Previous
Weeks

Week 1: March 24th through March 30th
Week 2: March 31st through April 6th
Week 3: April 7th through April 13th
Week 4: April 14th through April 20th
Week 5: April 21st through April 27th
Week 6: April 28th through May 4th
Week 7: May 5th through May 11th
Week 8: May 12th through May 18th
Week 9-10: May 19th through June 1st
Week 11: June 2nd through June 8th
Week 12: June 9th through June 15th
UPDATED 5/19: NEW PHOTOS FROM WESLEY!

Journal Entry from Wesley
Location: Grandview, IA

I slept pretty well last night. I happened to position myself just right so that I caught the shade from the early morning sun and slept in until almost
7:45 a.m. Wow. I had a big breakfast at the truck stop down the road. You
might even say I ate like a trucker even though I only had the short stack of pancakes with my eggs.

I went to Sunday School this morning and was able to stay for the service. I didn't think I was going to be able to because I had miscounted miles and time before and wouldn't be able to make it to the evening service in Muscatine. I was expected there. After the morning service, The Ericksons were going to Muscatine for Father's Day lunch, so I rode in the car for 5 or 6 minutes. That made enough difference.

It was hot today, but it really wasn't as bad because the breeze was still going. It even got kinda windy for a bit. The Red-Winged Blackbirds are my constant companions...or annoyances. Well, whatever they are, they're constant. They fly above me hollerin' the whole time. Sometimes it makes me feel kinda cool 'cus they're makin a fuss over me.

On the way in to Muscatine, I stopped and had a banana split for lunch. That's the way to do it, kids. Then you can grow up big and strong like me. I also was kind of confused on the way in because I kept smelling French Toast (no, not Freedom Toast). They say it's the corn-processing plant. They extract alcohol. Why it smells like French Toast and maple syrup, I don't know.

I met up with Debbi Miller a ways into town and she took me over to Mulford Evangelical Free Church and I met the pastor. This is the first Free Church I've found on the trip. The pastor and I sat and talked for a while. Then, he took me out for "Maid-Rite". The first fast food was invented was right here in Muscatine. It's like a hamburger but with loose meat instead of a patty - like unseasoned taco meat. It was good. And I had draft root beer which made it awesome. So, that's my unique Muscatine experience. We took a drive to see the riverfront here and a little tour of town. I hung out at the church for a bit and got cleaned up. I spoke for a few minutes in the service. It was my first time talking to so many grown-ups on the trip. It was cool. The study was great. I was here for the midyear review of the study of the gospel and the Old Testament promises. Good stuff.

At their morning service, they had told the congregation about me and asked if anyone would take me in. A man named John Summy, whose wife is in the nursing home recovering from an aneurism said that he'd be glad to house me. I met him at the evening service. We went and visited his wife for a bit and he's back with her now. He's a cool guy. We talked for the rest of the evening and had some snacks. I even watched a little baseball.

I have to get to bed. I have a lot of walking to do tomorrow. I'm headed to Blue Grass. Oh, speaking of town names, I passed another Fruitland today. I love that name. Well, love might be a little strong of a word. Then again, PeeWee said that he loved his fruit salad and then he ended up marrying it. Haha..Oh, that PeeWee.

Journal Entry from Wesley
Location: Grandview, IA

The mosquitoes were waiting for me this morning. I kept them distracted with the marinated me smell of my backpack and got my tent packed up. I'm running low on bug repellent. A scary thought.

I didn't have many miles to cover today compared to my recent average. So, I had to work hard at taking it slow. I found a shady place behind a grocery store where I lounged for about an hour. I also hung out for a while in Wapello at a sub shop and talked with some nice ladies. I tried to stay inside as long as I could around the middle of the day. The bank sign said 84 degrees. I believe it. It got cooler after 4 and the walk was pretty nice and breezy. Is it strange that the length of my walk is just now starting to sink in? Eh, whatever. Still one day at a time.

I'm in Grandview and I saw the youth group from the local Community Bible Church finishing up with litter pick-up on the highway. So, I know there's a church here. I'm stopped at the gas station and I found out where the church is. Probably about a mile walk. I'll hopefully camp there and go to their service in the morning. First, I need to find some dinner. This is another very small town but it's huge compared to Newport. Poor nearly non-existent Newport.

...

