April 30

Ruth and Carol took us out to the starting point this morning. It was misting rain and a bit chilly. We are on Highway 70 and 71S and after a bit Highway 70 turns to the north while Highway 71S continues straight.

 

We know we are in Arkansas. hills and pine trees. This must be the 'pine tree coridor' as we have nothing but pine trees on both sides of the highway.

 

But after about 6 miles we entered what I will call the Woolsey Creek and Saline River valley. Lush pastureland and flat walking. (Note: this is not the Saline River that flows south of Benton.) Nothing really different or exciting happened today. We did manage to walk 13 miles and we found a nickel. Stay tuned ....

April 29

Yesterday we moved the RVs to DeQueen Lake and are camping at Oak Grove campground. Lots of trees and the lake is within walking distance.

Ruth dropped us off 6.5 miles west DeQueen and with that started an eventful day. We soon walked by the Sevier County Airport and then to the outskirts of DeQueen. As we walked by the Big D Pizza and Pine Bowl, a cute little puppy crossed the highway and decided that we needed company. We were both concerned that the dog would get run over and despite our efforts to shoo the puppy away, he still wanted to be our friend.

Quick thinking John had an idea. We were passing by a veterinarians office, when John picked the puppy up and took it inside. He convinced the staff there that the puppy belonged to people down the highway and that if it kept following us, it would surely get run over. We rescued an elk in New Mexico, not we saved a puppy in Arkansas.

While this little episode was going on, a truck pulled over and a man go out and started talking to John. It was Allen Mallette, brother of Larry Mallette. Larry is a good friend of John and Ruth's and serves on the Board of Directors of GCHFH.

Allen wished us good luck and walked back to his truck while we walked on passed the Dairy DeQueen and into DeQueen.

We passed by the KDQN radio station and John wanted to go in and tell them about the walk. They were waiting for us. Allen had stopped on his way through town and said there will be two guys in orange walking this way very soon. When we walked in the receptionist said, "We were expecting you". In addition to radio, the station has an online newspaper. There website is 

www.kdqn.net.

On we walked until we met up with Patrick Massey, reporter for the local weekly newspaper, DeQueen Bee. He asked us about our walk and we gave the usual information and then John added that it is not about our walk, but about Habitat for Humanity. About the work they do worldwide and in affiliates all over the US.

We crossed over Pepper Creek and in a short while Ruth and Carol picked us up. We found another half inch wrench and .39 cents. Stay tuned ...

April 28

"Arkansas 'ol Arkansas, I just love 'ol Arkansas

I love my Ma and I love my Pa

But I just love 'ol Arkansas

I just love 'ol Arkansas"

 

Lyrics by Roger Miller

Sung by Ken Goodman at the Vienna Theatre (across from Bathhouse Row, great show)

 

Goodbye Oklahoma, Hello Arkansas. We entered our home state today and it sure felt good.

Onward to Hot Springs! (and beyond).

 

The day started off a bit chilly when Ruth let us off. John and I both had jackets on, but quickly shed them when the sun came up and warmed us. After just a bit, we crossed the Mountain Fork River and a very narrow bridge. In fact, we crossed several narrow bridges today.

The Mountain Fork is the biggest river around here and floaters travel down it in the spring and summer.

 

The shoulder here is a bit narrow, so we walked single file and waved at all the truckers. Log trucks, trucks hauling chickens to the processing plant in Broken Bow and many more trucks of all descriptions. We found a pile of pennies along the highway today, probably 30 or 40. If I haven't mentioned it before, all monies found on the highway are being donated to the Coast to Coast Walk Fund. We should have about $10. by the time we finish this phase at Greenville, MS. 

Please help us fund this Habitat house by making a donations to Garland Co. HFH, PO Box 171, Hot Springs, AR 71901. Help us make a difference in the life of a low income, deserving family by making a donation today. Thank you.

 

Carol and Ruth were waiting for us when we arrived at the Oklahoma/Arkansas state line. High fives, congratulations, photos and  champagne (well Gatorade and water).

