Today we walked through Macks Creek, MO.  which is on highway 54.  So now we are
headed east toward Jefferson City.  We have moved to the Econo Lodge in Osage
Beach.  It is really pretty here.  We are in the Ozarks and near The  Lake of the Ozarks.  
We were talking earlier that we want to come back here for a vacation when we have time
to really explore the area.  Our room here in the Econo Lodge is on the third floor with a
window that looks over a wooded area.  I have a picture of a bird that was entertaining us
in the tree tops.  I thought at first that it was a Cardinal but it isn't.  If you know what it is, I
will be thankful if you let me know.

It sounds good to you for me to say that we walked through Macks Creek today.  But the
truth is that it was only 4 miles before we were drenched and took cover and Macks
Creek is a town and not a creek...at least where we walked was.  If we have to spend too
much time in the motel because of rain, I am thankful to be here in the treetops with a
great view.

Apr 29, 2004
We walked 10 miles today, which much of the time was in the rain.  Then we left the road
early so that we could visit our grandson, Adam and his wife, Julie.  It was so nice to visit
with them and hear about their plans to graduate from the New Tribes Missionary
Institute yet this month and then begin raising support to go on the mission field next
year. They have such a heart to minister to the people in Papua New Guinea.  Please
pray that others will join them through prayer and support.  You will find their picture with
us on the "Photos" page.  We are looking forward to attending a "Church Planting" class
with them on Tuesday morning.

Apr 28, 2004
Yesterday's 17 miles were easier than today's 14.6 miles.  According to my pedometer I
walked more steps today than on another day when we walked fifteen and one-half
miles.  It was warm and quite windy.  I think when I was walking into the wind I must have
been taking shorter steps.  I know my leg muscles felt they were getting a real workout
and in driving forward checking tomorrow's route it appears we are getting into some
real hills.  I guess God thought I needed the practice.  I haven't heard the weather report
but hope tomorrow doesn't have winds as strong as today.  The country here is real
pretty!

Apr 27, 2004
Wow!  We set a record today...walked 17.4 miles.  Ron always thought that he could walk
twenty miles without any problems but I thought  fifteen was just about my limit.  This put
us at the southern edge of Buffalo, Missouri.

Today  is real quiet.  We have no cellular access and no Internet access.  Real bummer!  
However we are staying in the Goodnite motel here in Buffalo and next door is the
Goodday Cafe.  It has a family atmosphere and we've enjoyed it here even without the
Internet and cell phone.
Apr 26, 2004
What a great day...beautiful weather and cool breeze.  We finished walking through
Springfield today  and north on highway 65 about 12 miles so we will be moving to a new
motel tomorrow.  Seems we have been here a long time with the rain and the spending
Sunday here as well.  

I forgot to mention our total miles on Saturday.  Today we crossed the 400 mile mark with
a total now of 408 miles.

Apr 25, 2004
I am hoping that today will be the end of trying to get this website issue taken care
of...now that it was finally publishing to the website it lost all it's color...the side bar and
the circles.  After spending over 25 hours this week with at least six different website
techs one finally told me what appears to the be the problem and a way to correct it
without having to re-do the whole site.  I hope it works!

We attended a small church here in Springfield this morning.  It was a nice building and
a good message but the people were very distant.  A few greeted us with a "Good
morning, glad you could be here."  Otherwise no one said anything to us.  I could see the
question in their face, recognizing that they didn't know us but nothing was said.  We are
learning a lot from attending new congregations each week but would like to know how
others open conversations when you enter another's territory and they don't make
themselves available or initiate conversation.

I have added a new picture to the home page.  It was taken today in front of the Bass Pro
Shop.  It isn't an illusion that my hair is white in front of that fountain.  The sun bleaches
out any "unnatural" color by the end of the day so decided to see what I really look like!  
Don't want to take my time working on my hair.

Apr 24, 2004
We woke up to rain again this morning but decided to get dressed and give it a try.  We
drove back to our start point.  It was raining a little but we donned our rain coats and hit
the road.  We walked through some heavier rain but after a little over five miles later the
wind picked up quite strong and the skies got really black so we drove back to Monett to
pick up our food supplements that we had ordered the first of the week and had them
shipped to the motel where we were staying the first of the week.  

When we got there we found that the package had somehow gotten destroyed and all of
the supplement containers were mashed and open.  Of course since this is Saturday the
post office was closed so I guess that is something we will have to deal with on Monday.  
Hopefully the post office here can take care of what needs to be done so that we don't
have to go back to Monett.

When we returned to Springfield the rain and wind had stopped so we walked another 5
miles...giving us a total of 10 miles+ for the day.  We are now about half of the way
through Springfield so should be on Highway 65 north headed toward Highway 73 on
Monday.  Our next destination is Roach, MO where our grandson, Adam and his wife
Julie live.  We are looking forward to seeing them!

Apr 23, 2004
As we drove to our start location this morning, black clouds seemed to surround us on
all sides.  We decided to try to limp through the morning mist and see if it wouldn't clear
off by noon but only two miles down the road it started to thunder and rain for real.  So we
decided to see some of the city (Springfield).  Since we are on a strict budget we had to
find something that was free.  

We decided the Bass Pro Shop might be interesting.  It was advertised with its boat
display and hunting and fishing departments.  This is probably not news for you who are
familiar with the Bass Pro Shop but for those who are not, let me tell you about our first
visit.  Of course it was all indoors so we were out of the rain and it was really coming
down by now.  

We first went to see the boats.  We are not really boat people but I would have no trouble
at all getting into some of those pontoons!  Then we watched as a lady painted the blown
glass.  (I suppose everyone except me knew that the glass is painted after it is blown.)  I
never thought about it.  I find I am so naive (or you can say stupid if you want) about so
many things.

I really enjoy nature and the outdoors.  They had tanks, molded streams and ponds filled
with various types of fish, turtles, etc.  On one of the ponds were two duck decoys...I
thought.  But as we stood and watched they both had their heads tucked as if asleep but
when they floated to where they bumped into a rock edge or something their feet would
paddle them back out into the water without ever looking like they were aware of their
action.