I hung out at the gas station for quite a while. I talked with Danielle (the
cashier) for a while and she told me that she went to Grandview Community Bible. She gave me the number of the youth pastor and pastor. Just before I went on over to the church, I sent the first post of today and received the email that I've been expecting but hoping I was wrong. One of my friends killed himself. I don't even know if I should say anything because I don't want sympathy. It's not about me at all. It just greatly affected my day so I have to write about it.

I cried for a while at the gas station and walked in a sad daze to the church. I just feel so frustrated. I know things wouldn't have been any different if I were there. It's just such a waste. I almost feel mad. I'm done talking about it even though I'm far from done thinking about it.

I met Jeff (the youth pastor) and Darryl Erickson (the senior pastor) and got my tent set up in the yard. Darryl gave me a glass of water and a bowl of Bunny Tracks ice cream. It was as good as Moose Tracks. Yes, it did help my mood just a bit. Jeff and I hung out and talked. We prayed together for my friend's family and friends.

I'll be going to church here in the morning and I already got in touch with someone from the Evangelical Free Church in Muscatine that I'll meet up with tomorrow. Yay! Church twice in one day. It means I can't be as lazy with my walking as I was today.

I've got some thinking to do before I go to sleep. Trust in God and lean not on your own understanding. Easy enough 'cus I sure don't understand enough to even kinda lean on. Goodnight.

I didn't even realize that it was Friday the 13th until after I had twisted my ankle and decided to hitch a ride with a trucker. Apparently there was a mix-up in communication and we're headed to Davenport, Texas. Hey, I've never been to Texas. No! I'm just kidding. I think that every Friday the 13th should be like April Fool's Day. I'm actually doing fine and I'm still in the eye of the hawk state or whatever.

I've entered into the larger rural area of the state where there is nothing but pavement and corn. And note that the length of those words is by no means any indication of their proportion to one another. In fact, it's by far the inverse which is good because pavement gets really hot and today doesn't need any help. So, just in case I'm not heard from some day, it's just that I'm occupied in a battle of dominance with the corn and can't get to a phone.

Anyways, I'm moving out of my circumfrence of celebrity. Only one person recognized me today and said anything. It was cool being known where I went. A neat thing about your picture being in the paper all the time is that you don't need to find a mirror. I'll just wait until the next morning paper to see if I have ice cream on my face or if I need to shave.

Parts of my body are feeling worn-out. I don't know if it's the longer days, the heat, or maybe my pack got heavier. My big toe feels like it's on upside-down; but, the toenail that felt like it was about to fall off feels all better. My left foot doesn't tingle on the top nearly as often, but my right shoulder aches and my left blade tingles. Right now, I feel great laying in tall grass in cool shade with a slow breeze. I only have about 3 more miles to go today. I'm still really hyped about having passed my 1,000 mile mark. It gets me so riled up that I want to kick myself in the head. But, I'm still not flexible enough. I made it to Newport and the town is actually just a truck stop. Not a good place to camp. I'm gonna go ask the neighbor if I can camp in their yard. The weather's supposed to be nice tonight. The walk in the evening is always nice except that I'm already worn-out. It gets cooler and breezy and the sun isn't quite as bad. This evening, there were tons of tiny baby grasshoppers jumping around. It reminded me of the 2 times that Eddie and I got fleas while walking down the sidewalk. That would be so bad if I got fleas.

I hope I find a good place to camp tonight. I don't like being near where trucks slow down or stop because they make so much noise. We'll see what happens. I'm sure everything will be fine.

...

I finally found a place to camp, though I'm not sure where I am. It seems like I've gotten a little pickier about where I set up my tent; but after this long, can you blame me for knowing what works? This place has too much greenery that'll be wet in the morning and houses way too many mosquitoes. More here than anywhere else I've been.

Speaking of how long I've been walking, it still hits me sometimes. I was sitting in my tent going through my routine and everything seemed so normal. Then, I realized where I was and that I was talking to my backpack (which is
normal) and I had to stop and think for a while about just how long I've been doing this. I guess that means I'm doing a good job of taking things a day at a time. But, today was the first day that I remember since I started that I actually pretended another person was walking with me and we were talking. They only stayed for about 5 minutes anyways.