 

Today we found a half inch wrench and .85 cents. Tomorrow we walk through DeQueen, ARKANSAS ! Stay tuned ....

April 27

It was quite foggy when we started out this morning and in a short time we were crossing the Little River. The highway here is 4 lanes, divided and normally that is not a problem. But the divided side we were walking on featured the "old" highway bridge as opposed to the "new" highway bridge on the other side.The old bridge had no shoulder, none whatsoever. Traffic was fairly heavy with everyone going to work. So, we decide to use the new bridge, with a wide shoulder and walk with the traffic. It worked out pretty good, although I like to see the traffic coming and not sneaking up behind me.

As we walked passed the Tyson Processing Plant, a young man asked us if we were out for a walk. We said we were, but the conversation soon switch to the chicken processing plant and how it operated. He said the chickens come in one side of the plant, are processed and then shipped out on the other side. We asked him specifically how the chickens were killed. He said that they were hung upside down, put in a dark room to keep them calm and then a saw cuts their heads off. He also added this bit of information that we found interesting. Just before the head is cut off, Islamic prayer music is played. He explained that Muslims won't eat meat unless it is prayed over first. So, next time you have chicken, rest assured it has been prayed over.

We walked on and through Broken Bow. Passed the donut shop where we stopped for a much deserved snack. Fortified by our donut, we passed by the End of Trail Motel where a sign advertises "heat" in your room.

Heat is what we need as the sun came out but quickly retreated and it became windy and cold. We got our 12 miles in and Ruth picked us up just after we passed the " Yippie Kayo Kayaks"

We found .16 cents. Stay tuned ...

April 26

Ruth took us out about 7 am this morning and in no time we were walking through the small community of Garvin. Garvin is where the 2 lane highway turns into 4 lanes. The weather was cool which makes for good walking, but warmed up as the sun came out. We walked past the Weyerhaeuser plant and came to the Highway 70 bypass.  

 

Ruth and Carol were there to drive us 4 miles down the bypass, which we had walked yesterday. On pasted a junk yard that we got this message they didn't want us on their property.

 

We stopped just before the Little River and will walk through Broken Bow tomorrow. Also, contacted the insurance company about our damaged RV and they will send out an adjuster. I filled the holes with insulation foam and hopefully that will work temporarily.

 

The horses are just behind the RV park. Stay tuned ....

April 25

Today started out fairly normal, but it certainly didn't end up normal. At about 6 am this morning, a storm front came through the Green Acres RV at Idabel, OK. After a delay of about 2 hours, Carol took us out with instructions not to get too far away. The skies looked like they would open up any minute. After about 4 miles, that is exactly what happened. Carol rescued us and we started back towards Idabel. Well, when we got to the 70 Bypass, it stopped raining, so John suggested that we walk the 4 miles to Highway 70. Which we did, except the rain started again so we called it a day, we got seven miles on the books. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will go back and walk the 9 miles that we missed today and then fast forward to Highway 70 and on to Broken Bow.

 

Speaking of Broken Bow, we moved the RVs here after the walk. We were parked at the Broken Bow Motel RV Park when another strong storm approached. We thought it would be a good if we retreated to the lobby of the motel and after we were there about 15 minutes, another park resident came into the lobby and announced that a tree had been blown on our motorhome.

John and I went to see who's RV was damaged. It was ours. A tree was blown across the back of the RV and punched 2 holes in the roof. Also, there was damage to the heater vent and the AC cover. The man who told us about the damage said his brother in Idabel had a chainsaw and that he get it and cut the tree off the motorhome. He and his wife got on the roof and in about 15 minutes had the tree removed. This is not going to be a quick fix, so we will see if we can patch the roof temporarily until we get to Hot Springs.

 

No one was hurt, we are OK. Jolie Blonde was in the motorhome at the time and looked a little shell shocked, but I believe she is OK. Other than that, everything went pretty well. We found some deer antlers, a screwdriver and .70 cents. Stay tuned .....

