7/5
Patrick picked me up after Mass at the monastery and took me to the Katy Trail in Augusta Missouri.  Thanking him for his help I was back on the road.  The Katy Trail is like the North Bend trail I walked on in West Virginia, an old rail road line converted into a hiking trail.  This trail is very well maintained and almost goes the whole way through Missouri.

7/6
Today was a long hike about 27 miles, I didn't have many steps left in me when I got to the town of Herman.  Along the way I met a great couple, Craig and Blue, who were doing a 50 mile ride on the trail.  This is 4th of July weekend so the trail is very crowded with mostly cyclists (my arch nemesis')

7/7
Made it to Mass in Herman and had my confession heard after Mass before heading out.  I met the first two cyclists of many cycling across the U.S. on the trail.  the trail is kind of a pipline for cyclists crossing the U.S.  It's very smooth and you don't have to worry about cars.  I spent the knight at a campground behind someones house just off the trail.  Everything was on the honor system.  they had a fridge on the edge of the trail with drinks and snacks where you just leave money for whatever you take.

7/8
Walking today my sister called me and as I was talking to her a woman cycling towards me asked if I was walking across the U.S?  I said yes, and she said she had read about me on the internet.  Hearing this I quickly got off the phone with my sister and inquired where she had heard about me.  It happens that her and her riding partner were friends with Craig and Blue from a couple days ago and had told them to keep an eye out for me.  Their names were Steve, his daughter Ellie, and Nicole and were very pleasant people.  Talking for a few minutes I continued on to Tebbits.  Getting to Tebbits there is a hostel for the trail, and it only costs 5 dollars.  Sitting outside were two cyclists my age.  We talked for a bit and they decided to stay the night.  They are twin brothers, Andrew and John, one is in the Navy and the other in the Army and they are riding for the wounded warriors fund.  John rode into town, 6 miles one way (which I explained that trip was half a day for me) and got us dinner and breakfast in the morning.  They were amazed I was walking, they said at least they can coast some times, I have to move my legs the whole way.

7/9
Fr. Ben from back home contacted his friend John who lived in Colombia which is not far off the trail who came and picked me up.  He took me to a knights birthday party before going out to dinner.


7/10
Stayed another day with John, was able to attend Mass.

7/11
After Mass I was taken down the trail a bit by John's parents to Boonsville, they were going to the casino that day so I rode along.  We had breakfast with John before heading on down the road.

7/12
Woke up with flat tire, pesky thorn.  Getting it changed I got into Sedalia where John's brother lived. I was going to stay with John's brother but he didn't get off work till 12:30 A.M. so I hung out at John's Aunt and Uncle's.  What a wonderful family.

7/13
Stayed an extra day with Jeff.

7/14
Left Jeff's after Mass and breakfast.  I had felt like I was getting sick the previous night and thought I would be able to sweat it out walking today.  Well it didn't turn out as planned, there are benchs all along the trail and so I ended up laying down on each one I passed.  I made it about 2 miles in 5 hours.  At 4:30 Fr. Phil from Clinton called and said he was excited to meet me.  Clinton was 2 days way and he gave me the number of Dave, the Grand Knight of Windsor which was my next town, if I made it that far, I still had 13 miles to go.  I called Dave and he said he would pick me up in the next town which was 6 miles ahead.  So I pushed through the whole way.  Dave was a great guy, he took me to see their church which they are just about to break ground for their new church.  Dave had a very interesting insight he shared with me.  He married his high school sweetheart who was a Catholic and he was a Lutheran.  Dave was in the Army and went over seas many times.  And even though he was not a Catholic he went to Catholic Masses.  And why?  because he said it was a constant.  like the sun and the stars.  He knew his wife and children were hearing the same readings he was that very day.  And he soon converted.  He took me to get something to eat and to get something to eat before dropping me off at Ron and Helen who were a great couple and took such good care of me.

7/15
In the morning Ron and Helen took me to breakfast and drove me to Clinton where Fr. Phil was waiting for me.  I was feeling horrible today and he took such good care of me.  He let me sleep all day and took me out to dinner in the evening.  He is a wonderful priest and I truly enjoyed my time with him.