Oh wow, the moon is full and really orange. A full moon on Friday the 13th. I hope no blackmetal hick kids come out here looking to please their master. It's been over a month since I've seen anything that said Cannibal Corpse on it.

Well, I'm gonna finish up my conversation with my backpack and go to sleep.

You'd think that by now that things might be very routine. But, today was another day of firsts. Ok, the most exciting bit first. I hit my 1000 mile mark today! Jackie O! That's the one I've been waiting to see. I can sing all the songs and honestly write my own romanticist ballad-babble. Yes yes yes yes!! Haha! I did it! Ok, that's enough. Now, the rest of the day.

I said thank you and goodbye to the people at the Budget Host. Fort Madison is a long river town. I walked across it for about 5 miles. However, during that first mile, I was stopped by a police officer(a first). He said "How ya doin today" in that way that only police do. They had received some calls that "I" was taking pictures of the bridge by the prison. Why this was a problem was a question but I didn't ask. I explained that I hadn't even been to that side of town yet. He spelled my last name like 5 times into his shoulder-talkie deal and then told me about a hospitality house I could stay at if I needed. I didn't but I thanked him anyways. Then he wished me a good day in that special police man way. It was fun. But, when I did get to the bridge and the prison, I didn't take pictures. I assume a lot of people do. I was told it was the longest swing-span bridge in the world and the prison is the largest and/or oldest pen. in the state.

Soon after, I met a man working at a Go cart track. He said that he had heard about me on the radio and seen me on TV. I rested there for a bit and we talked. Nice guy. Richard was his name, I think. The day was nice and cool and cloudy all the way to almost 1pm which was awesome. Thn it got really sunny and hot. Go figure with it being summer(well, almost officially). I took a break near someone's yard ho was out gardening and he came over to met me. People keep saying, "Now, I can tell my friends I met you". The strange thing is that I think I'm telling more people that I met them than they are about me. Oh, I also found a way to make it kinda cloudy again. Find some perfect dense shade to sit in. But, y'know, I think I might sleep better now in yards under trees. I slept for nearly an hour today without noticing(I think it was an hour, I slept so deeply that I couldn't remember when I went to lay down). Another first, I was "approached" by a local publisher. I'm really not interested but I stopped by his office along my way anyhow because he offered me a free book, the size of which was about what he was thinking would work for my story. He said maybe I should just write about the part along the river. I never want to write one of those books that people of a certain region read and laugh and say things like,"Yep, that sounds like here alright, hyuck. Whaddya thinka that, Debra?". Oh, and judging by the number of spell-check typos that I caught while reading(while walking), I'd be a very unhappy word-nerd. So, like I said, I'm not interested. But still, it was a fun first. The next people I met drove up next to me at an intersection and said,"Are you Wesley?". I answered appropriately(and honestly) and the couple in the car explained that they had read the article in Fort Madison's newspaper this morning and saw the part about wanting to see how God provides for me. The said that today's provision included $20 from them. Even better, they said they were encouraged and blessed by reading about me and would be praying for me. Awesome. Next, I got to the gas station in Burlington and the FedEx guy overheard me asking directions to the hotel. He saw me with my pack outside and asked me if I was "the guy on the journey". Yeah, I guess that's me. He was pretty blown away by something. He had heard bout me on the radio that morning. He happened to be headed out to the area where the hotel was(almost 2 miles of my route) so I rode in the back of a FedEx truck and talked with Nader. He was very enthusiastic. He made his delivery at the AmericInn(me!) and wished me well.
I'm still not exactly sure who pyed for this room but it's definitly paid for. This place is gnarly. They hve an indoor pool and hot tub. Both of which I took advantage.

The mall is next door so I figured I should visit. Burlington sounds preppy so the mall is probably important. A name sounds preppy if it flows followed by Manor or Estates. I mean, compare Burlington to Keokuk with that test. I didn't visit the mall in Keokuk.
Anyways, I had dinner there and people watched for a bit. I even found a place where I could get a strawberry, peach, banana smoothie(sweet!).