Since it was now noon we went to the fourth floor McDonalds and picked up a couple of
sandwiches.  I was standing wishing that there was room to sit at the rail that overlooked
the four story high waterfall but only one stool was available.  Just as I was ready to
resign myself to take another seat a man got up next to the empty chair.  (God even gives
us the desires of our hearts.)  We were about half through our meal when I noticed that
there was a pair of pheasants living on the ledge above the falls.  What an interesting
place!  What a fun day!

Apr 22, 2004
This morning we had walked our first three miles when we saw a vehicle pulled over and
a young lady out walking along side of the road.  Here was our chance to repay for all
those who had stopped to check on us.  We stopped to see if there was a problem.  Her
problem was really unique.  She had two small boys with her and the older one had  
thrown his little brother's molding helmet out the window of the vehicle.  We joined her
and her parents who drove down from Springfield to help.  After about an hour we gave
up and continued on our walk feeling a bit dejected that we hadn't succeeded in our
search.  However, a couple of hours later they called to say they had found it a little closer
to town than they had thought.

Even though the forecast was for possible storms this afternoon we were able to
complete 14. 2 miles so we have moved to a different motel in Springfield tonight.  
Probably will be here the rest of the week.  We should be able to walk to the west edge
tomorrow and then hope to find a way through Springfield that we can walk on Saturday.

Apr 21, 2004
A couple of days ago I mentioned that no one had stopped to see if we were having
vehicle problems and I was wondering if it was a difference in the people in Missouri
compared to those in Oklahoma.  We hadn't had a day go by that at least a few people
hadn't stopped.
Then when no stopped yesterday either I was really questioning.  But now I am
questioning whether it may have to do with the weather.  The last two days were cloudy
and dreary days whereas today was a nice sunny day.  Today we had six people check
on us.  I know that the weather can make a difference in my energy level and perspective.
 We walked to the edge of Marianville today which is somewhere around 17 miles
northeast of Monett.  If the weather is good we will move to a new motel...probably in
Springfield tomorrow evening.

You will notice that I have added a new page to this site.  I have on a few occasions
received emails that I thought might be interesting to other readers so I decided to add
the page and if I receive something that you might enjoy I will add it to the "Visitor
Comments" page after I receive permission from the writer.

Donald Campbell had sent me a message and a poem that I was sure you would like.  
You may click the "Visitor Comments" bar and read it.  I have also included a link to his
website.  You will be blessed.

Apr 20, 2004
When the alarm rang about 18 inches from my head at 6:00 this morning I wished I had
brought in the sledge hammer that Ron had found along the road.  First it was still dark
outside.  Second I couldn't reach the light without getting out of bed so I could see how to
turn the alarm off.  Third my Sitebuilder program had crashed last night and it was
1:30AM before I finally got everything downloaded and had the site information reloaded.
BUT what really irritated me most was the fact that I didn't set an alarm.  We had moved
into a new location last evening here in Monett, Missouri and I forgot to check the clock!

I went back to sleep and then woke up again about 7:30.  We had wanted to get on the
road rather early because last evening's forecast was for severe weather starting this
afternoon.  I  went to the window and peeked out actually hoping that it was raining so I
could crawl back in bed but the ground was dry.  So Ron went to the motel office, ate his
breakfast and brought some back for me.  I ate, straightened the room a little and picked
up a few things to take with us on our walk this morning.  I was ready to walk out the door
when I heard a rumble of thunder...I looked out and, you guessed it, it was raining!  It
ended up being 1:30 before we got on the road.  (I had gone back to bed.)  We finished
with 6.8 miles today.

Apr 19, 2004
Today was a very quiet day.  The weather was mild, the sky was overcast and there was
some mist in the air late this afternoon.  This was the first day since we began walking
that we haven't had at least 3 or 4 people stop to see if we needed help.  Today no one
stopped.
It may have been that the road we walked on today (still highway 60) didn't have as much
traffic.  However, it will be interesting to see if it may be a difference in the Oklahoma
people compared to Missouri people.  We ended up completing 13.3 miles today.

Apr 16, 2004
Remember on March 31 when I was mentioning how much I appreciated those
volunteers who clean the roadsides.  Well today we met some of  our heros.  You may
see their picture on the Photos page.  I regret that I didn't make note of the small town
where they were working but it was a few miles east of Neosho, Mo.  They are from the
Rocketdyne Road Church of God.  This picture may be unfair for their appearances but
they were just finishing their work on this hot day.  We walked past bag after bag after
bag of trash that had been brought to the roadside for pick up.  I don't think anyone can
appreciate them as much as we do since walking over 300 miles of roadside.  Some of
it is really disgusting!  So to those from the Rocketdyne Road Church of God may God
bless you with EVERY desire of your heart.  You have blessed us abundantly!

We have decided to use Saturday and Sunday this week to drive back to Dallas and
attend to some personal business  so will see you again on the site on Monday evening
after beginning our walk where we left off this evening just a couple of miles east of
Granby.

This week's total 63.7 miles, overall total walked 343.6 miles.  Total days passed 30.

Apr 15, 2004
Finally after four days we have Internet access again.  We crossed into Missouri early
today and are now in Neosho, Missouri.  Today was another beautiful day for walking
and we finished another 14.1 miles.  Since you will have plenty to read to catch up on the
days we were without Internet and since I am tired I am going to leave this short.

Apr 14, 2004
Some days just don't happen like you anticipate.  Today was one of those days.  The
weather was perfect with a nice breeze and temps going up to about 70 degrees.  

After 3 miles on the road this morning we came to the Twin Bridges State Park.  An RV
park is right near the road and borders a river with a lot of activity.  Our curiosity and our
recent challenge to not get caught up in "mileage craziness" demanded that we check it
out.  I'm certainly glad we did.  We watched as the fisherman skillfully filleted his catch.  
Then another boat came in with their bounty.  I had never seen a spoonbill outside of
Sea World.  To see 5 or 6 which they had caught in just a couple hours this morning was
a treat. You may see the knife wielding artist and Cassie with her prize on the "Photos"
page.

Three miles later we stopped at the Bearskin Healthcare and Wellness Center.  What an
impressive facility.  It is funded by the Wyandotte Indian Organization and access to all
the  equipment and fitness training, etc is only $20.00 per month.  Of course their interest
in wellness caught our eye and they are certainly promoting just that.

