Nick Walks America

Ellicott is around 5,500ft above sea level. Pikes Peak which looms over Colorado Springs is at 14,000ft. To me the mountains looked around 5 miles away when infact they were more like 30 miles away. All day my ickle brain was telling me i was nearly there but the mountains just got bigger and bigger, it was really taking the biscuit. It was only 18 miles to Colorado springs but i tell you it was the hardest. By the time i reached the outskirts of the city i was too tired to celebrate so i found the nearest motel, had a shower and slept.

I'm now taking a 4 day well earned break with my bro in Vail to rest, eat and prep for the mountains. I'll be uploading a load of photo's in the next day or so and replying to any emails i haven't replied to yet.

There really is nothing out here. Pumpkin Centre and Rush were nothing more than a cross roads with a few buildings looking pretty strange in the middle of the hi flatlands. It's still blisteringly hot and the last week has by far been the hardest and most challenging stretch of my trip so far, that's the polite version. The thought of seeing the Rockies for the first time has kept me going however visibility hasn't been the best. A few miles from Ellicott i was welcomed by a massive expanse of flatland below my hilltop location. The Rockies were right there on the horizon, but i couldn't see them. At least I've finally reaches civilisation, it feels like I've finally found my way out of the desert, there were people, cars, music, toilets?! I even had a park to camp in complete with swings and a slide to play on.

Early evening the Rockies finally showed their face and the views of the sunset have nearly made the last 101 days worth it.

The last 3 days have been as enjoyable as re-writing George Bush's speeches, as painful as parents evening when you know your kid is a complete bugger, and as uneventful as an all-male pajama party. Monday was one long, very hot walk alongside truckers route 287. Tuesday was one long, very hot walk alongside truckers route 287, except this time carrying 4 days worth of food. In the evening i refilled with water in Aroya before walking a few more miles. The clever idea was to reach Pumpkin Centre 27 miles away by Wednesday evening so i could refill on water. There's nothing between Aroya and there and if it was going to be another blisteringly hot day the 4 litres of water i was carrying wouldn't last too long. It was the perfect plan, the logic was undeniable.

In the high flatlands no-one can here you swear. During the night the bite-valve on my water pouch became squashed between my GPS and the tent pole. Water had slowly dripped out and by morning i was left with a pint, plus a pint in my emergency container. Not funny. A 6 mile round trip back to Aroya was out of the question, so i set off desperately hoping there would be a ranch in the next 10 miles. 18 miles later and nothing. I was contemplating cutting across the scrubland to one of the windmills which are used to pump well water for cattle, yum. As fate would have it a kind guy by the name of Ross pulled up, and as he had no water drove me to Pumpkin Centre. I was alive, if not a little thirsty.

The potential for being so close to death made me think about a few things in a different light-if cows could talk, would they ask for a massage? What would i say to the Queen? If you pull the legs off a fly what would you call it? What can i say, I'm an optimist.

A short 16 mile trek and i was in civilisation at last. Last night i camped in Chivington, a small place where half the buildings were derelict and the other half were just liveable. Randy had told me how Chivington used to be a stereotypical railroad town with bars and hore-houses, now it just looks like a tornado has gone through it. The whole area is striaght out of a movie scene with small cacti, sloping scrubland and dry creek beds. Infact it was once Indian territory, and just North(by car at least) is a monument to the Salt Creek Massacre where 300 Indians were slaughtered. It was pretty atmospheric being able to stand in the complete silence looking at the stars and having no-one charging you an entrance fee or trying to sell you 'real Indian sand'. And then 3 police cars sped past and ruined it. They must have been handing out free leftover donuts in Sheridan Lake.

I stayed in Eads for the rest of the day as a big storm was brewing and i didnt want to be caught out in the middle of the Plains. I saw Casey the policeman again, although he was off duty i stopped myself from telling him his girlfriend was hot, you never know. I should have camped in the designated camping area but it was right by the noisy highway 287 truck route, so i pitched instead right outside the police station. A pretty safe bet if you ask me.

When i left Towner at 6.30am it was colder than Maggie Thatcher in a grump. 2 hours later it was hotter than Kelly Brooke washing my car topless. It's almost worth fighting the cold to see the sunrise, but not quite. Not expecting to see civilisation for 3 days, it was almost orgasmic seeing a newly opened gas station in Sheridan Lake. Fate had brought us together, but not because they sold coffee.

