Paul headed home to Michigan this morning. We’re going to miss the big guy. Between his humor, his abilities, his insights (which he shares!) and his uncomplaining attitude, he’s been a great help this week in getting us reorganized. Safe trip buddy.

With only two of us now, Denny and I discuss how to get everything done in the hours available to us. We opt today to try a “leap-frog” hiking method that keeps both of us on the trail – just hiking different parts separately. We finish our sixteen miles by early afternoon, leaving us time to coordinate with the folks at Council Grove’s tourism office, newspaper and a local historian. The official arrival at Council Grove tomorrow should be fun. More about that tomorrow.

At the end of the day, we drive back to the camp at Council Grove Lake, get our showers, wash some clothes and I get to spend a couple hours completing my blog catch-up session. Really everyone, I’m sorry it’s so slow in coming. Hopefully, you will find it worth waiting for.

LIVE GPS TRACKING INFORMATION:
If you want to follow our progress via GPS on the Internet, go to:

Paul Sandor is such a hoot! And quick witted as well. For example:
I related that I intend to dedicate a week of blog entries thusly:

Monday – “Things I Saw Today”
Tuesday – “Things I Heard Today”
Wednesday – “Things I Smelled Today”
Thursday – “Things I Tasted Today”
Friday – “Things I Touched Today”

Paul’s immediate response: “So, everything else you write in your blog will just be senseless.”

We end hiking at Elm Creek and preview tomorrow’s route as we drive to our campsite outside Council Grove. We’re getting ready for Paul to leave and have some more rearranging to complete. The lakeside campsite is gorgeous. We highly recommend it to anyone passing through the area.

We attend church at Colly Creek Ward in Topeka. Paul demonstrates his GPS directional driving aide on the way and we get … a mite bewildered on the way to church. But we make it and have a good time meeting folks.

In the afternoon, we are taken for a local Santa Fe Trail tour by Dave Prescott and then invited over to his house for dinner. Denny makes some peaches and cream to share and we have a great evening swapping stories and background.

Burlingame is our goal and though it’s still cool (low 80’s), the 17 miles takes me until 4 PM.

As we come into town, we find the bricked city streets are over 100 feet wide – a remainder from the Santa Fe trail days when they could turn the wagons around in the main street. Today though, it’s a beautiful Saturday and the motorcycle groups from KC and Lawrence are out in force. We see about ten groups totaling sixty or seventy bikes parked in the city center enjoying the day.

We camp at the city park which has been arranged for us by Dave Prescott, the local grain elevator manager.

Paul drives me back up to Willow Springs to begin the day. This was the area where the 1845 Military Trail cut by Col. Kearny’s South Pass Expedition ties into the Santa Fe Trail. The Battalion followed that route south in 1846 and camped southwest of the springs. This morning was foggy (in August???) and it lent a neat atmosphere to the photographs.

As I’m hiking along, Mr. Schwartz and I strike up a conversation roadside. He offers to have the pastor of his congregation include me in their prayer service at his church. Hey, if it keeps the weather like this, I’m all for it. Actually, the cooler weather seems to be helping the farmers. Not getting into a drought this summer may make up for the poor spring they had out here, so let’s pray for them, shall we? After all, it all starts with our farmers and ranchers. Let’s not forget that.

We hike as far as Overbrook, then drive back for a second night camping at the Jardon’s place. They’ve been very kind to us.

Did I mention that the weather is STILL cool, cloudy and unseasonably pleasant? This is strange. In fact, as we hike out of Eudora and pass Blue Mound, it starts a light rain that continues until late afternoon. Refreshingly cool but it makes for hiking in the grass along the roadway a little tricky. There’s a LONG hill to climb alongside a narrow shouldered highway. I’m glad there isn’t anyone hiking with me today. This is actually dangerous but there isn’t an alternate route available.

In the evening, we camp at the Jardon’s property just south of Willow Springs. This allows me to fulfill a second “secret wish” for Trek – to hike through REAL prairie grass. The Jardon’s have put this site into a conservation program to help preserve native grasslands. The grass is over six feet tall. I wade into the field a little ways and am quickly lost to sight for the others. It’s a shame there aren’t more places like this for people to experience “the REAL west” of the early 1800’s.