Then after another 3 and 1/2 miles we abandoned our walk for the day and drove to
Grove, OK to the library.  I had talked with the librarian in the morning and she told me
they would be open until 5:00.  I felt it was urgent to use the Internet and let family know
that we were well as our cell phones were out of range at times also.  BUT when we
arrived at the library at 4:15 the doors were already locked!!  So we went sight seeing
around the lake and hope you all agree that for today "no news is good news."

Apr 13, 2004
Have you ever wondered why we decided to walk 1000 miles?  The last couple of days
seemed like starting all over.  I guess the three days off let us soften up a little but we are
still committed to our passion.  Click  the "WHY" icon on the top of the home page.  A
reprint from the April 8, 2004 Dallas Morning News/Richardson News/Letter to the Editor
appears on that page.  This is "Why?"

Apr 12, 2004
Well, guess what?  MSN couldn't hold up to their promise of giving us Internet access!  
After about 6 hours total time on the phone with them trying to get the access that I was
told earlier would be available, I became convinced that someone misled me.  I am
disappointed as we are so dependent on it.

Otherwise today was a good day.  We stopped and visited with the pastor of the Praise
Fellowship church where we attended yesterday and walked a little over 13 miles.  We
were walking along an area of country road and I saw a little way ahead of us a field that
"contained" a bull and his harem.  However, the thing that concerned me was that he
was leaning over a fence that reached clear up to his knees to eat grass along the
roadside.  I pointed out to Ron that I thought it might be good to turn around and go back,
get the car and drive past him.  Even though he was across the road from us I knew that
we were going to be coming back on his side of the road.  And being a previous country
girl, I knew sometimes a bull can get very protective of his "girls".  But Ron assured me
that it would be O.K.

This brought remembrances of my brother, Larry.  Larry is 11months older than me and
our other 6 brothers and sisters are all younger.  Larry was never the bravest person but
he instilled in me not to fear anything.  If there was something that he wanted checked
out he would tell me, "Go ahead, it won't hurt you."   Since he was so much older and
wiser, I always trusted him.  However in later years I wised up a little and realized that if it
became impending danger he would be ahead of me all the way (as we were running
away.)  I could visualize that if the bull decided to step across that fence, Ron would be
about 50 feet ahead of me  as we headed for the car.  But when we came back the beast
had returned to grazing in the field.  All was well.

Apr 11, 2004
Hope you have all have had a very blessed Easter!  Today was also my 66th birthday but
it doesn't seem like it.  My birthday seems so insignificant to the resurrection of our Lord,
Jesus.  I don't ever remember my birthday falling on Easter before...maybe.

We went to a church close to the motel here in Vinita called Praise Fellowship.  It was a
very nice church and a good Easter message.  Then we drove to Missouri to check for a
good route to get there.  We don't know much ahead of time what direction we will be
taking...not before we have driven ahead to check for safe walking conditions.  It has
been suggested that we post our route and also the total number of miles we have
walked.  So I will try to remember to do that.  

This week we only walked 58.7 miles giving a total of 289.9 miles.  We have decided to
walk highway 69 and 60 to Afton and then go on 60 to Seneca, MO.  That town was so
beautiful and interesting.  It sits among a series of hills and winding streets and the
dogwood and red bud trees were absolutely beautiful!  Seneca is about 40 miles so we
should be there by the middle of the week and then nearly half way to Springfield by the
end of the week if the weather (and we) hold out.  By taking highway 60 we will miss
Miami, OK and Joplin, MO.

Apr 10, 2004
We are still confined to the motel while it rains.  I ate most everything we had on hand
yesterday so we went out and bought a few groceries and some laundry products.  That
should give a clue what we did today.  I also got a few notes written that I was putting off
for a rainy day and read some of the book Jane Steadman gave me called A WALK
ACROSS AMERICA.  A couple of sentences from the book have been a good reminder:  "
'Mileage craziness' is a serious condition that exists in many forms....The symptoms may
lead to obsessively placing more importance on how many miles are traveled than on
the reason for traveling.  This obsession is especially bad for those who are trying to see
the USA without their Chevrolet.  On foot, in a van, on a fleet motorcycle or on a bicycle, a
person must be very careful not to become overly concerned with arriving."

It sounds like the weather will be clearing up by Monday so we should back on the road
then.

Apr 9, 2004
Our walk started today just a few yards west of our motel here in Vinita, OK.  We had
breakfast at McDonalds and then started on our journey.  We walked 1.4 miles and then
saw the black clouds were approaching quicker than I wanted to think.  We got back to
the motel just before the rain started and then spent the rest of the day watching TV and
eating.  My kind of a day when it rains...and sometimes when it's not raining too.!

Apr 8, 2004
Today we are still without Internet access so we drove about 60 miles looking for another
area where we might be able to get an access number for MSN without any luck.  So
when I got back into our room here in Vinita I called  MSN and told them that if I was not
going to be able to get access on our trip through the Mid-west we would have to look for
another Internet provider.  Well guess what!  They set me up with a shortcut where I can
call them and enter a number from anywhere and receive access.  So we should not
have any more down times (but you know how computers are, I won't promise anything.)

Today was a perfect day for walking.  We made just short of 16 miles.

Apr 7, 2004
Do you think that the railroad is a thing of the past?  I am here to testify that it is not!  A
train whistled through our motel room every 1 1/2 or 2 hours last night.  We had seen the
trains as we were walking yesterday but didn't consider that it might be good to check to
see where the track was located compared to our room.  

Actually this morning we were met by a newsman from the Pryor Daily News and we
asked him about the trains.  He told us that there was a generation plant a little further
south and that the trains bring coal to the plant.  The track runs parallel to highway 69 for
some distance so today we watched.  During the four hours that we walked next to the  
track we saw five trains with between 102 cars to 148 car which appeared to be mostly
coal.  Now my curiosity is up...how many cars of coal does the plant use a day and do
they store some or are they using that much every day?  I didn't think about all the
questions while the newsman was still with us.

We are near a town called Vinita, OK tonight and find that the town has its own Internet
access.  Only problem...I can't get an access to MSN so will send this as soon as I can.