After using a real toilet i happily munched on my lunch outside. A very smiley guy called Randy (picture) pulled up and offered me a lift. It was like a scene out if 'Me, Myself and Irene' but i managed to pull myself together, say no thank you and explained the unplanned, idiotic, unthoughout trip i was undertaking. A couple hours later Randy stopped on his way back home and passed me a couple of ice cold beers-top man. Another hour later he came back, this time with food, Gatorade and more beer from his wife. People aren't too well off here so it was humbling that Randy was prepared to do so much for a complete stranger. He even called his friend Mary and got permission for me to camp in her garden in Chivington. She was lovely too. Later on when local Sheriff Casey stopped for my first Colorado ID check, he knew both of them and was extremely helpful and courteous too, it's like the Waltons out here i tell ya.

All in all its been a very enjoyable day. My pack is fuller and heavier than it ever has been and I've still managed 26 miles. I hate to say it, but for once i think I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow.

This afternoon i waved a fond farewell to Kansas and limped into Colorado. Being a big cycle route, there were also a couple of cyclists taking it all in who were travelling the other way. I didn't want to spoil the excitement of the unknown so didnt ask what i had in store and just passed on my expert novice hiker experience of what lay ahead for them. I ended up in Towner, a small settlement where Main street consisted of a letterbox and 2 houses. I walked around trying to find someone, anyone, but it was just dead. I ended up pitching by the railway track and spent the next 2 hours watching the sun set and the stars come out over the vast landscape before the cold drove me to my tent. Spectacular.

A short and very hot 22 miles and i was in Tribune, my last stop before Colorado. In the afternoon i followed a 9 mile dirt track running alongside the highway, the open views away from the traffic were amazing. Last night coming into Leoti i saw the guy from Alexander for the fourth time, and sure enough there he was at the gas station again. He works on oil wells so travels a lot, but it's still called stalking in my book. Nice bloke though. It took me an hour to leave the gas station after the lovely checkout girl screamed "you're walking?!?!" at the top of her voice. All the locals decended onto my location to ask questions and give some handy advice. Old man Bill told me how he used to fly his plane over the area and on just one particularly clear day he could see the Rockies 200 miles away. How i wish i had a plane.

On arrival at the Sherriff's office they already knew i was in town. Someone had called me in because, wait for it, i was walking....ON A ROAD?! That's just cu-razy. I appreciate that there's lots of farm machinery lying around and people tend to leave their doors unlocked but come on, i can't hotwire a tractor and as far as im aware the military haven't invented the Tardis rucksack to carry one yet. What annoyed me is i knew who called me in because only one pickup passed me all afternoon. He waved and everything, i mean what sort of person would do such a thing, wave and not mean it? That's just downright cruel.

I promised the Sherriff i wouldnt go tractor-joyriding and was sent on my merry way to the park to pitch my tent up in the dark again. Ir's starting to get pretty nippy at night, 'you could cut glass with them' as i used to say.

I've reached Leoti, slap bang in the middle of the great plains. I've only 212 miles and 10 days to go before i reach Colorado Springs. This will probably be my last post until then as I'm now entering 'the dead zone', no phone reception, no libraries, not much of anything really apart from 2 small towns and a truck stop. It's going to be a case of if I'm not carrying it, I can't have it.

I've prepared a few singalong songs for when my ipod battery dies-
What's wheat got to do with it?
Crazy little thing called wheat
Something wheaty
What a wonderful wheat

They should keep me going, it's not like there's anyone around to hear my shrill cries. If i come out the other side still sane i will be very surprised. Well it's time to hit the road, I'll hopefully see you all in 10 days, another time zone and another State. Adios for now....

It's been a quietly enjoyable last couple of days. I must be easily pleased as nothing of note has happened at all, not a chipolata. I'm most pleased with my progress-54 miles in 2 days with little damage to show for it apart from a hungry belly. The only discerning landmarks now are grain silos marking the next town, with the odd ranch or oil well scattered across the landscape. The trouble with seeing grain silos is that although you can see your finish point ahead, it can sometimes be 10 miles away. Hour after hour the damn things just don't get any closer, then suddenly you're there and the next one's waving at you in the distance.