April 24

We attended Easter Sunday services at First Presbyterian Church in Idabel, Oklahoma. Small church but a great service by Rev. Oscar Wilkie.

 

Carol was talking with one of the members and it turned out she was the daughter of one of Carol's patients. Carol gave allergy shots for many years at the Hot Springs Clinic of Otolaryngology.

 

Afterwards, another member, Don Leatherwood, who is the distributor of Mountain Valley Water in Idabel, invited us to follow him a short distance to his warehouse and he and his wife loaded us up with 4 or 5 cases of Mountain Valley Water. A very kind and appreciated gesture.

 

Tomorrows forecast is rain. Hopefully we can gets some miles in. Stay tuned...

April 23

Ruth dropped us off this morning just east of Fort Towson. Fort Towson was made famous when Civil War General Stand Watie, a Cherokee chief, surrendered the last Confederate troops, all Cherokee indians, to Union Forces on June 23, 1865.

We passed by a good looking fishing lake, Lake Raymond Gary, but no fishing gear and no Oklahoma fishing license. Traffic was light this morning and the walk went well. We walked into Swink, Oklahoma, but nothing was open except the post office. But, the good folks at Swink Sunny Acres will be glad to sell you a lot with a mobile home on it.

On we walked and reached the outskirts of Valliant where International Paper has a huge plant. As we walked through Valliant, we decided to take a break and as fate would have it, there was a Daylight Donut shop across the street. John and I had a little snack.

Today we found a fork in the road and we took it. Also, 10 cents. Stay tuned ....

April 22

Ruth took us out this morning and we are now east of Hugo. In just a short while, we were crossing the Kiamachi River just below the Lake Hugo dam. We saw several people fishing below the dam. Crappie fishing is reportedly good here.

 

We soon walked through the town of Sawyer and stopped at the public tornado shelter. Sawyer is so small, every citizen of Sawyer could probably fit into that shelter.

 

On we walked through about a 3 mile section of highway that was under construction. We walked single file here as there was very little shoulder. But, with the nimbleness and alertness of two senior citizens, we made it through.

 

We reached the town of Ft. Towson and Carol and Ruth were waiting for us on the other side of town.

We found an Oklahoma license plate and a nickel. Stay tuned ...

April 21

Six miles west of Hugo, Oklahoma was our starting point today. We started in a drizzling rain and a wind blowing into our face. After a while, the wind settled down and the rain stopped and it was easy going. Yesterday, John and I passed the 200 mile point on this phase of the walk. We toasted the occasion, John with warm Gatorade and me with warm water.

After six miles, we crossed under the Indian Nation Turnpike overpass and entered the outskirts of Hugo. The Indian Nation Turnpike travels north or here to Antlers and McAlester, Oklahoma.

We stopped at the first gas station/convenience store to use the facilities and rest a bit. John bought us each a cup of Blue Bell ice cream. Very tasty, thanks John.

I would have never related Hugo, Oklahoma with the circus, but there is a definite connection. Today, Hugo is the winter home of 4 circuses and in the 1940s, was the winter home of 20 circuses. The midwest central location allowed the circuses to head south in February and swing north as the weather warmed up. As TV and movies became more popular in the 50s, circuses became less popular.

On our walk through Hugo, we saw the office of the Hugo Daily News and John decided to give them a scoop. He talked to a reporter named Crystal. John told her about our walk, she asked a few questions and took our picture. Now we wait to see if there is an article in the paper tomorrow. I don't know if I can take all of the fame.

Today we found a penny. Stay tuned .....

April 20


We moved the RV's to Kaimachi Park yesterday and Ruth took us out today on a chilly morning. A storm system came through last night and cooled the temps down. We are headed east on Highway 70, each step taking us closer to Hot Springs. We are in cattle country with small towns spaced 10 to 12 miles apart.

We were passed by 4 big trucks hauling very long precast concrete bridge sections. Since they are working on the overpass just west of Hugo, we figured that is their destination.