P.S.  Today is the first day that I had even a slight thought that I wished we had brought a
gun with us and that was when the bird on a wire over us decided to do his dropping on
my arm.

Apr 6, 2004
Happy birthday EmberLi and happy anniversary Billy and Melissa.  

There was no rain today and Pryor was not 12 miles away!  We walked 14.2 miles today
and still have 3 or 4 miles to go to get to Pryor.  I guess you can't always believe what you
hear or what you see.  Or maybe it is what you "think" you heard or saw.  Anyway we are
near Pryor and are still ahead of schedule.  

Apr 5, 2004
This was a real quiet day.  Mostly walking through the country.  We are now north of
Wagoner and should walk through Pryor tomorrow, (I think I saw  sign that said Pryor
was 12 miles.)  The weather report says that we may have rain tomorrow or tomorrow
night so not sure of how far we may get.  Today we walked 13.5 miles before it started to
sprinkle and we decided to call it a day.

Apr 4, 2004
As we said last evening, we decided to go to the GUTS church in downtown Muskogee at
the Roxy Theater.  We had heard of the church before and had heard good things about
it.  This was a satellite church so we heard the sermon of the pastor of the GUTS church
in Tulsa via satellite...a great salvation message.

I want to share with you a great idea that I learned from Mary Colsch from Minnesota.  We
met her at the motel in McAlester.  She has an exercise bike but I think it would work with
a treadmill as well.  She keeps a map next to her stationary bike.  Then she chooses a
destination and marks the miles that she has ridden toward that city or resort...making
note of the date she arrives and then choosing her next destination.  This gives her a
challenge for her exercise and a victory when she reaches that goal.  Since I am
motivated by challenges I think this would be a great incentive to exercise.

This weeks totals:  80.1 miles and 189,824 steps.

Apr 3, 2004
Yesterday I said that we might look around at the Azalea Festival on Sunday, but when
morning came today we decided to look around now.  We are ahead of schedule so lets
take some time and enjoy the festivities here.  We drove around and looked at God's
great creation and the beauty He has given us.  See the photo.  Then we went south of
town and walked 5 and 1/2 miles and then decided to drive downtown to see what was
going on.  They had a chili and barbecue cook off, carnival, complete with pony and
camel rides, motorcycle rally, plus crafts and a lot of Indian artifacts.  I would like to come
back and go through the Five Civilized Tribes Museum.  I'm sure we could learn a lot
about our Native Americans' history.

Then we went back to the motel, parked the car and then walked downtown.  This added
another 6 1/2 miles to our days walk.  While walking we walked by the Roxy Theater and
saw that the GUTS church meets there on Sunday Morning.  Guess we will go there
tomorrow.

Then it finally was to point that Ron had to have a haircut or would have to join the local
Native Americans and either wear a pony tail or braid.  Of course it wasn't that long but it
was much too long to look good so I put my beautician training to work and gave him a
haircut.  

Apr 2, 2004
After a couple of nights trying to find a motel room where we can hook to the internet we
finally have the room issue in control, I think.  We left the Econo Lodge in McAlester on
Wednesday after being there for 5 days.  The owners,  Mr. and Mrs. Prasad took care of
us very well.  If you come through that way and have a chance, tell them we say hello.  We
are now in the Days Inn in Muskogee.  

I understand that tomorrow is the Azalea Festival here.  Maybe Sunday we will have an
opportunity to look around and see what is going on.  I haven't seen any Azaleas so
maybe we are here too early or too late. I hope not , I would really like to see them.

We walked into the south edge of Muskogee today so tomorrow we should be able to
make it through town and be ready to travel north of here on Monday.

Apr 1, 2004
April Fool's Day.  Well, maybe we fit.  We locked the keys inside the car today.  (Both
sets!)  But as we were waiting for the roadside service to come and let us in we met the
O'Steen's from Terrell.  Certainly enjoyed our visit with them.  As we have mentioned
before, there are so many thoughtful people who check to see if we are having car
trouble.  They really give us a sense of security.  Thanks to all of you!

Our day actually started with a interview with Jeff and Anna on the Jeff and Anna Morning
Show  of KDMX  102.9 fm.

Then as we started to walk, (Ron is always finding some kind of valuable junk along the
road.  Usually it is a tool or one of those rubber tie downs.)  Today his first treasure was
a 30" machete.  When traffic is heavy we usually walk single file along the highway so as
he was following me with that big knife it must have looked like he was serious...making
sure that I didn't get lazy or decide not to walk.  One young man was even brave enough
to stop then and ask if we needed help!

Mar 31, 2004
We have walked two days and just finally passed Lake Eufaula (and maybe some rivers
or other lakes)  all along highway 69.  What a beautiful site.  I found myself wondering if it
was a natural lake or if it was man made.  Then it came to my mind that a lake cannot be
man made.  Man can dig a hole and create an environment for a lake but he cannot
make the water or the trees that surround it.  

With all that beauty I still found myself feeling a sense of sorrow.  You will see pictures
on the Photos page, one of the lake and one of the trash.  We are leaving a terrible
example for our children and grandchildren.  The picture of the trash doesn't even begin
to show all the broken bottles, discarded soda bottles, boxes, anything imaginable.  
Along our walk we have seen some signs that say that a company or organization has
adopted a portion of highway which, as you know, means that someone has taken
responsibility for keeping that section of the highway clean.  I have never appreciated
those volunteers as much in my life as I have the last couple of days.  We want to thank
each of you who give of your time for this purpose!

Mar 30, 2004
Tonight I am going to write a short note and then continue it tomorrow evening.  We
walked by Lake Eufaula today.  For those not familiar with this lake, it continues along
Highway 69 for quite a distance, I don't know, maybe three to five miles.  (Actually a lot
more.)  It was beautiful and I forgot to take the camera from the motel room.  So
tomorrow when we go back to our beginning place I will take a couple of pictures and put
them on the websitel.

Also, wanted to let you know that we did receive a response about the big spider.  The
person who responded said that it was probably a tarantula. She said that they are rather
common in Texas and Oklahoma.  She also said that she didn't think they were
poisonous.  Thanks!