I've now left starestown and entered nicestarestownville. People still gawp, but add a smile or a wave. I haven't seen much of where i am now-Scott City, but Dighton was very welcoming. At 9am a mix of country and rock music played out onto the empty high street from city hall, people stopped to speak, it was all very surreal. Communters are also starting to get to know me as are the cattle trucks. One guy stopped and said "I saw you yesterday, looking good!" Thanks mate, but i like girls. Just now i say a guy i spoke to 3 days ago in Alexander. This place is basically one small community, just very spread out.

It's been an unusual day. I cooked breakfast, me, cooked, breakfast, it's just not right. And at 6.30am in the night. The sky was bluer than blue, what i now call blueblue, and it was an amazing sight over the now lunar landscape. I know this will possibly upset a few people so i will say it-God must have been a gay fashion designer in another life. With most of the crops harvested, the leftover landscape complemented the blueblue sky perfectly. Hopefully have some pics up soon.

What's strange is that it's cold, and very windy. After months of sweating like a Mexican wrestler, I'm now in winter attire. Wearing a woolly hat and shades just feels wrong, like a bloke walking into the ladies toilets is wrong(but it still has to be done at least once).

As if by magic I've also left niceville and walked into staretown. No smiles or waves now, just stares. Some yocals even slow down to take a good gawp, which annoys the hell out of me. I will start pulling moonies soon, that'll give them something to stare at. Even when i reached Ness City(which so isn't a city) the yocals were falling over themselves to take a good gawp. "Look look, there be one of those real people from that there real world?! It does exist!!" Even the usually friendly cops couldn't help themselves, wearing their feminine beige trousers and, oh a gun, well I've always been quite fond of beige myself. On the good side the lady in the gas station was very friendly, and Ness City even had a small camping area for drifters like me. Thank god there was somewhere to eat, I'm always starving lately. Fatty.

These old railway towns really are dying a slow death. The gas stations which should be supplying me with coffee and donuts just don't exist anymore. That's just downright selfish. I arrived in Rush Centre just before lunch ready to stock up at the gas station and food mart, which according to all my research were waiting for me. They weren't. It looked like an annoying 5 mile detour north was needed to La Crosse as i was still 35 miles from the next town and short of food. Luckily the local bar had just opened so i was able to ravage on an 18oz cheeseburger, curly fries and pasta, yum. My noodles and power bars would get me the rest of the way so on i hitched, sorry walked, to Alexander, and a very nice rest stop to camp. There were toilets and everything, you people don't know how lucky you are.

At the rest stop 3 separate people came over to ask if i was the guy they saw walking earlier. Tired and grumpy, i really wanted to say "No, i just have a very big handbag, prefer to cook here than in my own deluxe kitchen and I've borrowed James Bonds invisible car". Please.

The heavy rain is back, and i was luxky to have booked myself into a cheap motel last night as a half-way treat. Towns are becoming more spread apart from here on in, and i will have to plan carefully so that i don't end up as another one of those roadside crosses i keep seeing. Untimely death isn't on my agenda. Due to the recent spell of wet weather my bestest friends the mosquitos have been given a few extra weeks to happily munch away at some prime British meat. They obviously know the end is near as they're making an extra special effort at trying to suck the life out of my legs.

It was a slow and relatively quiet day. It was a case of having to stop every time a truck went past so i wouldnt get soaked, and stopping every so often to dry my feet. A crazy life i lead! I don't see myself getting into too much mischief in the coming weeks, so posts might be a bit thin on the ground or delayed. I've made it to a small town of nothing called Timken, it does have a small park which is a bonus i suppose.

Yes sir, it's as right as the arch-enemy of wrong, I'm half way across the USA. Each individual day has been a right royal challenge, but thinking about them all together to have gotten where i am now, I've pretty much just got on with it, enjoyed it and I'm giving a special Winston Churchill style two fingers at the few who doubted me. Of course big thanks to all those that have helped me get this far, you know who you are!

I'm now due to finish early December, a whole month ahead of schedule which is an accomplishment in itself, as is being able to spell accomplishment. I'm actually aiming to finish November 30th as i have some unfinished business back home, part of my renewed 'life's too short' attitude.

