5/2/2011

The day started with a tour of the Precious Moments Chapel. It is the workplace of Sam Butcher, the creator of the Precious Moments figurines. Girls love this stuff but I must admit, the little figures with the big round eyes sure were cute! Yeah that’s right I said they were cute. Now while I was on this little tour, I got to thinking. I thought about the relevance of being in a place where the artist devoted his life to children. I thought about what I am doing and I asked myself if it was a sign. Originally I was to take a route south of the interstate. Instead I opted to go on a northern route. Had I gone the other way I never would have passed the town of Carthage. I would never have known it was the town where Precious Moments was created...

5/1/2011

I crossed a couple of bridges today and they still give me jitters. You would think that after crossing so many I’d be used to it. Wrong. If I’m wearing a cap I always hang on to it tightly. The reason is that if some semi goes flying past me there is a good chance my cap will get blown off. And if my hat gets blown off, my first reaction might be to chase it. And really, there is no need for me to chase a cap over a bridge.

Cool, refreshing rain kept my temperature low. The weather was cold but not freezing. The constant droplets didn’t get in my eyes but they did add weight. It felt like I picked up a couple pounds after every mile...

4/30/2011

That’s right I crossed from Kansas into Missouri in a day. Like I’ve said after every border crossing, the scenery changes, the smells change, the culture changes, the animals change and the people change.

Oklahoma was experiencing the worst drought since the dust bowl during my stay. I don’t think the same could be said for Missouri. The trees here are so green. The run to Carthage was relatively peaceful. I ended up in the Best Western Precious Moments Hotel. Everything around here seems to have a Precious Moments theme. The girls out there should be familiar with the Precious Moments figures. I don’t know how many men have knowledge of the figures. I guess it’s pretty cute. There is even a Precious Moments Chapel here...