Monday, June 14th

This will be our last blog of Phase II. This morning, we all walked the final 6.8 miles of our "Coast to Coast Walk". We crossed the Red River on highway 70 and entered Oklahoma. We have now walked across California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. We walked a total of 1,310 miles, 800 on Phase I and 510 on Phase II.

There are two remarkable events that I need to address. The first is John Goodmans amazing recovery after emergency surgery and the infection after that surgery. John was very sick and weak. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital in Ruidoso, NM. And yet, after all he went through, he was able to gain his strength back and resumed walking when we got to Portales, NM. At first he didn't walk very far, but he didn't give up and this past Saturday, walked the entire 11 miles, our daily quota for Phase II.

The second event that took place involved Ruth and Carol. They took John's place when John was so very sick and weak. They both did an outstanding job out on the highway. They kept me going. So, I congratulate my walking partners, way to go, John, Ruth and Carol !!!

But this walk is not about Dick or John or Ruth or Carol. This walk is about putting a qualified, low income family, presently living in substandard housing, into a new Habitat for Humanity house in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This walk was about raising awareness and money for Habitat for Humanity. Money to build that house for that low income family in Hot Springs. So, one last plea. If you are reading this blog, please make a contrition to our "Coast to Coast Walk". All contributions will be greatly appreciated regardless of amount. All contribution are tax deductible. Checks can be made out to Garland Co. Habitat for Humanity, PO Box 171, Hot Springs, AR 71902. Please write "Coast to Coast Walk" in the memo section.

We have met some wonderful people along the way. Thanks to the state troopers for being courteous and nice. Thanks to the people who prayed for our safety. Thanks to Roman, who gave us water and breakfast burritos. Thanks to the bread salesman who offered us a loaf of bread and the lady who gave us 2 dollars. And thanks to the dozens of people who asked us if we needed any help along the highway. And thanks to the dogs who didn't bite us. We didn't use our pepper spray one time, in part, thanks to good fences.

We found $5.90 along the way, all going to Habitat. And on our last day we did find something that we were very surprised to find. Seventeen bags of Senor Tom's Wheat Snacks (Con Chile y Limon). Yum-O  Phase III ???

Stay tuned .......

Sunday, June 13th

We attended Fain Presbyterian Church in Witchita Falls, Texas today. The pastor is Rhodes Stipp and Rhodes was  pastor of Highland Presbyterian Church in Hot Springs several years ago. I had the opportunity to say a few words about our walk and the church had a special offering for Garland Co. HFH. It was a pleasure to see Rhodes and Susan again. They invited the Mattsons and Goodmans to have a delicious lunch with them at their home and we had fun talking about old times. Thank you Fain Presbyterian and thank you Rhodes and Susan.

Saturday, June 12th

Last night we all went to the local country club to celebrate John and Ruth's 45th wedding anniversary. John bought Ruth a bouquet of flowers and we all had a good meal and a good time. Congratulations John and Ruth !!

Today we walked through Vernon, Texas, our last town to walk through. About a mile into town, a bread salesman saw us walking and stopped to talk. We told him about our walk and he seemed genuinely interested and offered us a loaf of bread. We graciously declined his offer and immediately wondered why we did that. A free loaf of bread doesn't come along everyday.

We walked out of town and into a blustering wind and much traffic. The highway is divided here and is much like an interstate. But we kept going until a state trooper stopped us. I thought for sure he would make us get off the highway, but he told us to be careful and let us continue. A little later on, a lady pulled up behind Carol, who was waiting in the car along side the road. She told Carol that she was going to the vet and if Carol was still there when she drove back, she was going to stop and see if their was any trouble. Carol explained our walk for Habitat and she said she loved the work Habitat was doing and for Carol to wait there for just a minute. She went back to her car and came back with two dollars and said she was sorry, but that was all the money she had with her. Thanks mystery lady.

After 11 miles, we were at Oklaunion, Texas and our ending point for today. John walked with me the whole 11 miles. Good going John!

Vernon was good to us today, we found 61 cents and a socket wrench. Monday we cross the Red River and wrap up Phase II. Stay tuned .... 

Friday, June 11th

We were walking by 6:30 am today. It had cooled down a bit as there was a thunderstorm last night that Carol and John somehow managed to sleep through. Ruth and I didn't and neither did Jolie Blonde as she was in our bed at the first clap of thunder.

We passed through the small town of Lockett and kept going. Nothing much going on at Lockett today. In the wildlife department, we saw 5 dead armadillos, road kills. Had not seen many of them before today. Also saw a dead snake.

We found 47 cents in coins, all of which we're embedded in the asphalt. So, if you have a coin stuck in the asphalt, who do you call? Coin Busters! With a small screwdriver and a flip of the wrist, out they pop. Asphalt to be cleaned off later with gasoline.

Tomorrow we walk through Vernon, Texas, our last town. Stay tuned .....

Thursday, June 10th

Got another early start today, 6:15 am. We beat the heat for a while, then it became warm. But, before it got hot, we had completed our 11 miles. We saw our first Longhorn steer today. One would think that we would have seen more, but with 3 more days to walk, we saw our first one. Also saw hay and wheat and horses and more hay and wheat and horses.

