Cedar Rapids, IA.  Needing a place to stay on my way to Waterloo, IA (further north) Deveri graciously allowed me to spend a couple days in her home located in Cedar Rapids though "couchsurfing.com".  Deveri's home was very comforting and took my mind off the freezing weather outside.  I enjoyed my long talks with her and she answered all my city slicker questions about Midwest living and about wildlife.  

She prepared some great meals for me during my stay and I even got to enjoy cooking prepared by her son, who was a former restaurant cook, and his girlfriend.

Deveri also owned a stable of horses that lived on her large property which I thought was awesome!  I didn't get to spend much time with them, due to being too tired, however I did enjoy watching them out the window and seeing them when I was coming or going.

Wanting to upgrade my military sleeping pad, Deveri was nice enough to swap her comfortable Therm-A-Rest self-inflatable sleeping pad for my Army-issued one.  After recently finishing my journey I sent her a brand new sleeping pad along with bungee ties from Amazon.com, the her borrowed air mattress was punctured by thorns from a dry desert plant.

During my stay I was given a great building/historic tour of Cedar Rapids where I learned about several important building and bridges throughout the city.  In addition, I found out about the Flood of 2008 which left the town flooded for long 2-week and caused at least $64 billion in damages to the state of Iowa. 

Thanks a million to Deveri for your warm spirit, taking me to church service, & the terrific hospitality -- you made my journey through eastern Iowa ever more enjoyable!


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Davenport, Iowa. On my way out of town I was very hungry and wanted some breakfast to get me going. The local Subway restaurant was closed as well as all the other eateries, I guess because it was early Sunday.

Not wanting to start walking on an empty stomach I saw two gentlemen walking the opposite way I was going and so I asked them where I could get some food. At first they were a little hesitant, but by my attire and manner they could tell I really needed food from somewhere.

One of the gentlemen was Matthew and he told me to follow him to a place that serves meals. We walk into the place and it turned out to be a soup kitchen. I normally serve food at one of these places, however now I was on the receiving end and had no shame about it.

Matthew kind of stayed away in the corridor and so I interacted with the other individuals there. Most seemed to have fallen on hard times and had a tough past. Some of the guys there didn't want me there because I wasn't homeless and thought I was getting preferential treatment from the staff which I was totally unaware of. The rest had great interest in my journey and had a barrage of questions.

Before Matthew and I left, I said my good-byes to the guys and to the staff before the facilities manager handed me a music CD sang and recorded by her, which was a great gesture.

From that point after leaving the soup kitchen Matt and I was together a majority of the time. Which was cool because until then mostly everything I did was solo dolo.

Before Matthew and I left, I said my good-byes to the guys and to the staff before the facilities manager handed me a music CD sang and recorded by her, which was a great gesture.

From that point after leaving the soup kitchen Matt and I was together a majority of the time. Which was cool because until then mostly everything I did was solo dolo.

We went to church together that same day after a lady recognized me from the TV news and invited me. I got a great tour of downtown Davenport along with video I shot on the Skybridge where I met some of Matthew's good friends.

That last day was extremely cold due to the brutal wind, I was one layer short of being okay but I manned up and just dealt with it. Matthew had a non-verbal urge to join the trek I was on. It would have been great however I'm glad he chose to stay and iron out some challenges he was facing.

Matthew was definitely a great guy to hang with, we said our good-byes that day, however our paths will most certainly cross again.

3/3/13
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Exira, IA. When approaching a town I've come to enjoy the anticipation of having a good meal, nice place to stay, or a great conversation -- regardless if it happens or not. Knowing there's a chance gives me enough satisfaction to even deal with it not actually coming to pass.

Down the road I could see the town where I may have my next meal, the Red Barn Restaurant was my target, and I had 3-miles to go.

As I was marching towards the eatery a SUV pulls over, a woman jumps out and hands me a bag of M&M Rice Krispy's, a coffee with sugar, and offers to pay for my meal at the Red Barn. I thanked her profusely, said good-bye, and she drives off.

After devouring the treats and consuming the coffee I no longer was hungry hungry (just hungry) and had enough energy to part Lake Michigan. New plan: Eat light & quick to fill reserves and keep walking to the next town of Atlantic, Iowa (The Coca-Cola capital of Iowa and the halfway point between the Atlantic & Pacific Ocean).

As I'm about 1.5 miles away Judi pulls up again. She informs me Red Barn is closed, offers me a place to stay, and invites me to a community fish fry. Wanting interact with some people and also feed my belly I agreed.

On the way to the fish fry I had the delight of meeting Judi's husband and brothers who were also wonderful. As for the fish fry it was great, it's held weekly at a church in Audubon on Fridays and people from the surrounding townships attend. It's an excellent way for the community to get together.

It was very nice to randomly meet such a caring person such as Judi. She let me stay in her father's house (who had past away last year). When he was alive her father would often put walkers and hitch hikers up for the night, so through Judi he was carrying on with the tradition even after he's no longer here.

Thank you for everything Judi!


3/22/13
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Hudson, Iowa. This the view from where I camped out. The original place was a wooded public use area however it was flooded due to the melted snow. The only decent surface was under a rarely used narrow bridge.

The surface under the bridge was a bit muddy, but when you gotta sleep, you gotta sleep. I felt safe there however setting up the tent on the mud was a bit tricky and slippery. Worst case scenario was slipping on the mud and landing in the water -- which wasn't likely and wasn't the the worst thing in the world.

