December 1 2004; Second Try

Here I go again on my own, going down a bunch of roads I've never known. The forecast looks clear all the way down to the gulf for the next fourdays. There is snow on the ground, but sun on the pavement in Davenport.

The plan for today is to make it as far South as possible. Either to Kirksville, Missouri to crash unannounced with my brother Adam at Truman State University, or to Kansas City to crash with Craig and Sara Sanderson (aka Shaggy and Hansvick), again unannounced

My new gloves are keeping my hands warm enough so I can notice how cold the rest of me is. The cold is not that bad though. It is the same numb tingling that I remember from afternoons spent sledding and throwing snowballs.

I watched the Mississippi rise and fall relative to me until I reached Keokuk, Iowa (picture) in early afternoon. I passed through Kirksville in mid afternoon and decided to take advantage of the lingering sunlight and press on to Kansas City. If anybody should feel like loosing their lunch, I recommend Hwy 11 South out of Kirksville. It's got ups and downs like a rowboat in a tsunami.

I reached Kansas City at 7:00, just before my feet froze off. Shaggy was there to meet me at the door with a nice cold beer. In retrospect it sounds cruel, but nothing could be further from the truth. Sara asked me where I had been for the last month and I smugly told her to check her email. She had and was confused as to why I had updates for the month of October if I had just started that day. To which I replied 'What month is it'? I am brilliant.

The night was topped off with more beer and pizza and concluded with my very own mattress on the floor. Those Sandersons sure know how to entertain.