat 30th Aug

Thats it, i cant take anymore, I've had enough. If i have any more fast food im gonna go mad. The only thing fast about it is the way it comes out the other end. I've taken 3 rest days before my long Kansas leg apart from a short 9 mile hike to Kansas City Kansas where i stayed in the very hospitable company of Gawain. From here i have a few weeks of sloping wheat fields before hitting the flatlands. Today was a slow and tiring walk to Tonganoxie 20 miles west. I made a quick stop at the speedway and although the spectator stand and track were smaller than i expected, it all sat on top of a goliath empty hill which was pretty awe-inspiring. I also stopped at Cabelas, a massive outdoor store complete with every stuffed animal ever shot, every gun to shoot every animal, every bit of clothing to wear whilst shooting every animal and those little bags of chocolate coated peanuts. There was supposedly a big camouflage section but i couldn't see it anywhere. Strangely they didnt stock what i went in for-a rimmed hat. Maybe thats why people cant understand what i say here, their ears are all burnt from wearing baseball caps all the time. The rest of the day was one long straight road. Ironically i gave a local delivery driver directions, except he's probably still driving around-i'm English and he was Mexican and i can only stretch to Spanglish.

Day 72

Kansas City is an amazing place, i would recommend it to anyone. I stayed downtown with Matt who was an awesome host. With a great transport sytem, i was able to see lots of sights without walking too far; funky westport; unique country club plaza; the National WWI museum; the hip power & light district to name a few. In the evening i was shown around the East side and tried out the world famous 'Arthur Bryants' BBQ grub. After Pittsburgh, Kansas City is definitely top of places i would live, the local ale is pretty good too. It's been a great finish to my Missouri leg, tomorrow i make a short hop to Kansas City Kansas, now that is confusing.

Reflections

Like the speed of a man quietly breaking wind on a first date, i have conquered Missouri, and have mixed feelings about this fine State. I've met some of the most friendly and helpful people so far, yet come across some of the most paranoid egits who have no conception of the world outside their own community, and have no inclination to want to broaden their horizons. As burly farmer quite rightly said, these are the few people that give Americans a bad name.

The katy trail, although not a walkers paradise and definitely for bikes, is something Missouri should be proud of, and its success is largely due to the people living along it. Western-mid Missouri has little to offer the traveller apart from friendly farmers and rich people with ego-boosting huge lawns. And the occasional crasy woman. Trying to find anywhere to camp was a nightmare. I have been lucky, very lucky with the cool weather, yet feel slightly guilty. The abnormally cold weather(you're kidding right?!) mixed with high fuel prices(you'd fall off your rocking chair at the prices we pay in the UK) has led to many small businesses along the Katy Trail taking only a quarter of their usual takings, and there are many glum faces behind the smiles. A good Mof hug won't help here i feel.

As for me:
* Im no more crazy than when i started.
* I miss my friends back home and the road can definitely be a lonely place, yet I'm still motivated and accept that this is a challenge, not a holiday.
* I still can't get that stupid song 'the long and winding road' out of my head. Worst still, it's the Will Young version.
* I'm worried Dave the cat back home has been stuffed after being killed by the local plane crash.
* I'm remembering all the words again to all the country music songs i hear thanks to my Mother force-feeding me them as a baby.
* My hair is longer than it has been for 6 years, and although i now look like Buck Rogers i don't want to part with it.

Just a quick hello to my old friend Clare. i have her to thank for me being here, she's always been my inspiration and i will be lost when i get home and she's travelling the world. Have a great time out there with Karl! On a lighter note, i have a new, concept, not yet on public sale tent waiting for me at the Post Office from my sponsors Coleman Exponent. I almost feel dirty geting over-excited about a tent, I'm in fear of becoming a geek. Must find pub....

More pics have been put into the Missouri folder too....

Day 71 Tuesday 26th August

The human body is a triumph of engineering. Im now half man, half walking machine. The rain and faffing before the weekend should have added another day onto my St Louis-Kansas City leg, but i was determined to finish today. I've used the last 3 days to test my limits and see how far I've come in 70 days. The route since Boonville was pretty much rural sloping farmland apart from 2 towns, so there wasn't much worth stopping to see anyway. Also my UK phone battery was dead and i had minimal credit on my US cellphone, and contact with the outside world is what keeps me going.