I was thinking again about how much I've learned on this trip. So much just inside me. I've learned so much about being alone. It always dawns on me when I don't have my pack with me and I'm walking around. The fact that I'm totally comfortable in a completely new place where I know where nothing is and know no people is still only slightly stange when I think about it. A couple reporters have asked me if I would do it again. I'm not sure quite how they mean that question but I really hadn't thought about it. I certainly am nowhere near regretting the trip. But, no, I wouldn't do the same walk again once I've completed it. That'd be like the weirdos that pretend they're still in high-school after they've graduated. Not my style. I guess I'll be back to camping tomorrow. I'm still afraid of going soft. This has been an awesome few days of celebrity. I was about to say that it's time to get back to the reality of my walk but then I realized this is definitely part of that. It's all of the wesome things that happen(and the crappy things here and there).

Journal Entry from Wesley
Location: Fort Madison , IA

So, today was what I would have expected to be a tough day walking; but, when it's all done, it doesn't seem so bad. The weather stayed pretty shady for most of the walk. It's getting quite humid. I did find a sure-fire way to make the clouds part and the sun come out (which I don't want) is to lay down in some open grass. Too bad we can't use Murphy's Law to our advantage. It's such a constant.

Around noon, I was getting kinda zoned out when I heard my name ahead of me. It really startled me. That's one thing I don't expect to hear while walking. A lady named Dani from the Fort Madison newspaper came to find me. She took a picture and did a quick interview. She told me about a friend of hers that offered me a place in Burlington (where I'll be headed tomorrow). She told me there was a convenience store coming up in about 3 miles which was awesome. It was starting to get pretty hot and I wasn't expecting anything until Fort Madison. So, I got to take a break for about an hour right in the hot middle of the day.

Lots of people are still honking. A cute girl even honked and enthusiastically waved when I was leaving Keokuk this morning. Finally. Oh, and speaking of girls, I read the newspaper article from Quincy and the reporter mentioned the tan lines on my legs. So, she was checking out my legs. haha.

When I finally got to Fort Madison after like 21 miles, I made it to the Budget Host Inn where I met Joanne. This is the place that I'm getting put up for the night. It's cool. The place last night was cool too. I slept well. Anyways, this place has a phone and TV and all. Joanne had some messages for me that totally made my day. One was that the local pizza place, Sorrento's, offered me a free pizza. I don't know how they found out about me, but I got the pizza. Any pizza I wanted. The other message was that I have a motel room in Burlington for tomorrow night. Man, this is almost too much. I'm a south-eastern Iowa celebrity. Before you know it, I'll be trashing hotel rooms and demanding Corvousier and chocolates.

Journal Entry from Wesley
Location: Keokuk, IA

Wow, today was cool. I was planning on it being a long day of walking with no food stops. But, since I made it a lot farther yesterday than I planned, the walk today was a lot shorter. I slept well last night and woke up once because of the huge storm. The ditches were flooded this morning. Thank God I wasn't in them.

I had a great time getting to know another family. We had breakfast together this morning and I rode on the 4-wheeler again a mile up the road with Dale and Garrett on their errands. Dale had shown me a little short-cut I could take to bypass Hamilton and get to Keokuk by the time I would have gotten to Hamilton. But, not too far into the walk today, a man stopped and said that he had seen me on TV last night and invited me for lunch at his restaurant in Hamilton. So, I had reason to not avoid that town. After meeting him (Greg) and remembering that I was on TV, it made sense why so many cars were honking and waving and yelling "good luck". People were acting like they knew me. It's strange being a local celebrity.

Before Hamilton, I stopped by Linda Asher's (Dale's sister-in-law) for a rest. Then, I fell in love with her dog, Missy. It was the cutest and coolest dog ever. I wanted to keep it. I went with Linda and Missy and Linda's friend, Chauncy, a couple miles to where she was picking up a tractor. That way, I had the benefits of the shortcut but still got to go to Hamilton (and I'm glad I did).