Slept great that night, settled moisture in the morning was minimal.


3/14/13
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During my stay in the town of Cedar Rapids I got the pleasure of meeting WM Alan Gauvin, the head of Mount Olive Lodge #17.

I admired Brother Alan's straight forward demeanor and his dedication to the organization as well as to his family.

After corresponding with Brother Alan, we met for lunch with the following great brothers from his lodge: Brother SW Morgan Kimbrough, Brother Bev Taylor, Brother JW Justin Stowall, Brother Kenny Reid, and Brother James Robinson. I enjoyed great conversations with these brothers and ate really well!

Following lunch we visited Alan's lodge (waiting for the local TV news to show) and then to meet his wonderful family.

I really enjoyed the brief time I spent with Brother Alan's wife (Keli) and their children. They all had had tons of interesting questions for me and the overall vibe was great! That moment made me really miss my own family.

I thank Brother Alan and all the brothers I met from his lodge for their warm welcome and donations! Your words of wisdom through the laughter gave me the emotional boost to keep going and your generosity put a stamp in reaching my original donation goal.

3/9/13
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Omaha, Nebraska.  Much thanks to Leah at FOX 42!  Watch video below, if not viewable click HERE to watch my segment on Omaha's FOX news.

3/31/13

Omaha, Nebraska. These "Good Luck" eggs were made for me by friends of The Bowsmans who I had the great pleasure of meeting and staying with.

The eggs must of worked because I was fortunate enough to meet and conduct an interview with the lovely Leah Uko today who is a TV reporter for the local FOX affiliate.

My segment will air sometime tonight on the 9:00 PM (CST) news (which is on now as I'm writing this) here in the Omaha area.   I will post a link as soon as it is available.


3/31/13

Omaha, Nebraska. Finally reached Nebraska after having to slow down due to waiting for some important snail mail -- Woohoo!

Even better than that we have reached our donation goal of $10,000 for the American Diabetes Association! I want to specially thank Ward, Mr. T, and every single person that gave something!

For all of those that have YET to make a tax-deductible donation of at least $1, have a friend/family member affected by Diabetes or just thinks what I'm doing is awesome please click HERE to give.

The new goal has now been set to $20,000 and we need all the support possible. Once again 100% of proceeds donated (online or in-person) go to the American Diabetes Association, I am self-sponsored.

Thanks again to all those that MADE it happen and those that WILL make it happen -- Let's make it happen!


3/29/13

Guthrie Center, Iowa. This is Bry along with Benjamin, Lucas, and Newell. They spotted me after I met Sheriff Marty while traveling down Main Street. Little Benjmin ran up to me expressing excitement about my attire, all the gear I was carrying, and asked a bunch of question which I was happy to answer!

I then met his older brothers Lucas and Newell immediately thereafter their lovely mother Bry. That was one of the best spontaneous welcomes I've received in a while and it was great! Needing to eat I told them I was heading to Subway to grab a bite to eat, but promised I would return to play football with them as promised.

I then found Subway, yesss! Told Cody, the guy behind the counter, to make me whatever his favorite sandwich was, don't remember what he made -- however it was excellent. I've discovered when using this technique if they never hesitate after hearing the request then its usually a superb sandwich. If they hesitate too much or hand off the sandwich to another sandwich maker to finish its usually just okay.

While chowing down my sub and cinnamon roll, I met the very caring Jennifer. She made a small donation and offered a place for me to stay in town, in Oakland, and also in Omaha. I was very greatful for her offer took her up on the places to stay in Oakland and Omaha. I thanked her and gave her a hug.

After eating I thanked Cody for his great creation and proceeded to go back and play ball with Lucas & Ben. Honestly the last time I picked up a football was about 2-years ago, but I rarely worry about embarrassing myself especially if I'm enjoying myself. It was a blast running & throwing around the pigskin! Lucas a current football player showed excellent skill and spirit. Ben had a great energy about him and displyed great potential to become fanominal. Both play multiple sports which I find is beneficial not only physically, but helps self-esteem, dealing with stress/adversity, interactions with others (teamwork), goal setting, aids academically, inspiring others, etc.

The weather got a little chilly so we went inside and did Lucas' math homework (area and volume). A great portion of it he was able to solve in his head, which I thought was fascinating. They then showed to me their large collection of Nerf guns, and then we watched a marathon of several different cartoons. Bry cooked some great lasagna which I enjoyed. As I was looking start to pack up, say goodbye, and check into the nearby motel, it was getting late, they offered me to stay instead of spending money at the motel. I didn't want to seem like a bother, but they seemed sincere with their generosity so I comfortably slept on the couch in the living room. Their cat later that night decided to joined me and fell asleep on my tummy.

Iowa has been so great, I don't know if its my new haircut or what but the generosity has been beyond measure. Bry and her family were excellent and made me really miss spending time with my son (who is now in Thailand on a school trip for a week). Their family was very dynamic and loving and I see her young ones growing to become brilliant young gentleman.

Shout out to all of Lucas' and Ben's teachers and coaches, who they spoke highly of! Also to Sheriff Marty, Jennifer, and the staff at Subway and Dollar General.

3/21/13
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Guthrie Center, Iowa. Another long walk today, 40 miles.

3/22/13
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