I'm not sure how far i walked yet in the 3 days but it must be around 80 miles. I'm now sat in Starbucks on main street, Kansas City MO, and pretty chuffed with my achievement. Yes I'm knackered, hungry and smelly, but I'm still positive and my legs are still attached. My feet and ankles are the only body parts that really suffered, and i have a lot of making up to do to bring them back on side.

I made the right choice in dumping Katy Trail, I haven't had one mosquito bite since Friday. Im now off for some R&R in the city and to prepare for the next instalment of my journey in Kansas. You'd be crazy to miss it!

Day 70 Monday 25th Aug

The quiet rural hills of Mid Missouri make for great scenery, but a boring blog. Nothing even slightly entertaining or interesting has happened since Friday, that is until last night.

I camped up just outside Blackburn around 7pm. I found a nice grassy verge on a gravel track away from houses off the main road and settled for the night. I'd spoken to the land owners brother, and later his son, and they were fine with my being there, i would be gone by 5am anyway. Things took a turn for the worse when a big burly farmer knocked on my front door. Apparently some woman half a mile down the road was in hysterics because some child-molesting, murdering terrorist was camping near her house. I jumped into burly farmers truck and we drove to her house to see if we could help out and find the murdering scum that threatened her children. When we got there i introduced myself as 'Nick', and she introduced herself as 'Go Away'. She then ignored me and repeatedly told burly farmer that he was an idiot.

She was obviously a paranoid schizophrenic so we left her to find the evil doer herself. We'd just got back to the campsite when the County Sheriff pulled onto my drive. He's also heard there was a dog-shooting, spider-leg pulling terrorist lurking and came to make sure i was okay. As with all the fuzz I've met along the way, Deputy Richard Miller was kind, courteous and professional. After checking my ID we had a small laugh about ME perhaps being the granny-tripping, non-tipping terrorist, as if. However it did turn out that burly farmer was DUI, and promptly arrested, which made me feel bad because i was the reason he was out there.

Fearing for my safety, i recieved permission from none other than the Chief of Police Dean Koch to camp out by the lake round the corner in Blackburn. After thanking Deputy Miller i quickly set up my tent and prepared for a sleepless night, the cat-kicking, jay-walking terrorist was still out there...

For a newspaper report of my eventful evening click on the link Marshall Democratic News

Day 67 Fri 22nd Aug

The rain held off long enough yesterday to walk 15 miles to Rocheport. This morning in true Nick fashion i ended my 9 day relationship with Katy Trail. We had a good laugh but she was always going on and on and i wasn't ready to commit. Breakfast was in Boonville, another typically charming railroad town struggling to survive, with locals who say "how you doing?" and cafes that dont take travellers cheques. I spent 3 hours in town, partly because i've got 'cant be arsed' syndrome today and partly because i couldn't decide which route to take next. katy wouldn't take me back and she goes south, the most promising northwards route would add too much mileage for my liking, and the most direct route follows the noisy I-70. I asked a few people in the cafe, "i'd drive". Thanks guys, you're as helpful as Michael Jackson babysitting. Being a big believer in fate the local church billboard once again showed me the way. Not the one that said "how have you sinned today?", i already knew that one, rather the one that said "there is no easy path to anywhere worth going". North it is then towards Marshall.

Day 66-call me Noah

It's 7.15am and i'm sat under Coopers Campground patio. The rain hasn't abated since yesterday and is in no rush to stop. My 6ft ark of a tent coped pretty well, the reason for my current wetness is the animal that dared to take shelter in it-me. After more crazy sleeping i awoke at 3am to find i had slid to the bottom of the tent, pushing against the canvas and allowing my sleeping bag to happily drink up water and get soaked. I'm not complaining, this is luckily my first day of continual rain in 65 days, i'm stuck here for now which is not a bad thing. Coopers Landing is a small hidden community in the middle of nowhere. People come here as far away as Columbia to sit by the campfire, eat, sing, go for boat trips and forget about the monotony of normal life. Charlie who works here has cycled most of the US and is a fountain of knowledge and stories. It's a hidden gem. So i'm sat here, coffee in hand, waiting for dry weather. It's not looking good.