7/16
After Mass Fr. Phil borrowed a truck and drove me to Nevada MO which is a 3 days journey by foot.  He dropped me off at St. Mary's where I am staying with Fr. Matthew.  Fr. Matthew is great and has a great story of how he became a priest.  He was in the seminary and left because he was unsure if he was supposed to get married.  So after a few years he was standing in the popcorn line at the movies, where his friends were trying to set him up with a girl, and he was praying to God, "God, what do you want from me, the priesthood, or marriage?"  And after he said that he looked over and there was his bishop who recognized him and said, "Matthew, when are you going to come talk to me?"  And now he is Fr. Matthew.

 The altar at St. George's in Herman

 Lesson learned from another hiker who got stung by a scorpion, always check your shoes if you take them off outside

 The hostel

 The Katy trail

 Sacred Heart in Sedalia

 The town of Clinton is in good hands with Mary watching over it.  The statue was delivered "late" from Italy on Dec. 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception

 The altar at Holy Rosary Church in Clinton.  It's a beautiful new church but consturcted in traditional architecture.

 Me in jail at a civil war era jail in Nevada Missouri

 This frame was carved by an inmate at the jail out of cigar boxes.  there is no glue or nails.  And the picture inside?  that is his lawyer.  He gave him the frame for getting him off death row.

 I always thought barbed wire was like underwear there were two kinds, boxer and briefs....I couldn't have been more worng.

Sorry for long delay of posts....I was lazy

6-21

Left arrowhead and walked to crab orchard campground in Carbondale.  It was the weekend so the campground was packed.

6-22

Left campground and was going to make my way to the next campground when I got pulled over again.  The cop was younger than me and very apologetic.  His boss had passed me, probably on his way into work, and called to check me out.  The young police officer thought it was very cool what I was doing.  He even recommended which hotel to stay at and which ones to stay away from since they have to frequent them very often.  I know I'm not Rockefeller, and I had only walked about 5 miles so far but it was hot, there was Barnes and Noble right there, my nook (a portable electronic book reader thing) was acting up and I needed a new one, and I was suffering some severe temptations.  I just didn't feel like walking so I hunkered down for the day.

6-23

I know in a previous post I mentioned I was going to cut down my mileage but I'm stubborn and don't learn lessons well.  It was about 30 or so miles to the campsite and at about mile 28 I ran out of gas.  I passed a building with a woman and man sitting outside in lawn chairs.  I asked if it was there building and if I could set up my tent in the back.  They said it would be no problem and we got to talking.  There names were David and Sue and they were so great.  They were very worried about an incoming storm and thought I should try to find a safer place.  they knew some knights so after a few phone calls I was picked up by Paul and taken to Donalds home.  He has a little "man cave" behind his house with a bed shower and actually everything a man would need in a cave.  It's also a 'dog house', he raises show dogs and hunting dogs and their kennels are connected to it.  Donald was truly welcoming and I am so thankful I was out of the storm, it was pretty bad.


6-24 Left Donald walked to Sparta

Donald drove me to the edge of town where I walked to the town of Sparta.  Nothing to exciting except I think a car swerved at me on the road, it was just me and him....oh well.

6-25 Patrick picked me up in Sparta, our lady of the snow

Patrick, a knight from Missouri came and picked me up in Sparta Illinois with is friend Jan.  They drove me into Missouri but not before stopping at the shrine to Our Lady of Snow.  Getting into Missouri we hung out at Patricks for the day and went to a knights meeting in a neighboring town, Patrick is a district deputy.

6-26

today Patrick took me into town to my two favorite places, of course a Catholic store and REI (a camping store) (also T.J. Maxx is one of my fav's.....don't judge me).  As we were driving back to his house he whipped into a driveway, it was an entrance to a monastery.  As we pulled in one of the brothers was outside and we got to talking.  He got very excited and brought me to their founder, Fr. Placid.  After talking for a little awhile we arranged for me to stay there.  I am so thankful to Patrick for all he did for me and truly treasured my time with him.