The Jardon’s are a retired couple. Marvin and Norma are quite the gardeners and share their fresh veggies with us – squash, tomatoes and zucchini. Yum. We need fresh stuff now that we’re cutting down on … the national brand of chocolate sandwich cookies with white filling.

Today we get to hike into one of my favorite towns along the route – Eudora Kansas. You may ask, “Why is Eudora one of your favorite towns?” I’ll tell you.

When the Battalion passes through in 1846, they note the Delaware and Shawnee tribes are people they interact with. Albert Smith says he rode in a wagon with a missionary to the Delaware Indians. At the Kaw (Kansas) River, they cross on a ferry owned and operated by Pascal Fish, a Shawnee tribal leader who also operated a farm in the area. Pascal is an educated man, a businessman, a farmer and a missionary to his people. The Battalion’s cows get loose into Pascal’s corn fields and they have to move further out of the area. By the way, the town of Eudora is named for Pascal’s daughter who was born a few years after the Battalion passes through, but that’s another story.

Last year the town dedicated a monument to Pascal and Eudora. It’s a very nice work and catches the “father/daughter” relationship that must have existed. The town of Eudora is set to boom being between KC and Lawrence. They’ve invested heavily in their schools, recreation facilities and infrastructure. They have plans for Eudora. If I were in a mood to move, I’d consider Eudora.

We get interviewed by the local newspaper reporters, then break for dinner at Daniel’s Ribs which was highly recommended to us by the locals. Perhaps I should mention that I’d been having a “Freedom Fries” fit the past couple days. Daniel’s has “A Pound of Fries” and THEY ARE GOOD! So are the ribs, but I wasn’t having a fit for those. Very good meal at a very good price.

It’s not a long day – just 15 miles. Bill Bohne of Leavenworth hikes with me. Paul Sandor (see yesterday) catches up with us for lunch at the county fair and we review our plans for traveling.

In the afternoon, we get the RV moved to Tonganoxie (pronounced just the way it looks, but the locals call it “Tongie”) where we camp at the Mitchell’s property. He’s the Seminary & Institute director in Lawrence Kansas. It’s late by the time they get home from all their activities, so we don’t get to visit much in the evening.

At daybreak Jeff Wingo takes me onto post and I meet Val John Halford and Kinley Mauerman at the Main Parade ground. We suit up into our 1846 garb, put on our packs, pick up our muskets, have a prayer and start down the Military Road leading to the Santa Fe trail.

I’m not at all sure it’s an accident, but the LDS church building is within a block or two of the Battalion’s route out of the area. It would be interesting to know how the site was selected.

A Navy liaison officer stops to ask what we’re doing, so we give the short version. A few blocks later, out comes a family to wish us well. Within another mile, a couple young mothers with their kids ask if we’re the “Mormon group” she’s read about. Notoriety is good and keeps us happy.

The guys have an appointment later in the day, so they leave about noon and I hike out the rest of the day. We truck on over to the Hall’s property east of our route and set up camp. We hold an evening campfire program for some folks who stop by to chat. I dress up one of the young boys in the belts and gear for pictures. He’s impressed by the musket most of all.

Best of all - The Cavalry arrives!!! My buddy, Paul Sandor pulls into the area and will help with the driving and reorganization because Jerry had to leave. Paul is one of our Board and a pretty neat guy. His wife Judy (another one of our favorite people) has loaned him to us for awhile (Thanks, Judy!)

Oooohhh.

We stayed up WAY too late last night! We grab a nice shower at the museum, have breakfast with Dave, Steve and Al, pack our stuff and head back to the RV to get ready for church.

Being a military town, even church things are done here with a military flavor. For example, there was an announcement that, “Choir practice will begin at thirteen hundred and end at thirteen-forty-five.” Ya gotta love it. Brought a big grin to our faces.

Afterwards, we pretty much rest because Saturday was so long. Sorry about the blog. It will have to wait for another day.