Friday, October 28, 2011

Waddle to Wisner

Sixteen miles into Wayne and a late evening interview at a local radio station left me tired. When I arose to get ready for my walk out of Wayne to Wisner there was a layer of frost on the world. Against my want to stay under my warm blankets I packed up and made my way to Main street. I was there asked to have breakfast at the bakery with the local "liars club". I was happy to delay my twenty one mile trek to Wisner. By he end of breakfast , and a follow up talk with the newspaper reporter over coffee, I had given my keys to a gentleman who with the help of another member of "the table" shuttled the van to the edge of Wisner at the truck stop. Twelve hours later I arrived at the van where I was met by a barrage of questions from the enthusiastic reporter from the paper there. She had been waiting for hours for my arrival and I was hardly able to take off my backpack and breath a sigh of relief for the excited correspondents' queries. Then I was whisked to a late "supper" at a nearby home and was finally settled in for sleep after midnight. When I waddled in the truck stop for coffee and sat in the "liars section" I eavesdropped on the end of the old locals talk about all the different travelers who walk, ride and canoe through and near the town. They concluded that some just see a mountain and must climb it. Then joked that the swimming pool was the highest elevation in the area. I made it through my coffee without being discovered thanks to my new Nebraska Northeastern Railway cap. And now am feeling spry enough to make a short trek of seven or so miles to my next stop.
As with everyday I met more diabetics and relatives of same all day as I waddled to Wisner. Maybe one day I can walk, talk to twenty people, or even five on a gravel county road and not speak to a diabetic. Until then I'll waddle on...

1 comment:

diane said...

you are doing a wonderful thing by spreading the word on diabetis. we have a few diabitics in my family along with my husbands. we are lucky and neither of us have diabetis. would like to have seen and visited with you. you and nice keep safe on your travels. hoping you run into more kind and generous people.