Day 65-disaster strikes

Mr wallet has gone AWOL and i truly have no idea when or where it could have escaped my evil clutches. Normally i would be swearing right about now, however being the expert novice hiker that i am i've prepared for my own stupidity. From the secret pouch behind the back frame of my rucksack(its okay, no-one actually reads this tripe) i whipped out my back-up id and fine collection of useless travellers cheques. They're useless because hardly anyone will accept them, i would have done better carrying a bag of beef jerky they love the stuff here. I also carry with me emergency food supplies, so a major disaster and strop was overted. For the rest of the day i considered the problem-if your head wasn't screwed on, would you lose your head or actually lose your body? My goal for the day was Providence, a town with zero population 23 miles from my campsite. 20 miles in the predicted rain started falling and i took shelter at the unusual yet interesting campsite known as Coopers Landing. Right next to the Missouri river, it was the perfect place to stop and i was pitched by 4pm, a world record. I'll figure out how i'm going to pay in the morning...

Day 64 Tue 19th Aug

A quick damage report and i counted no fewer than 24 mosquito bites and a new sting from a helicopter-sized bug in my motel room which has swollen my arm again. The death penalty was quickly actioned with a flip flop. According to the NBC channel mosquitos are attracted to some people more than others largely due to genetics, so thanks mum, thanks dad. Jefferson City is mainly for blue collar workers so there were few sights to see, giving me plenty of time to restock, check emails and hunt for a Laundromat. People are pretty friendly here and there's a relaxed atmosphere, although the local workers do look like they've just stepped straight out of a United Colours of Benetton advert. Shock horror there was even a high street with European style outdoor seating which increased the pleasure of my caffeine fix. After the rush hour traffic died down i dodged more cars back over the bridge and camped back on the Katy trail ready for my 2 day hump to New Franklin. There seem to be a lot of cars here with lights on even though the trail is closed at night, best zip my sleeping bag right up tonight then.

Day 63 18th Aug

Fog was the order of the morning, a good day not to be on the roads. It also helped in spotting the huge spiderwebs stretching across the trail. My goal for the day was Jefferson City, the state capital 20 miles away. A motel and day off is desperately needed. I need to wash clothes, check emails, eat real food, shower and finally cut my hair(the wookie look just isnt working). The plan was to get to Jefferson airport then get a taxi across the bridge as there was no sidewalk, suprise. Check the wallet...hmm only $8. Some car dodging later i was in the capital with both legs still attached, i will answer any emails tomorrow, i'm off to bed.

Day 62 Sunday 17th August

Half an hour into this morning a big old black dirty dog appeared from know where and decided to tag along. # miles later i was starting to get worried. Chaz(that's what i named him) was more than happy to follow and ignored my efforts to pursuade him to go back, but he had a collar so someone must have been missing him. Shortly after i hit the village of Rhineland and popped into the local restaurant to see if anyone recognised Chaz. I was slightly annoyed at everyones apparent unwillingness to help or offer suggestions, so i got him some water and bought myself some breakfast to ponder on the situation. Maybe he'd get bored of waiting and go home. During breakfast i chatted to another guy who was passing through. He sneakily tried to pay for my breakfast before i finished, but to my astonishment the locals who had now left had already paid for it. Maybe they did remember who's dog it was and wanted to offer thanks, either way Chaz was gone when i left and i was very grateful for their generosity. The rest of the day was uneventful and 24 miles later i was at Mokane ready for an early night. I'd love some fish & chips right now.

Day 61 Sat 16th Aug

It was an absolutely beautiful morning, the sky was more blue and clear than any other day of my trip so far. It was also a cool 82f making for great walking weather, if there is such a thing. My target for the day was McKittrick 23 miles away, and i was looking forward to some open views of the Missouri river. This part of the Katy Trail is pretty desolate and i must have only seen around 10 people all day. I no longer like cyclists. Most do not say "hello" rather "you okay?" as if they either pity me or worry about me because they think im a hermit. I also dislike Mozzy spray even more. It is like a bad aftershave, repelling women, dogs, infact pretty much anything except mosquitos. My elbow is still pretty swollen and itchy, strangely the bump has moved down my arm towards my hand, spooky. After some decent photos and some slightly boring walking through woods i reached McKittrick at 4.30pm without a hitch. I like the trail because you can set up camp on the trail head on nicely but grass, there's toilets so you dont need to poo in a hole, and more importantly somewhere to sit, eat, plan for the next day and write this waffle. Another crazy Saturday night then!