Mar 29, 2004
Today was perfect for walking!!  The weather was in the low 70s with nice white fluffy
clouds...not like the dark clouds hanging over.  A nice breeze but not a WIND.  We
actually took advantage of it and walked 16.3 miles, putting us north of McAlester about
10 or 11 miles.  

I wanted to let you know about a lady who stopped to see if we needed help on Saturday.  
What a blessing.  In just the few minutes that we talked she told us that she was headed
to a horse show to watch her daughter and granddaughter run barrels.  For you who
know us you will remember how we used to drag Krista and Li'l Fella around to the
shows where she would run him  in barrels or anything she could get him in.  I almost
asked Bennie if we could go with her.  Sounded like more fun than walking.

Bennie also told us that she was involved in doing her family tree.  She mentioned that
there would be a  Coffey - Coffey Cousins' Convention on April 30 to May 2, 2004 at Fort
Smith, Arkansas, and if we knew anyone who is a "Coffey"  they could contact  Bennie
Coffey Loftin at bloftin@indiannationinternet.net  .

Mar 28, 2004
Our day started off with a worship service at the Living Word Church here in McAlester.  
After service we hurried out and did our laundry as we had received a call from Brian, our
son-in-law, saying that they were on their way up to see us.  We got home just in time for
a short nap before they arrived.  Brian, Krista and their chidren, EmberLi, Savanna, Caleb
and Roc along with Savanna's friend, Donnie, came from Carrollton, TX to spend a
couple of hours with us.  It was really nice to see them!  Thanks so much for making that
effort.  AND to those who told Caleb that we weren't his grandparents, well guys, this
time Caleb is right!

Mar 27, 2004
Saturday...the end of another week.  We stopped early again today after completing only
9.5 miles.  We stayed close to the car as they had forecasted hail, wind, rain and
possible tornadoes.  The wind we encountered!  At about 1:30 when the clouds began to
show some tan color and the wind got strong enough that we were sometimes
concerned about the gusts and the traffic (let alone us) we decided to call it a day.  We
stopped in a small town called Savanna.  We took a picture of that city limit sign for our
granddaughter, Savanna.  You may see it on the "Photos" page.

It is now 6:00 PM and TV is showing pictures of funnel clouds and hail stones, some
about the size of golf balls.  Glad to be back at the motel in McAlester.  Savanna is only
two or three miles south of McAlester  so we are pretty much on schedule.  Our goal for
next week is Muskogee, which is about 75 miles north.  For you geography scholars,
would anyone want to suggest how far we are from Joplin, Missouri?

We also have a  question for anyone who may have knowledge of spiders.   Yesterday
we saw a spider about the size of a small chicken egg.  It was all brown with brown hairy
legs.
(EmberLi, we would have brought it to you if we could have figured out what we could do
with it until July 4th.)

Our statistics for the week are: 79.9 miles and 188,034 steps.  That makes just over 150
total miles walked so far...850 to go.

Mar 26, 2004
We are now staying in a motel in McAlester.  We didn't get quite as far today as we had
hoped.  We walked in some light rain today and finally decided to call it a day with a little
less than 10 miles completed.  The weather report is calling for possible rain and
storms tomorrow too.  Therefore, we may not walk into McAlester until the first of next
week instead of tomorrow.

I think that we have told you that Thorlos is one of our sponsors.  They have provided us
with sport socks.  I'm not sure how we would have survived without them.  They have a lot
of padding and save our feet from blistering, callouses, etc.  Thank you, Thorlos!

Mar 25, 2004
Bob Kiser read my grumbling about the weather yesterday and sent us this reminder:
Remember Vance Havner's comment.
"Whether the weather be cold, or whether the weather be hot.
Whether the weather be good or whether the weather be not.
Whatever the weather, we weather the weather,
Whether we like it or not"  
To Bob we reply:
And if we don't like the weather,
We will think of you whether you like it or not.
Thanks, Bob.  We really do like to hear your words of encouragement (and wisdom)!  You
brighten our day. (Remember Bob is the one who rode his bicycle from the Pacific to the
Atlantic...4 times)  He can teach us a lot!

Tomorrow we will be moving to another motel.  Probably in McAlester.  We walked nearly
16 miles today and are now about 30 miles south of McAlester on highway 69.

For those in the Dallas area, I believe that we will be interviewed at 8:30 AM live on the
Jeff and Anna Morning Show which you can hear  on KDMX 102.9 fm.

Mar 24, 2004
Today was one of those days that I love to stay in bed and sleep...dark, gloomy and
drizzly but we were able to make our 15 miles again.  Look on the "Photos" page for a
look at the curious bystanders along our parade route.

Mar 23, 2004
Perfect weather for a stroll along the countryside.  We were stopped  by three highway
patrol officers, a photographer for the Durant Daily Herald and called by the producer of
the Jeff and Anna Morning Show on KDMX at 102.9fm in Dallas.  Otherwise the day went
without incident and we were able to complete our first 15 mile day...15.1 miles.  

We want to thank each of you who are going along with us on this journey via this
website.  We hope that in some small way you are inspired to dream big.  Dreams can
come true!

Mar 22, 2004
Today was a quite cool day so we were able to keep on track.  We found a way to reach
our goals that really works.  You plan how many miles you want to walk and then you
walk far enough away from the car that you won't get back to the car until you've reached
your goal.  It works but, ouch!  We actually misjudged by about a quarter of a mile so we
only walked 14.5 miles.

This morning we stopped at the Oklahoma Information Center.   Connie and Jeannie
were there to help us.  I'm impressed!  They knew the answers to all of our questions
and even the answers to some questions that we hadn't even asked yet....didn't know
that we would need to know.

A few miles down the road  a young man stopped by where we were walking.  He
introduced himself as Jo Rodgers and told us that he was a high school teacher from
Sherman, TX.  He said that one of the students had cut out a picture from the paper and
brought it to class where they had discussed the trip.  He brought with him two bottles of
cold water.  What nice people we have run into while on this trip!  Thanks, Jo!