6/27 - 7/4

Patrick dropped me off at the monastery and I got settled in.  I had such a wonderful and peaceful time here.   And I met so many wonderful people.  From my fellow retreatants Lisa, Virginia, and Sister Teresa to those who lived in the community.  Donna the cook was so good to me.  She would make me so much food, I tried to tell her I still had over half the country to walk, she was trying to bulk me up.  Chidiebere was a great person as well, he is from Nigeria and is part of the lay community.  One day while we were digging a hole for an internet cable (it was good to be put to work, for it was St. Teresa of Avila who said, "Love turns work into rest"), I asked him how you say shovel in Nigeria.  He told me they call it a shovel.  Boom, I speak Nigerian now, someone just beefed up their resume.  Actually the country is very tribal, as we were talking at that moment one of the brothers walked by and he told me they don't speak the same language, although they are both from Nigeria.

A visiting sister was asking me about my pilgrimage.  She kept asking how do people know you are on a spiritual pilgirimage?  I tried to explain that I hope that in my interactions I am able to get out of the way and allow CHRIST to shine through.  To allow Mary to polish the mirror of my soul so the divine image may be reflected.  But still she asked about the cars driving by, how do they know?  She had heard about people carrying crosses on pilgrimages and other outward showings of fatih.  Now this is very wonderful and God bless those who undergo those pilgrimages.  But I am trying to become CHRIST more and more each day.  And His life is my life.  His mysteries are my mysteries.  And I can confidently say our Lord was born upon the Cross.  All of mankind was born to live, He alone was born to die.  The Cross was ever before Him and yet he lived a "normal" life for 30 years.  He never drew attention to Himself, though He is God made man, he hid himself.  As Columba Marmion beautifully puts it, "CHRIST is GOD appearing amongst men, conversing with them, under the skies of Judea, and showing them by His human life how a God lives among men, in order that men may know how they ought to live so as to be pleasing to GOD."   And another wonderful quote of his hidden life from St. Augustine, "Love cannot bear majesty, because the one removes, and the other attracts; majesty takes away confidence, and love establishes it; majesty keeps every thing below it within the bounds of respect, and love puts those upon a level that love one another."  Children ran to him.  "Isn't this the carpenter's son?"  (Matt. 13:55)  There was nothing "special" or anything worth taking a second look upon Him (before his public ministry).  And yet, even the simplest action, a sanding of a piece of wood, was more pleasing to the Father than the creation of the universe.  And so I follow suit.  So many people tell me what courage I have to undergo this journey, but honestly its pretty easy. I do my simple action, my sanding of wood; I walk, and that's it.  Nothing complicated there, I put one foot in front of the other.  Our Lord does the rest, he puts the people I made need to help or evangelize in my path and as well gives me my angels to assist me along.  I don't ring a bell annoucning I'm coming, our Lord has planned this pilgrimage from all eternity, every step is my annoucement to the Lord that I love them.

 I don't know why I like the name of this river so much.  Not much to say about the river except it was big, and it was pretty muddy.

 Shrine to Our Lady of Snow.  This is copied, from the shrine website,  "Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Snows is one of the oldest devotions to Mary.  It has direct ties to the legend about a marvelous snowfall in Rome in 352 A.D.  Mary had indicated in a dream to a wealthy, childless Roman couple that she wanted a church built in her honor and the site for this church would be covered with snow.  On a hot, sultry morning on August 5, Esquiline Hill was covered with snow.  All Rome proclaimed the summer snows a miracle, and a church to honor Mary was built on the hill in 358 A.D.  Restored and refurbished many times, this church, now the magnificent Basilica of St. Mary Major, still stands today as the seat of devotion to Our Lady of the Snows in the Catholic Church."

 Turning the corner I don't know who was more a deer in head lights, me or her.

My little hermitage.  The community is called the Society of Our Mother of Peace.  They have two monasteries here in Missouri, one in Nigeria, and one in the Phillipines.  Living on the grounds are a community of brothers, a community of sisters, and a community of laymen.  The brothers and sisters spend 6 hours in prayer, and 6 hours in work; mostly door to door evangelizing.  The community was started 1966 and I will keep them forever in my prayers and truly home for their continued success in spreading the Gospel.