If you want to know how the day went...well, let me just say that I always believe you should tell the good stuff first. You know, the stuff you are thankful for? Works out better for me that way because by the time I get to the bad stuff, and YES there were a couple of those moments today, well it doesn't seem as relevant any longer. Ok, so now for the good stuff.
I had no flat tires, never ran out of gas, no car trouble at all, and was able to make very good time. I was never "cut off" by an angry driver and was never given that wonderful "California hello" that some people seem to think is best. I never got sleepy, not even once and that surprised me because I got up at 3 a.m. after having only 5 hours of sleep. Hoping to sleep well tonight.
I saw a beautiful sunrise while still in Kansas and my good friends that live in the Flint Hills area will attest to the fact that sunrises and sunsets in that part of God's country are pretty awesome. I pulled over to the side of the road to watch it and took a photo of it to share with you.
I survived KC traffic without any problems. I was a little surprised because this was only my second time to drive in KC all alone. Back in November of last year, on a "spur of the moment" decision, I decided to drive to meet up with a friend in Osceola, Iowa. But in order to get to Iowa, you gotta go through Kansas City. My hands held on to that steering wheel with a "death grip" but I made it without any trouble. Today was much the same.
I knew that I'd be stopping somewhere along the line to lay the flowers out for "Eleanor", the donor of the bone that helped the doctors repair and salvage "old lefty". I didn't know where I was going to when I left Valley Center this morning but soon found out, once I got on the road to St. Louis on I70.
I'd been waiting for the "signal", the "go ahead" from God as to where to put them. But it was pretty much a mystery to me. As I passed one of the first rest areas the state of Missouri has to offer, I hesitated about maybe stopping there. My hesitation cost me a "whack upside the head" from God and I got His message loud and clear....."Right here." It was a beautiful area, filled with shade trees and benches. Outside the main building a group of church people were passing out water and snacks to motorists who happened by. I knew that I wanted to have my picture taken by the tree that I had chosen to lay the flowers under. Because I was alone, I had no choice-I had to ask a total stranger to help me.
So I went up and approached the group and said, "Hey, you're gonna think I'm crazy but would one of you be willing to take my picture over by that tree?" I will NEVER forget what one of the gentlemen said to me, and I guess this was "think of Dennis Ulrey" day or something, but Dennis thought of you again.
"Lady, you're not as crazy as we are...We're Baptists!" His comment brought a smile to my face and I told briefly about "old lefty" and that a man from their state of Missouri had died and I was a recipient of his bone material. So one of them joined me, glad to oblige, and took the photo. The tree was one of the skinniest of all in that park area. But something about it just called out to me as soon as I opened the car door to get out.
Ok, well now for the "not so good".....I have been wondering all day how to say this...but the only way I know is like this....How on earth can a person get lost on a journey this long when they are only 2.7 miles from home? I'm just asking you guys because the lost person was me. I have a Magellan GPS system that I'm getting used to, little by little. I thought I'd be ok but this morning as went to enter I135, I misunderstood and went north instead of south and it just went downhill from there. When I FINALLY figured out what I'd done wrong, I was smack dab in the middle of nowhere in nearly deserted Wichita, Kansas. It was a creepy feeling, that's all I know to say about it. So when I finally got oriented as to where I should be, the "GPS voice" began to say "turn right at"......then I looked at the screen only to see it shut itself off, "no power."
"Crimanently" where am I supposed to turn right at?, I wondered. So I pulled over to the side of the road and readjusted the GPS so that it sat in the power cradle properly. Geesch, in my haste I'd forgotten to even do that. And folks, this was all in the first 25 minutes of the journey. Without thinking I said aloud, "Well, hopefully it won't get any worse!"
Well, it didn't get much worse, except for the 3 times that I got lost, all of them in St. Louis. I must say that as a map reader, Peggy Miller sucks! Just ask my 3 children and they will agree. One of the hardest things for me as a driver is to be able to read those big old signs that are right there in front of you and then follow what they say to do. Maybe tomorrow will be better? I will NOT say that it can't get any worse because you know what that leads to! :)
Well, I better get to bed soon. The time here is one hour forward so I've already lost an hour of sleep...LOL. Thank you for the prayers that have been said on my behalf this day. I needed every single one of them, without a doubt. This journey is much tougher, much more difficult than I would have ever imagined it to be as I travel alone. When you find yourself arguing with the "woman's voice" from the GPS system, then you know that you are missing having people around. I have seen beautiful country filled with trees and hills, huge rivers like the "wide Missouri". I have seen the Katy Trail once more, a place where my oldest son Ricky and I biked for over 145 miles in the summer of 2007. It brought back many memories. I remembered how my son Grahame came to pick us up at the little town called Rocheport and hauled our tired "behinds" and our bikes home to Kansas. When I came through where the Lawrence exit is in northeastern Kansas I thought about my daughter Ursela, a student at KU. And I missed them all terribly. This is a journey that Peggy Miller has to take alone. I will make it and probably learn some valuable lessons along the way. I'll be starting back home to Kansas late this next weekend sometime. Thank you dear friends and family for "praying" me all the way to Maine. If you are so inclined, would you "pray" me back home again too?
I am fine and you don't have to worry about me. Time for bed~a good sleep for all of you wherever you are this night. I'm far from home but I've heard it said many times that sometimes you have to leave "home" in order to really appreciate the beauty of its being. Good Night! I love you all.
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