Another humbling experience was in talking with a student from a high school in
Carrollton,  TX  and he told us that he had written a paper for an assignment about our
walk.  Thanks for the compliment, Donnie, but if I could convey one message it would be,
our desire is to attract the attention of as many people as possible...and especially
young people and let you know that it is not about us.  We want to inspire you to make
some goals, dare to be different!  Dare to do what you know  will make you feel good
about yourself  and I believe that requires you to do something nice for someone else.  
Go a step beyond the crowd.     

Also, want to let you know that we haven't made a plan where we will be dining tomorrow
evening but if you would like to meet us, please call the number on the Contact Us page
and we will make plans.

Mar 21, 2004
Sunday, a day of worship and rest.  We went to a small church this morning in Sherman
called The Family of God Church where we heard a message of love.  The family
atmosphere of a small church is always neat.  Thanks to all of  you for your prayers.

We will be packing tonight to move to another motel tomorrow....probably in Durant, OK.

I have to stop and reflect a bit about the irony of this walk.  We are going back to walking
the country rather than flying or "flying" the interstates but on the other end of the
spectrum puts me in the front seat of my car typing on my laptop so that all I need to do
when I get back to the motel (besides packing) is download my diary update to you.  
(Just in case you're wondering, I'm not driving...Ron is.)

Mar 20, 2004
Week one of sixteen is now completed.  The total number of miles we walked this week
is 71.4.  (12.1 today).  We had figured that we walked approximately 2 feet per step which
would make about  2640 steps per mile or 2,640,000 for the full 1,000 miles.  Our total
steps this week were 180,204.  

Today was a big milestone for us.  We crossed the border into Oklahoma!  Yipee!  Don't
take that wrong.  Texas has been great to us!  Days Inn has been a blessing as well as
Dennys...and everyone we've met has been wonderful.  

Mar 19, 2004
11.9 more miles finished today.  That takes us within 5 or 6 miles of Denison.  
Tomorrrow the weather report sounds like we will need to stay near the car.  But if we
can stay on the road we should be near the Oklahoma /Texas border by tomorrow
evening.  

This afternoon Ron and I were walking up Texoma (Old 75) here in Sherman.  I was
really needing a rest, I think we had walked about 9 miles by that time.  Ron, however is
like the Energizer Bunny.  My kids will remember what it is like if you needed a break
while traveling...well it hasn't changed a lot even while walking.  Finally I convinced him
that a Chinese restaurant across the street would probably be a good place for a
bathroom break, a glass of water and maybe a couple of egg rolls.  As we entered the
door we were met by a gentleman who said that they were closed.  Oh well, there is an
Applebee's next door, guess we'll just stop there.  My preference of the Chinese
Restaurant was just because it was closer!

We had been in the restaurant a few minutes when a lady came to our table and
introduced herself.  She asked if we were the ones that she had seen in the paper doing
the walk.  They came and joined with us at our table.  They are Bob and Dorothy Bishop.  
What a blessing!  This is what our dreams for our walk were made of.  Hopefully we will
meet again.  I'm a firm believer that there are no coincidences...that God has a plan if for
nothing other that to encourage me when I am tired.  I definitely was invigorated to walk
back to the car.  Thanks, Bob and Dorothy, we appreciate you two!

Mar 18, 2004
Today was a great day for walking....a little hot but partly overcast and a nice breeze.  We
started about a mile south of Gunter and ended tonight just about five miles west of
Sherman.  We will begin tomorrow morning at the junction of highways 289 and 56.  Our
total walk  today was 14.4 miles.

The Sherman newspaper, the "Herald Democrat", came by this morning and took
pictures.   If that comes out within the next couple of days, we will pick up a couple of
copies so that our family can see them and so that we can have one for a scrapbook.  

We plan to eat at "Denny's" located at 1835 Texoma Parkway, here in Sherman again
tomorrow (Friday ) night and again on Saturday evening.  We will be there at about  7:00
PM on both evenings.  Please stop by and say hello.  We would love to meet you!

Mar 17, 2004
Let me say that the mall never had wind like we faced today!!  (See pictures on the
"Photos" page.)  We didn't get on the road until 12:30 this afternoon.  We had a lot of last
minute things that we wanted to do before leaving as Tuesday night was the last night
that we were returning home.

This day was the first one that we did totally alone, without having someone to pick us up
or take our car forward.  It worked well except we decided to add another 5 miles after we
got back to the car following the first 4 mile stretch.  The wind coming back on that last 2
1/2 miles certainly tried our leg muscles.  I guess  what we didn't train for earlier, we will
be forced to train for on the road.  Our total miles today was 9.

The Richardson News has printed an article regarding our walk.  I believe it will appear
in tomorrow's Dallas Morning News...Richardson  News section.  Also, you may read it
at:  www.dallasnews.com/localnews/City/Richardson/

We are staying at a Days Inn in Sherman, TX.  We should reach Sherman on foot by
tomorrow evening or Friday.  We left off today just about a mile south of Gunter.

Tomorrow evening we will enjoy if you meet with us at 7:00PM for dinner.  We will be
dining at "Denny's" located at 1835 Texoma Parkway, Sherman, TX.  It is right next to the
Day's Inn.

Mar 16, 2004
Today was an interesting day.  We parked our car 11 miles ahead and then Jane and
Bob took us back to our start place.  After about 1 hour I looked at my pedometer and it
said only about 1.56 miles.  What is going on here?  We usually walk about 3 miles per
hour.  We had gotten into some rolling terrain and I must admit that my feet and legs
were already beginning to feel the strain.  (I never noticed before that when you are
walking uphill that you push your weight upward and  forward with the ball of your
foot...and already I was feeling it.)  
We stopped and ate an orange that Bob and Marna had dropped off to us as they were
headed back to Odessa and as I started to get up from my seat on the ground I saw just
the headlight section of a vehicle right next to me.  I hadn't even heard it coming up!  Ron
said that it was a police car.  Anyway, he was just checking to see if we had problems or
needed help. After we told him what we were doing he wished us well and then went on
but we hadn't walked more than a few feet on down the road when another police car
stopped.  I think that someone had seen us sitting along the road and probably called
them. It was rather comforting to know that people would notice and send help if you ran
into problems.