Day 60 Fri 15th Aug

Imagine if you will your average everyday family of mosquitos on vacation. They're having a cracking time zooming around, having a laugh and taking in the sights. Daddy mosquito decides it's time for a bite to eat, so after checking the map and arguing with mummy mosquito about directions, they whizz down to the local diner, which just happens to be my arm. And boy did they tuck in. My elbow is now red, swollen and very sore. The only half decent thing to come out of the situation is that if one places ones hand on said elbow it vaguely feels like a small breast. Mozzy spray is rubbish, 100% deet is rubbish and i'm loosing my patience. Other news; i had a lie-in, finished early and didn't feel guilty; the Katy Trail is pretty interesting and the villages along the way are welcoming if not a little quiet; still no blister; i haven't had a coffee all day; the champion steer (big bull type cow thing) at the local Washington fair sold for $3,885 and weighed 1,295 pounds.

Day 59 Thurs 14th Aug

It was an early start over the Missouri river and by the end of the day i'd only managed a rubbish 21 miles, 3 of which due to a rubbish necessary detour to stock up on food, coffee and erm, donuts. The Katy Trail is a happy change from roads. The trail is an old railway which loosely follows the Missouri river and a good job has been done with restroom stops, loads of historical markers and more importantly easy and regular access to small railroad towns. It's very much like the Tarka trail back home in Devon, without the otters. After 2 days of new shoes my feet are starting to feel the pain, if i'm lucky i might finally get a real mans blister. I'm currently sat in a bar in a tiny town called Defiance getting some 'food'. I've just chatted to a friendly chap called Jacob, and it turns out he spoke to some other British guys a couple years ago who passed through here. The 2 same guys i was in email contact with in preparation for my walk a few months back. It's a small small world.

Day 58 Wed 13th Aug

'yea, i put my new shoes on and suddenly everythings alright'. Well that's how the song goes anyway and it sums up my day. After saying goodbye to Shaun and BJ and charging myself with a Starbucks and giant sub, i started my trek out of the city towards the Missouri river. I knew i wouldn't be able to follow the highway so happily aimed for Creve Coeur lake not far from the bridge. Although my GPS and map draw a blank regarding possible routes, i had a sneaky sneaky feeling the lake would show me the way. Very technical and scientific has my route planning become. Sure enough, after reaching the lake early evening i was welcomed by scenes reminiscent of Baywatch, hot young bods running, cycling and rollerblading along a lakeside trail winding through the woods and beyond over the Missouri river. To top off the day i enjoyed a meaty meal at the lakeside cafe whilst watching the sun set, i could get used to this. I've decided tomorrow i'm going to reject the roads and follow the longer but hopefully more enjoyable route along the Katy Trail which follows the Missouri river. Why? Because it sounds kinda cute.

Day 57 Tue 12th Aug

The sun was shining, the air was cool and i've had a really relaxing day with my great host Shaun. We tried to go up the St Louis arch but it was particularly busy and we weren't in the mood to queue amongst the fanny packs and screaming kids, so settled for wandering the surrounding park taking in the views. Whilst there we happened to stumble across BJ Hill, another guy walking across the states in the other direction, small world hey. We all went for lunch and he ended up staying with us. It was fun hearing all the stories and Shaun cooked a great meal for us. I even ate corn on the cob AND didnt brake wind at the table, this walk has changed me. I've bought some replacement shoes as i can no longer dance in my old ones, they had no sole haha! I'm also glad to say i've put 8lbs back on, at this new rate i'll now be rolling over the finish line. Tomorrow is the start of my long trek to Kansas City. For the first time i'm completely unsure which route to take, so in my usual fashion i'm gonna wing it and see what takes my fancy once i'm on the road.