We crossed over Muddy Boggy Creek and headed for Soper, Oklahoma. I'm not saying the Soper is small, but John and I are the biggest thing to hit Soper since Freckles Brown won the World Bull Riding Championship.  

Today we found a quarter. Stay tuned ...

April 19

Yesterday we were going to move to Kaimichi Park, a Corp of Engineer park on Lake Hugo, just east of Hugo. But, on our walk, we discovered Chapparal RV park, between Bennington and Boswell. The lady that ran the park gave up a 50% discount when she discovered we were walking for Habitat for Humanity.

 

Ruth took us out early this morning and in no time we were walking through Bennington. The town of Bennington is not on the highway, so there is not much to say about it.

 

We passed by the Master Works Dulcimer store. Dulcimers out here in Oklahoma, I thought they were an Ozark Mountains instrument. We walked along and saw a big road kill on the shoulder and we both thought it was a raccoon. It turned out to be, of all things, a beaver. I don't believe I have ever seen a beaver road kill. Our next encounter with an animal was of the live variety We saw our first snake on the shoulder of the road. John thought it might be a Copperhead. We gave it plenty of room.

 

As we entered Boswell, we stopped at the first convenience store and started talking to a man named Paul Green. He knew us from the TV interview in Ardmore. We inquired about an RV park and Paul said he would fix us up a place at the local school, water and electricity. Paul is the maintenance man there. We thought that was a very generous offer but after we thought about it for a while, we would not be able to run our AC without 30 amp service, so John called Paul back and thanked him for his offer, but said we needed AC.

 

Today we only found 27 cents. Stay tuned ....

April 18

Ruth took us out early this morning and dropped us off at the starting point. Soon we crossed the Blue River and then came to the town of Blue. We saw a sign at one of the convenient stores, "Cheap groceries". That's our place to shop. There are two convenient stores in town, one when you come into town and one when you leave town.

 

On we walked and just before we entered the town of Bokchito, a woman pulled up in front of us and said she had seen us in the "media". She asked us how far we had walked and we said from the Pacific Ocean. After we explained that we had divided the walk up into 4 phases, she wanted to know what phases we were going to walk. We said all of them and she said, "Just the two of you are walking all the way across the United States!" Yep, just the two of us and our great support team, Carol and Ruth.

 

Today walked was highlighted by three bridges. Not necessarily the bridges, but the lack of shoulder on the bridges. Using good timing and scurrying across the bridges, we made it just fine.

 

Just before we reached the town of Bennington, a lady stopped on our side of the road and said, "I told mama that you were the two fellers that we had seen on TV and that I just "had to stop and talk to you". Her left arm had been amputated about 6 inches from the shoulder and after a bit, John asked her how she lost her arm. She said she lost it in an auto accident, but she saved 7 children in the process and that she would do it all over again. There is a bigger story there, but we didn't press her. We met her mama who was in the front seat of the car, said our good-byes and we were off walking again.

 

Ruth picked us up a short time later and took us back for a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. Today we found an Oklahoma motorcycle license plate, a Texas license plate and a nickel. Stay tuned ......

April 17

No walking today, instead we attended the services at First Baptist Church of Durant, Oklahoma.

 

We have walked 169 miles since April 1st. John and I have seen some beautiful countryside and have met some wonderful people. Ruth and Carol continue to be our support team. Without them, this walk would be impossible.

 

But this is not about our walk, it is not about Dick and John or Ruth and Carol. It is about Kateena Walker and her two daughters, ages 6 and 4. Kateena has been a Wal-Mart employee for the past 10 year. Kateena and her family have been in and out of various apartments for the past 10 years. She would like a permanent home so her daughters can grow up in a safe, secure environment. A place where her daughters can grow up to their full potential. A place that is decent and affordable. Their own home.

 

Won't you help us put Kateena and her daughters in a decent, affordable and safe Habitat house. Please make a pledge or donation and help Kateena make her dream come true.

Send donations to Garland Co HFH, Coast to Coast Walk, P O Box 171, Hot Springs, AR 71902. All contributions are tax deductible. Thank you.