After about another hour I checked my pedometer again.  This time it said only 3.18 and I
am really beginning to wonder if I could make another 8 miles if the first three were that
hard.  But then I noticed that the number really said 318...no decimal point.  Well now it is
beginning to soak in!  I had bought a new pedometer about a week ago and it had some
new functions that my old one didn't have.  This one has a calorie counter and I had it on
the wrong mode.  It actually said that we had walked 6.3 miles.  Whew!  Now I think I can
make it!  Actually, we walked the full 11 miles in just a few minutes over 4 hours.

Tomorrow night we will be staying in Sherman, TX.  I haven't been able to make any
dinner arrangements yet but on tomorrows diary I should be able to let you know where
we will be eating our evening meal on Thursday and if you know someone in the
Sherman area we would enjoy having them come and have dinner with us.

Mar 15, 2004
Day one done and if everyday is like today we are in for a real treat!  The day started with
a mad rush trying to get to Target where we were met by Elaine Kellam and Carolyn
Roffino who are friends that I worked for before leaving my job on February 29th.  Then
the photographer from the Richardson Morning News stopped by and went along with us
for a couple of miles taking pictures for the newspaper.  

After that we had walked about six or seven miles when we were joined by Bob Kiser.  
Many of you may remember him.  He has had his story written in several news articles.  
He made his first Pacific Ocean to Atlantic Ocean ride on his bicycle when he was 51
years old.  His daughter, Jane Kiser Steadman, rode with him once on the same trip
when she was a student at Taylor University and the last time he rode his grandson,
Billy, went with him.  Bob was 79 years old when he rode that one ...that was last
summer.  He also had returned to Marion High School in Marion, Indiana on bicycle from
Odessa, Texas for his 50th year class reunion.  His wife, Marna graduated from
Converse High School.  I know those high school names don't mean much to most of
you but for us in Indiana, that was right in our neck of the woods.  AND another pleasant
surprise was when Jane and Marna hunted us down at Chick Fil-A for lunch.

We walked a total of 13.5 miles today and then Jane and Bob brought us back to our car.  
Every one of you helped make our first day one that we will never forget!  Thanks Elaine
for the care package, thanks Carolyn for the offer of the gloves to protect my hands from
the elements (when I look like I am eighty and I am only seventy, I will remember your
offer) and thanks Bob for all your encouragement and words of wisdom about what we
can expect on upcoming days.  I'm sure that we will have many days when we will
remember, "Yes, Bob said that this would probably happen."  Bob nearly walked our little
legs off!  You all have kept us busy and not concentrating on our feet.  I know we will have
many days when we will be wishing for you!

Mar 8 - Mar 14, 2004
Well, Guys, here it is the day before take off!  Are we ready?  Organizationally there is still
much to do.  Since it is just Ron and I going we will probably come back home to stay at
least two nights, so that will give us a little more time to do packing and make sure we
have included everything.  But motivationally, we are ready!!  It appears the weather is
going to be great for at least the first couple of days.  Thank all of you who have been
praying for us!  We certainly need those prayers and please don't forget to continue.

This week we had an interview with the Richardson Morning News reporter, Sarah Post.  
I will send you a link to that article as soon as it is ready.

Now here is a link you will want to check out!  Our grandson,  Caleb, went to the Preview
website to check and see what movie he wanted to see.  He couldn't believe it when he
saw the picture of Grandma and Grandpa right there on the home page.  I think he
thought that his grandparents were in the movies.  Well, maybe not, but he called right
away to let me know that he saw it.  Here is the link:  www.PreviewOnline.org .  Also
check out the  mini-reviews of the movies while you are there!  Click the  "Guest Sign In"
and scroll down , enter your email address, etc., and then every time you check in you will
go directly to the mini-reviews. IT'S FREE.   Have you ever gone to a movie and then
wished you had saved your time and money?  If you want to see the  review which gives
full detail of the content  you may sign up as a subscriber and I think it is only $24 per
year.  It is well worth the money!  Then you will know the word count of offensive
language, and if there is sexual content or violence.  As they say to Mikey, "Try it, you'll like
it!"

I've got to get busy making a Porta-Tent.  I will explain that once it's finished and I can
take a picture of it.

Mar 1 - Mar 7, 2004
Wow, life is crazy...very busy.  Friday sort of seemed like Christmas around with
packages coming in the mail.  Thorlos sent a great supply of walking and running socks
which is great news!  We had bought a pair to try and I was amazed the way they
protected my feet when walking long distances and they feel wonderful.  Thanks,
Thorlos!!

Also, got our business cards Friday and some CD's that explain the glyconutritional
technology for anyone who has questions.  We are slowly getting ready.

One week from today and we will be on our way so will close the diary for now and get
working on things yet to do.

Feb 23 - Feb 29
As you may have noticed by the news flash on the home page, we have now included a
benefit for the American Diabetes Association as part of our walk.  We are excited about
this.  We want to make this time as beneficial to as many people as possible.  

Another fun thing we did this week was speak to a group of 60 or so  third graders at the
Richland Elementary School, here in Richardson.  What a great bunch!  Thanks, Jean,
for helping us arrange this. They were really a joy!

Now the not so exciting news.   We still haven't found drivers for our escort vehicle BUT
we have decided to go anyway.  It isn't exactly what we wanted to do but we will still be
walking the 1000 miles.  We will park our car and walk ahead maybe 5 - 8 miles and
then turn around and walk back to the car.  Then drive ahead twice that distance and do
the same thing over.  That way we will have walked the right amount of miles but have
walked half of it twice and not at all on the other half.

I learned one thing today (Feb. 28, 2004).  We need to go somewhere and buy some
pepper spray.  I took our dog (a Pekinese named Louie...you can see his picture on the
photos page) around the block for his evening walk. One of our neighbors has a pit bull.  
When I got to the front of their house I found that they had tied him with a long chain to a
tire that was on a rim.  That was good and that was bad!  The good thing was that it
slowed him down a bit, the bad news was that the tire wasn't still attached to the car.  He
started after us and made a grab for Louie.  I jerked Louie by his leash (poor dog
probably has whiplash) and then the dog started toward me.  All I could remember is
"don't run...keep your eyes fixed on the dog and yell 'no'...back up...yell 'stop'..back up
holding something in front of you so that he will grab it instead or you..."  Can't you just
imagine that dog running around with Louie on the end of his leash when he grabbed
that rewind part of the leash?  It wasn't funny at the time.  I think probably the only thing
that saved us was that the dog had gone into the street and his tire kind of snagged on
the curb as he tried to get to us.  I was screaming "no, stop" and the owner's name.  I
don't know if they heard me or if they just happened to see what was going on but they
came and got the dog but didn't say a word to me.  That didn't mean I didn't say anything
to them!  By that time I had gotten a few feet away but I yelled something about keeping
that dog off the sidewalk.  Funny thing, they didn't answer.  Just took their dog into the
garage and shut the door.