We did see our first oil well in a while. I think the last oil wells were around Portales, New Mexico. Of course, it was in the middle of a wheat field. We crossed into Wilbarger County today, the last county we will walk in. Also, we moved the RVs from Crowell to Vernon, Texas, our last RV park on the walk.

On our way through Crowell, we stopped at the Shaw's Pharmacy and took one more photo of the large cactus they have out front. We found a 7mm socket and 53 cents. Stay tuned ....

Wednesday, June 9th

We got an early start today and after about 4 miles, we walked through Crowell. What can I say about Crowell that I haven't said about all the other small towns we have been through. Courthouse square and old buildings, mostly deserted. Crowell does have an annual Wild Pig Cookoff and an annual Cowboys Christmas Ball. And, in front of Shaw's Pharmacy is a huge prickly pear cactus, biggest that I have ever seen.

I need to make a correction about the day we finish. I said we would be finished on Saturday, June 12th. I'm revising that to Monday, June 14th. Someone snuck in an extra 10 miles.

Today we found 47 cents. Stay tuned ....

Tuesday, June 8th

Carol and Jolie Blonde took me out early this morning and once again, we headed east. From the landscape and the signs that we see, this is hunting country. There are deer, turkey, wild hogs, quail and doves. And the signs I see all say "private hunting, by permit only" or "(fill in the blank) Hunting Club. On the Crowell, Texas website, there is a link to a hunting club that imports exotic animals for their customers to shoot. No thanks, I'm not a hunter, but I like to fish. But even as a fisherman, I have the "catch and release" philosophy.

As we mentioned before, this is wheat harvesting time and two "big" combines passed me on the road today. I think they were the two that we saw yesterday.

Just down the road from the RV park, there is the Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus. It is run by the Three Rivers Institute, who's mission is "promote and foster arts andscience education. They have monthly "star parties" and have an array of observation telescopes and other viewing equipment. The facility is free and open to the public.

John and Ruth return tomorrow and we will walk through Crowell. Today we found a Texas (private bus) license plate, a cheap steak knife and a quarter. Stay tuned ......

Friday, June 4th

I forgot to mention that we moved the RV's to the Longhorn Ranch RV Park and Steak House. Yup, RV park and steak house. It is about 10 miles west of Crowell, which puts it in the middle of cattle ranch country.

Friday evening, Carol and I decided to treat ourselves to a steak dinner at the Longhorn Steak House. It was very rustic and western looking inside and the meal was very good. The waitress said it has only been open for about 3 years. This restaurant could compete on an equal footing with any restaurant in the big city and here it is in the middle of nowhere. Open on Friday and Saturday nights only, call ahead as they are closed on certain weekends.

We returned to the motorhome and a few minutes later, looked outside only to see a mother javelina and 4 baby pigs. We never thought we would see javelina this close up as they were only about 40 yards away. What are these Razorbacks doing in Texas?

Saturday, June 5th

Carol and I took the day off today. At least we didn't walk. Instead we drove to Vernon, Texas and did our laundry, I got a haircut, we changed the oil in the Malibu and bought a few things at Wal-Mart. We were going to a movie, but all they had were two childrens movies and a chick flick, no thanks. We ate a burger at Bevo's instead.

Monday, June 7th

Carol took me out early this morning and I walked another 11 miles. Jolie Blonde even got into the act. She walked with me for about a quarter of a mile, then decided she wanted to ride, not walk. We are between Paducah and Crowell, Texas. Still cattle country and real cowboy country. Everyone we see wears bluejeans, cowboy boots and either a baseball cap or a cowboy hat.

When we got back from the walk, the A/C unit on our motorhome had frozen over. It was extremely hot in the RV, so we drove to Crowell and ate lunch at Taters Restaurant. As we drove through town, we were met by two huge combines. This is wheat cutting time here and you see combines, trucks, etc. in the fields and on the road. When we got back to the motorhome, the A/C unit was still frozen, so I thawed it out with a hair dryer, cleaned it up and it seems to be working fine now. I think I need a whole new unit.

We found 2 Texas license plates, an adjustable wrench and a National Geographic Map of the USA, it may come in handy. Stay tuned ....

Friday, June 4th

We walked through Paducah today, pass the Dixie Maid Drive-In and on through town. On we walked through cattle and ranch country. At approximately the 9 mile mark, we stopped at a picnic area and waited for our friends and former pastor, Rhodes and Susan Stipp. They were driving from Wichita Falls with two friends on their way to Tulia, Texas and just happened to be on the same highway as us. We visited for about a half hour and they were on their way and we were on ours.

Paducah is the Crossroads of America. US Highway 70 and US Highway intersect connecting the borders of the United States. R. Potts, an early settler, moved to the area from Paducah, Kentucky and gave anyone free land if they would name the city Paducah.

Paducah is very much like all the other small towns we have visited. They all have a town square with the county courthouse sitting in the center. The square is surrounded by building, many of which are very old and unfortunately abandon. A rough estimate is that 80% of all building around the squares are vacant. These towns all flourished in the 50's and before, but declined after that. Some of these towns would make great movie sets.

