While we are currently sitting in a condo in the Lake of the Ozarks, we’ll have to backtrack all the way to Wichita to catch everyone up to speed. I am sure people know this has been one of the hottest summers on record and the middle of the country is where the heat wave hits the hardest. Ever since hitting Kansas the heat combined with the humidity has been a brutal combination. It literally weighs you down and walking on highways allows for no shade and the heat reflects off the blacktop turning the intensity up a little more. It would usually take us a few miles to start sweating and now it takes a few steps before we are completely drenched. Unfortunately, the heat has really taking a toll on us and we haven’t even taking any videos these past couple weeks.

Anyway, it is just something we are going to have to deal with the rest of the way home. Kansas was actually a somewhat easy state to walk through. While it was massive, the flat land provided good walking highways. Wichita turned out to be a really cool stop along our journey. Anthony and I would like to sincerely thank Mike Noller of the World Treasure’s Museum and all of the people who turned out in support of that wonderful museum. Mike was actually running an annual fundraiser one of the nights we stayed in Wichita and was really interested in our story. Anthony’s parents met Mike while we were walking and once we got there he immediately handed us 4 comped  tickets for his fundraiser. I was also given the opportunity to speak to all of  his guests, which we really appreciated.  After saying a few words at the podium we received a great response from the crowd, including some donations.

We were pleasantly surprised with our whole Wichita experience. The old town had plenty of cool bars and the brick buildings provided a really nice backdrop. We thoroughly enjoyed our day off after about 3 straight weeks of walking. From Wichita, we were determined to get out of Kansas as quick as possible.

As we headed towards the Missouri border, we found ourselves in the small town of Eureka looking for any food we could get our hands on. Finally we ended up at the Lo-Mar Drive in. While we waited here for our meals, a few younger kids came rushing in for some food. They had seen us walking earlier in the day and had some questions for us as they laughed at our jogging strollers.  A minute or two after they seemingly had left, Dylan (one of the kids) came rushing back in with a lime green bracelet that he handed to Ant. He asked if one of us would wear it for the rest of the trip, in memory of his grandmother who had died of breast cancer just last year. It was definitely one of those moments that we’ll remember forever. Below is a picture of the four kids with Ant -( from left to right) – Dylan, Matt, Ahn-Alika, and Kennedy.

East of Wichita you hit an area known as the Flint Hills, which are as the name suggests, hilly. While Kansas is known for being flat we did have some serious hills to climb to reach Missouri. Once we got past those hills we had about 60 miles until the Missouri border. We finally hit the border and were thrilled to reach our next state. Just before we did, we stayed in Fort Scott, Kansas. There is a beautiful B&B there called the Twins Lyon Mansion, and we were giving a free stay in the suite room. They are two identical mansions, which have been converted into a bed and breakfast. The mansions were spectacularly decorated and the morning breakfast was out of this world. Thanks Nate for a great stay!

Missouri has already been a great experience. We got hooked up with Mike Turnbull from Nevada, Missouri, which is the first town we hit once we crossed the border. He showed us around town and introduced us to what felt like all of Nevada. The town is actually pronounced “Nuh-vay-da”. He brought us out to two great dinners, each having around 20 guests. He allowed us to stay in his home two nights, which was a really great experience.  We also went out to a local bar and met really some interesting people. It actually felt like we were leading a normal life for the past couple days. If anyone happens to pass through Nevada make sure to stop at White Grill, a classic spot with unbelievable food.

Mike and his friend Deborah decided they wanted to walk some miles with us. Unfortunately, it was one of the hottest days of our entire trip. The thermometer told us it was 108 but with the 70% humidity and no shade, it had to be at least 120 degrees on the road. They both were able to stick it out for a while and we loved the company. Nevada definitely left an impression on us and gave us a good taste for the middle of America.

Now, we are relaxing in the Lake of the Ozarks and we are going to take a couple days off. It is the destination we have been looking forward to for awhile so we might take two days off for the first time the entire trip. Mike from Nevada continues to hook us up as we are staying with his cousin right on the water.

We will begin to video again once we head east from here. We are closing in on a 1000 miles. Hopefully, we will only have to endure this heat for another two weeks before it starts to cool down.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 at 9:30 am and is filed under Pre-Walk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.