I ate at Mrs. Ippi's. See? It's a word-play. I didn't meet anyone named Ippi there. Oh well. I was warmly greeted and treated to a great sandwich. The best part was that this place makes its own ice cream. It was really good. Just about everyone that came in knew who I was. I met a woman named Chris eating there with her husband. We talked for quite a while and she gave me a number to call when I get near a certain town in Wisconsin for a place to stay. She also made some calls to Keokuk and found someone that she knew who works there. That lady did some calling of her own and called me back at the restaurant with awesome news. The Keokuk Chamber of Commerce was going to put me up in the Holiday Inn. I was so stoked. I walked the last 3 miles or so to Keokuk and got to the Holiday Inn. But, it turned out that there was a change in plans. As always, the Mormons came to ruin the show. There's some big thing going on at the temple across the river which is built on the site of the original Mormon temple, I think. Anyways, it's a big tourism thing and apparently this Tourism Board thinks that's a big deal. So, I was moved to the Hotel Iowa. It's a historic hotel built in 1912 that has been converted to apartments, mostly for the elderly. I'm in one of the bare minimum rooms. Now, I think people know I'm not that picky and I'm not a complainer, but this room doesn't have a phone or a TV and it has a hole in the wall above the air conditioner. I hope the mosquitoes don't find me. The worst part, the Holiday Inn has a breakfast buffet. This place, obviously, doesn't. I'm planning on going over to the Holiday Inn in the morning. It's connected to the Chamber building and Chi (the lady that helped with everything) says that they let her come eat here. So, I can tell them that Chi said it was cool.

Anyways, on with today. I met up with Jim Worrell at a local bar/restaurant for a radio interview. He was a really interesting guy. He had a very short memory and talked about quite random things. It was pretty entertaining. The kind of entertaining that I keep inside. So, I'm covering all the media in the area. Then, he took me out for dinner and gave me a tour of the town. It's been a good start to Iowa. Oh yeah, I said goodbye to Illinois for the second time. It made a much better impression this time. I actually like it now. Being in Iowa makes it really quite impossible to not think about the end of the trip. Iowa borders Minnesota for crying out loud! I'll get a good taste of Wisconsin in there first. So, I'm trying a new state of mind where I go ahead and think about the end of the trip but still take it one day at a time. It's still pretty easy to get caught up in the present day and not think too much ahead (a habit I'll need to break when I get back to school!).

More cool news. Chi called ahead to Fort Madison and talked with someone at their Chamber of Commerce and I have a motel room arranged for me for tomorrow night. How cool is that? If you answered that question out loud, I'm giving you a telepathic high-five. I will have a long day tomorrow. I think I'm ready for it. I even know that I have a place to stay so I don't have to start looking at the end of the day. They have phones too. I just hope the Mormons don't find out my plans so that they can foil them again.

This is the stuf that makes this trip so much fun. Just seeing how things fall into place to create a genuine experience (what I'm seeking). Just a little before I got to the Asher's, I made up another verse to the 500 Miles song by Peter, Paul and Mary. It was about the sun setting and not having a place to sleep but knowing that God would take care of me. It became a prayer and as always, was answered beautifully.

Journal Entry from Wesley
Location: Ursa, IL

I'm moving along with June. Time just keeps going. I didn't notice for a while. I even missed when I hit my 900 mile mark. My mom was tallying miles and we realized that I passed it a couple days ago. Woohoo! I'm really close to being able to sing the rest of the Pretenders song and a lot of other songs that flippantly use a thousand mile walk as a symbol of devotion. Like that song that that one girl plays. You know..oh, I can never remember her name. Piano, sounds kinda like the Ponderosa song, talks about falling into the sky and time passing her by. Anyways, her.

Ok, I'm in Ursa and my hat is in much less peril of being blown away today. It's clear and hot but still just breezy enough at times. It might rain tomorrow and I got here earlier than I expected so I'm gonna keep walking today. I should make it to the next town tomorrow afternoon or so. It'll probably be a tough day walking tomorrow but it's cool.

Speaking of cool. I was interviewed by the newspaper and a local TV station today. The newspaper lady came over to Joanne's house this morning and we sat on couches and talked. It was cool and she was a lot cuter than Barbara Walters (no offense Barbara, I'm still available for an interview).

Ok, I'm gonna get walking. There are two small towns coming up. One of them has only a bar and the other was just destroyed by a tornado. I'll be done with Illinois for a second time pretty soon.

Previous
Weeks

Week 1: March 24th through March 30th
Week 2: March 31st through April 6th
Week 3: April 7th through April 13th
Week 4: April 14th through April 20th
Week 5: April 21st through April 27th
Week 6: April 28th through May 4th
Week 7: May 5th through May 11th
Week 8: May 12th through May 18th
Week 9-10: May 19th through June 1st
Week 11: June 2nd through June 8th
Week 12: June 9th through June 15th
UPDATED 5/19: NEW PHOTOS FROM WESLEY!