Now I am sure that I don't need a heart check-up before leaving for our walk.  If it was
going to fail me that would have been the time!!

Feb 16 - Feb 22
This week has been a beautiful one!  Temperatures in the upper 60s here in
Richardson...a real change from the Valentine's day photo that I sent last week.  Peg
Arthur was able to identify the "Private Farm Lane" sign in that picture.  It came from the
corner there on West North Street near where we lived in Akron and was at the beginning
of the street that led to Howard Utter's horse barn.

We are anticipating some exciting things this week as we are getting ready for the walk .  
I will let you know next week if they come to pass. Wishing you all a great and healthy
week.

Feb 9 - Feb 15
We have finally added a picture to our photo page.  Be sure to look, it has a message for
you from us in Richardson, TX.    The signs on the post are in our backyard and they have
traveled with us from Indiana to McAllen, Texas, up here to the apartment in Dallas and
then to our home here in Richardson.  Here is the riddle for those in Akron.  Where in
Akron was the "Dead End, Private Farm Lane" sign posted?  (Clue:  Jim Shriver may
know.)

Feb 2 - Feb  8
I wish that I had some real exciting news to tell you today...like we had everything ready
and ready to leave on the trip.  However, that isn't the case.  But for those of you up north I
can encourage you that spring is coming.  When Ron and I went to Woodruff Park in
Plano to walk on Saturday we found a lot of dandelions blooming.  We are sure looking
forward to getting on the road!

If any of you know a doctor or health care professional who is interested in nutrition,
please ask them to look at the schedule at the " Important Notice  For Doctors and
Medical Professionals" button on the "Home" page. They will find information on
upcoming Continuing Medical Education seminars.  They will receive 4 CE hours for the
seminar.

Also, please notice the changes to the "Teachers/Classrooms" page.  We would like to
get as many classes as possible promoting fitness and sharing with others how they
are doing that and what results they are experiencing.

Jan 25 - Feb 1, 2004
For those of you up north, I'm sure that you are aware that tomorrow is Ground Hog's
day...only six more weeks of winter weather.  For us, I'm thinking, "Only six more weeks
until March 15th, the day we start our trek to Indiana."  

This morning the "African Children's Choir" performed for us in church. Wow, now I have
my next goal after the 1000 mile walk and that is to be able to jump and dance like they
did while singing all the time!  They sang one song in particular that really touched me.  
I'm not sure what it was named but the idea of it was that God had a purpose for me that
is why I was born. I have known that it is important how we treat others because if God
had not had a purpose for them they would never have been born.  Our pastor has often
reminded us that God didn't create a child and then decide what He wanted him or her to
do, but that He had a plan and created the child to fulfill that plan.  (Ever wonder what He
had in mind when He created you?  I wonder about me!)

Jan 18 - Jan 24, 2004
Well, I feel like we are moving along like a herd of turtles.  We have so much to get
accomplished before March 15th and also so much to do for my jobs yet before that time.
 The encouraging thing this week is the news article that Ann Allen placed in the
Rochester Sentinel on Jan. 21st.  Thanks, Ann, it was very nice and it was also good to
hear from some of our Akron friends...plus one of our Richardson, TX acquaintances via
her Akron friends.  It's a small world, isn't it?  (Won't seem like it when we are walking, I'll
bet!)  We will update you again next week.

Jan 10 - Jan 17, 2004
This has been a busy week.  We have contacted several associations for sponsorship or
advertising and walked 5 to 10 miles per day. However, I am going to have to cut my
walking time until I have completed the tax work that I have due for three companies.  

I anticipated some interesting situations while we were on our trip but let me tell you they
have already begun. Last Saturday we had walked about 5 miles and stopped by a
McDonalds to rest a little while and get a bite to eat before we started back.  I went to the
restroom and saw a mop bucket just inside the door.  I didn't see anyone but assumed
that someone was cleaning one of the stalls...a woman I supposed or they would have
put a sign on the door.   I stopped at the first stall and proceeded to do what I went there
for.  I could hear men's voices but thought they were coming through the wall...wrong
thought!!  When I opened the door of the stall two men were standing there.  I'm sure they
had already surmised that I was there but I was sure shocked to see them!  My question
was, "Am I in the wrong restroom or are you?"  They answered that it was they...that they
were making some repairs.  I haven't decided yet if that made it less embarrassing or
not.

Jan 1 - Jan 9, 2004
Each day gets more exciting as we prepare for this walk!  We first started walking
seriously back in September.   Then in early November the idea was conceived that we
would enjoy walking to Indiana and meeting and encouraging people along the way.  By
this time we had walked several hundred miles in the Collin Creek Mall and done some
10k walks with the Dallas Trekkers.  So before we decided to start talking about it openly
we went to McAllen the last part of November and walked 10 to 12 miles a day for three
consecutive days.  Yep, we think we can do it!

Our first real encouragers were Dave Haverty, the president of Preview, and his wife
Susan.  They encouraged us to go for it and helped to brainstorm some ideas how it
could be done.  (Some others thought we had lost our minds)  

So then we contacted Brant Riner to design our website and the last of December went
to Indiana to talk with Dr. Rogers, a podiatrist where I had worked several years ago, to
get some information on how to wrap sprained ankles, etc.  What an encouragement he
was!  We came home with a bag full of foot care and a head full of things like type of
shoes to buy, etc.  Thanks,  Dr. Rogers.

Thanks to Brant our website is ready for introducing to the public! Now we will be
contacting advertisers, sponsors, schools, the media, etc. and will send you an update
next week.
Daily Diary
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after April 30, 2004
Diary Page 2
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after April 30, 2004.