The only thing I found along the road today was peanuts. In the shell, but not roasted and not salted. I'm saving them for John. Anyone who likes hominy, will think raw peanuts are an epicurean delight. And speaking of John and Ruth, they are on their way to Baltimore, MD, to see their son, Rick, fly his F-16 jet with the Air Force Thunderbirds this weekend. Carol and I are holding down the fort until they come back. Stay tuned ......

Thursday, June 3rd

John took us out today to the start point and Carol and I started walking toward Paducah. Within 10 minutes, we saw a deer off to our right. Our first live deer sighting. A little bit more and we saw a large wooded area and it must have have a dozen or more deer stands. Must be deer here somewhere.

Not to be outdone in the wildlife department, John rescued a terrapin attempting to cross the highway. He gently returned to the side of the highway in the tall grass.

On we walked from wooded lots into pasture land and farmland. We arrived at the outskirts of Paducah and there was a work crew repairing the highway.One of the worker wanted to know if I wanted a lift and I said I would rather walk if he didn't mind. He said OK, but just move over when I come through. He was the driver of the "PILOT CAR FOLLOW ME" truck. I got "way over" when he came through, just to make him feel good.

We will walk through Paducah, "The Crossroads of the USA" tomorrow. We found a golf ball. Stay tuned ....

Wednesday, June 2nd

We got an early start today to beat the heat. Started walking by 7:45 am. We walked today in rolling hills and gullies and rivers. Well, at least one river. That's what the sign said, Pease River. It was more like a wet spot. There are trees here, not big, but they are trees. And deer, that's what the sign said. But, the only one we saw was dead beside the road.

John drove back to Matador and the RV park and we had not gone a mile, when we saw a man in a blue robe, carrying a walking stick made into a cross. He was walking on theother side of the road and headed in the opposite direction from us. We should have seen him as we walked the last mile or two, but didn't. He wore a white beard and was a bit strange looking. We drove back to Matador, had lunch and got ready to move to Paducah as we had found an RV park there. We thought we would see this man as we drove back, but he was no where to be seen. Strange.

We are at the Brooks RV Park in Paducah, Texas. More about Paducah tomorrow. Today we found 27 cents, a screwdriver and a Texas truck license plate. Stay tuned ........

Tuesday, June 1st

We walked through Matador, Texas, population 740, today and it didn't take long. Once on the east side of Matador the land gets flatter. There are wheat fields and cattle and long open spaces.

Matador was named after the Matador Ranch in 1879 and a post office was established in 1886. One of the attractions in Matador is Bob's Oil Well Filling Station. Owner, Luther Bedford "Bob" Robertson, built a wooden oil derrick, later replaced by a metal one, on the station roof. He later added a cafe, garage and grocery store. With a flair for promotion, Bob kept live rattlesnakes inside to the delight and horror of customers.The station closed in the 50's and is currently undergoing restoration.

We are 8 miles east of Matador and headed for Paducah. We found 16 cents today. Stay tuned .....

Monday, May 31st

Yesterday we attended church at the First Baptist Church in Floydada. Very big and impressive church. Floydada is a small town and to have a church this big is really something. It is one of these churches that take up an entire city block, very impressive for Floydada.

Today, we started at the Motley County line, Matador was 14 miles away. As soon as we started we noticed a difference in the landscape. No more farmland, we are actually walking among hills, gullies, draws, trees and shrubs. We are back in cattle country, no farming here. The scenery is very different and welcome. There is nothing wrong with farmland, but it is nice to see something different for a change.

John and I wore American flags today in honor of the soldiers who died for our country. We got more honks and waves today.

After completing 11 miles, we decide to drive the extra 3 miles into Matador just in case there was an RV park there. We came across a restaurant just as we were entering town, they had an RV park, Billie Dean's Motel-Restaurant-RV Park! We went inside, met Billie Dean and her son, and told them we would be back this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, instead of driving 30 miles to the starting point, we now will drive 2 miles.

John found a Texas license plate. Stay tuned .......

Saturday, May 29th


The word for today is mosquitoes ! John and I both had multiple mosquito bites on our legs yesterday. Today, we took precautions and applied insect repellent. The wind picked up and that and the repellent seemed to work. We are on our way to Matador, Texas and should walk through there on Tuesday. We walked 11 miles and found 11 cents. Stay tuned .....

Friday, May 28th

We did things a little different today. We moved the RV this morning, leaving Plainview and arriving at Wayne Russell RV Park, a city owned park, in Floydada. If Ruth understood the lady at city hall correctly, the cost is $5. per night, pay before you leave town. Cheap!

Floydada got it's name from Floyd County and the Ada is the name of a prominent citizen's wife in years gone by.  Floyd County got it's name from Dolphin Ward Floyd, who died at the Alamo. It is also the Pumpkin Capital of the USA and there is a Boston Terrier Museum.

We walked through town, passed the Dixie Dog Drive-In, and were on our way to Matador. This is now wheat country. Golden waving wheat, just like the song. We did another 11 miles and found a penny. Stay tuned .....