In 3 small weeks I'll be done with the flatlands and into the Rockies. I have some of the worlds greatest minds revising my route over the mountains so rest assured that a bit more effort is going into planning the dangerous part of my trip, there's only so much blagging one man can do. So what have a learned since Kansas City?

-there is a special place in hell waiting for mosquitos.
-a smile can get you anything-if you mean it.
-i would be lost without my mobile phone and ipod.
-I'm still Australian, with a slight twist of New Zealand now. Nice.
-what Americans fear the most is themselves.
-two legs are better than one.
-Kansas just pips Pennyslvania as the friendliest and most welcoming State I've been through so far, well done you guys!
-i love my car more than life itself.

I'm currently updating the blog via the library as both of my phones have zero reception, so apologies for the lack of photos.

Through the process of elimination, to be exact walking past fields, I've realised that what has been flaring up my allergies again is wheat. This is a small problem, like Bin Laden is a small problem. I'm currently in the wheat state, the kingdom of wheat, the epicenter of wheat heaven. There's so much wheat here they make houses out of the stuff, cars drive on it, I've even heard stories that dogs are made of it. I've probably walked past or peed near the wheat you'll be eating soon.

With itchy red eyes my charm offensive with the locals is in real jeopardy. Dirty, smelly, unshaven and now with blood-shot eyes, even I'm beginning to think that i may indeed look like a dog-shooting, spider-leg pulling terrorist.

On the walking front, nothing of interest happened and i ended up walking the full 29 miles to Lyons. After popping down the local police station to let them know i was in town, Casey the local policeman not only gave me a lift to the local free campgrounds, but also gave me a quick tour of the place and showed me where a horse endurance race will be coming into town tomorrow. Now that's what i call a welcome, thanks Casey!

The order of the day day was eat, rest, eat, see the sights af McPherson, and eat a bit more food. My dreams of seeing Leo the MGM Lion were shattered when i found the local museum to be closed. I don't pick my rest days very well as everything else seemed to be closed too, something to do with being open on the weekend. The weather has turned 'English' and is expected to reach a chilly 8c tonight. Im now only 60 miles from my half way point which is rather exciting. If you're interested I'm also around 65 miles South East of the Geodetic center for North America, which is sat on a ranch in Osborne County(Osborne is a great name).

I popped down the local paper for a quick interview so hopefully I'll be in the paper without the help of crazy people or the police this time. Im now sat in one of the few places open, a local side bar, singing along to 'sweet home Alabama' with a bottle of Miller. A couple more beers and I'll be ready to whip the locals at a few games of pool. It's great to be normal again.

For the first time phone reception is really bad, my phone keeps linking to some US 40 network which wont let me publish photo's, so I'm old-skooling it at another friendly library.

It's cold, wet and windy, and I'm ba ba dah dah dah-lovin' it. Apart from the ocassional truck soaking me with spray it's been great walking weather. No burning sun, shade-hunting, beaty swollocks or crawling on all fours looking desperately for water. All day there was an erie feeling of a storm brewing, which made for an unusual atmosphere in what i can best describe as the prairie land i was now walking through. Things are starting to open up and everything is becoming barren. Cows aren't great at holding a conversation, i think my 'Queens' English is confusing them. I had aimed to finish 21 miles West in Admire, but a guy at the gas station in Osage City described Admire as a "diieeiinng toowwnn" as if something sinister was going down. Not wanting to disappear forever under strange circumstances, i stomped another 5 miles to Allen. I ate at the Allen Bar and Grill, where i learned the British lads Stuart and Dave also stopped during their Discovery trail walk last year, it seems I'm following them. I was invited for coffee and offered a place to pitch for the night by the lovely Martha and Bill who lived around the corner. They spoilt me with great coffee, great company and a wealth of knowledge to help me on my trip. It turns out Bill has been fishing and camping with some of the Coleman family(my sponsors), a small world indeed.

I've had a number of emails from kind people wanting to help fund my trip and donate to me personally. Whilst it has never been my intention to raise money for myself, I'm acutely aware that my funds are depleting quicker than i had hoped, and i may regret declining such offers in the near future. For this reason my bro Jez has kindly set up a donation link on the left of this site. Any money raised will only be used if i run out of my own, and anything left will be split between the 2 charities, unless you want it back of course! Thanks.