Day 56 Monday 11th Aug

I've reached St Louis and am pleased to say i'm 1000 miles through my walk, time for some contemplation. Okay i'm done. To be honest i'm still unsure what i should be writing in this blog. Should it be a Bill Bryson style description of places and people i've met along the way? A diary of my personal decline or rise? My views of America from a Brits perspective? Or just what comes out of that head of mine? why dont you email me and let me know, you're the ones reading this after all. speaking of which, i'm putting in all this effort so why haven't you sponsored me yet?! This isn't a 6 month jolly you know, well okay it sort of is but i am busting(and chaffing) my balls for 2 very worthwhile causes :-)

Day 55 Sunday 10th Aug

I've made a big decision today, and it's not about giving up coffee and donuts. Over the past week, everyone i've spoken to about my next destination St Louis gas warned me East St Louis is not a place i should be walking through. 3rd highest murder rate in the US this year and generally not a nice place for non-locals. My fears were confirmed today after speaking to the local sheriff during am ID check. He said in no uncertain terms that i would be stupid walking through there, even if wouldn't. Bullet magnet and prime target were phrases that came to mind. I may be crazy but im not stupid, so i've decided to take the metrobus from Troy to downtown tomorrow. If anyone has any objections they're more than welcome to walk it for me, i promise i'll attend your funeral.

Day 54 Sat 9th Aug

Today has been strangely easy and uneventful, which is why i'm showing you 9 weeks of hair growth. After a lie-in i left the campsite at 10am and before i knew it had walked 20 miles. By 4pm i entered Pocahontas(one for the housemates), a small town boasting to be the home of the Indians. I couldn't find any anywhere, perhaps they were out hunting. I went to eat at the Indian themed Powhatan restaurant as i guessed that's where they all hung out. I was horrified to find they all looked like Illinois farmers or city folk on vacation, and only ate burgers and steak. I had high hopes entering Pocahontas, but left with a sense of unfulfilment. The mosquito bite on my shin has swollen up and I've been bitten on the ass again. My left ankle still hurts after yesterdays injury of my own making, that'll teach me to text and walk.

Day 53 Fri 8th Aug

I was shocked at Vandalia, the old Illinois state capital. It was a pretty big railroad town, but the downtown area was a ghost town. It looked as though it had just been abandoned leaving only a police & fire station and a library which had the cheek to charge me 2 bucks for half hours internet access on a windows 95 computer. Every town by the interstate is like this because businesses make more money from thru traffic than locals, and after the interstates became used by more cars businesses moved all their oh cool ice cream! I got bored pondering the historical decline of the US so after pursuading the staff at IGA that my travellers cheques and Georgia drivers license were real, i headed towards Mulberry Grove. When i made it there i got chatting to the boy in the photo. He was explaining how he was bored of the town and wanted to move to California so he could fight fires. If offered me his bike for 5 bucks to help me cross the states quicker, not to disappoint him i promised that if i won the state lottery i'd come back and buy it off him for 100 bucks. If cycled home happy and promised to clean it ready for me. A mile down the road i finished at the local campground for a much needed shower and shave. It was absolute heaven.

Day 49 Monday 4th Aug

Last night i stayed with Steph and hubby, and their crazy dogs Beef & Bacon in Terre Haute. They were great hosts and i had a relaxed evening. The lady at the gas station explained how the place was still a redneck town, which explains why recently i've had a lot of drivers shouting at me, presumably words of encouragement and support. I was amazed to hear that she still got funny looks from people just because she's white and her partner's black, talk about living in the 1950's still. I've completed 2 milestones today-i've reached Illinois and walked across a timezone, so now i'm -6hrs behind gmt. By 5pm, or 4pm, whatever, i'd only waked 10 miles. Rubbish my man could walk further i hear you cry. I've been lazy for a number of reasons. The news informed me that the next 2 days were 'dangerous heat days', i'm not sure what that is but it sounded hot and dangerous, especially when you're carrying Meatloaf on your back. So i've decided to test my mothers stress levels and do a little night-time walking. I'm also emotionally drained at the moment so a little 'fox in headlights' action should lift my spirits. Wish me luck...

Day 52 Thurs 7th Aug

I have survived the 2 hottest and most humid days of my jaunt so far. To get me through them i kept telling myself that at least i wasn't in iraq desert wearing full body armour and kit whilst being shot at. That didn't work so i just moaned and kept shouting .you gotta be shittin me?!' i look like i've just been rescued from a desert island, and smell like the fisherman who rescued me. I figure i frank around 25 shots of water in 2 days, which is a lot. On the other side, i was given a free coffee, free beer, $20 from Jo in Greenup, a t-shirt from the great american bagel shop and a couple offers of lifts(which of course i declined). With a cool breeze and clear skies i was happy again today. After breakfast in Effingham i walked the windey road to Altamont, a small old-skool railway town in search of a laundromat. Laundromats are great because you can wash everything, dry wots sleeping bag, charge wots phone, have a poo & wash, all in air conditioning whilst listening to crazy local woman trying to remember all the names of their kids fathers. Later i sped to St Elmo to check my emails at the library, but it no longer existed-books obviously aren't in great demand here. I should have finished for the day but like a small child i get bored easily, so went another 6 miles to Brownstown, which oddly looked identical to St Elmo. I camped as the sun set and once again all was well in the world.

Day 50 Tue 5th Aug

Last night was brilliant! Once through Marshall i was in the open and it was pretty dark. A big thunderstorm raged all night on the horizon lighting up the night sky reminding me of the old was films where you could see the flashes of bombings in France from the English coast. Above me was clear skies and with no light pollution the starry sky was awesome. And it was hot, i was still sweating by the time my feet gave in at 1am. At 4.30am i was up. At 5.30am i was up again and this time stayed up. By the time i hot to Casey at 10am the humidity had kicked in and my rash had appeared again which was rather annoying. I spent the day is Casey waiting for that troublesome dangerous heat to go annoy someone else, snoozing under the porch of one of the 11 churches, they cover all flavours here. It then turned hot and wet, today was getting interesting. By the time i reached Greenup the thunderstorms had arrived. I happened to find a disused liquor drive thru so bedded down there in the dry and watched the night time sky entertainment.

Stupid t'internet

My last post appears to have disappeared so i'm sending this test and a pic of the cool 'why lie? It's for beer' dude i met in Indy. Hopefully it'll turn up, or maybe i just haven't paid my phone bill...

Day 47 Sat 2nd August

It is in my religion to have a good lie-in. So whilst walking in the dark, foggy 6am dawn i was trying to understand what possible reason i would put myself through this. A mile down the road the reason appeared (see photo above). When you're half asleep and you see the answer to your question in 8ft high glowing lettering, you begin to question your sanity, even if i didn't quite get it. I asked myself what the Indiana State Lottery numbers might be, however God obviously wasn't ready for that one as no answer came. It is Saturday so he's probably having a lie-in. I came across a gas station not on my GPS, so i was able to stock up on morning man-food pretty early. This was a good thing as i didn't hit civilisation again until late afternoon. The scenery has strangely turned back into Pennsylvania landscape which suited me because on hot days like today trees are your best friend. Tomorrow could reach 96f so i walked 30 miles today to make tomorrow easier. All i need to do now is find somewhere to camp, which is hard when you're tired, grumpy, in the midde of a town and there's no word back yet from Jesus.

Day 46 fri 1st August

Its now the hottest month of the year, i can hardly wait. Indianapolis was fabtastic. My host and new found friend Brian gave me a good tour of the city and my legs had a well-earned rest. I'd definitely recommend a visit to Indy, downtown was bustling and it had everything a big city should have to offer-shops, galleries, museums not forgetting lots and lots of monuments. I was particularly tickled by the homeless guy holding a sign reading 'why lie? It's for beer'. I fell for it anyway. I also squeezed in a visit to the american legion headquarters to meet the legacy fund team and they kindly gave us a tour of their museum. I'm now back in what i now call 'no-mans land', with welcome cloud cover i had a quiet jaunt through small villages- Belleville, Putnamville, Yetanotheremptytownwithnothingbuthousesville, you get the idea. I ate a stupidly big meal at the cornerstone pub in somewhereville because if my GPS was right, i was 20 miles from the next shop, and i'm still not mentally prepared to live off noodles yet.

Nick Walks America