Day 51 - Sunday, July 11
Bob made it back safely around 1 am to Ft. Lauderdale although American ate his checked in bag and he needs some of that equipment for his Thursday flight out to Death Valley - fingers crossed he gets it.
Chris, Lucky & I are back to our “normal” and the days are very simple:
Cup of coffee / breakfast
Run
Dinner
Sleep
Today marks the beginning of a new Chapter - The Santa Fe Trail. If Interested in the history, you can find at the end of this post.
Lucky is doing exceptionally well - as good as I’ve seen him since he was diagnosed. He has eaten dry food for 2 days - he was only eating chicken breasts and rice early on then needed wet food. And, he ran 18 miles today - the most since diagnosed. He is wiped out now, hardly able to keep his eyes open.
While the morning brought perfect running weather - overcast skies with temps in the 60’s, the afternoon brought storms and rain which made getting to the end of 32 miles a real push. On one hand the cooler weather is great, on the other the water logged shoes and clothes beat you up. The only story that i would like to share today took place in the last few miles leading in to Marshall MO.
I was going up a long hill with rain sheeting down and in the distance I saw a white car pull over at the top of the rise. As I travelled the 1/2 mile up, I noticed a woman exit the front seat and get into the back. I got closer and noticed it was a simple car that was older. As I pulled even with the car, a Mexican gentleman in his late 20’s or early 30’s waved me over. I had been in the rain for hours and it was still coming down - I was soaked and tired. As I approached I noticed that he had an infant in the back seat and that the woman had gotten into the backseat and with that he motioned me to get in the car in the front seat so he could drive me into town. I was so wet, so tired that I almost cried at their kindness to a total stranger. I told him I was going across the United States and I’m not sure he understood because of the traffic and rain. I motioned for him to wait and I put my pack on the shoulder of Route 41 and opened the back compartment. There was a second of fear I thought when the gentleman didn’t know what I was getting and he opened his car door to prepare. I stood up and handed him a $20 bill to thank him for his kindness. In that second his fear of gun/knife/who knows melted and it looked like he could cry as he thanked me for my kindness. And the next instant they and I were back into the rainy day with the knowledge that we need to help and trust one another whenever we can.
All for now -
Cheers,
David.
Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was primarily a commercial highway connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The route was pioneered by Missouri trader William Becknell, who left Franklin, Missouri in September 1821. Others before him had been arrested by Spanish soldiers once they neared Santa Fe, and most had been hauled south toward Mexico City to serve lengthy prison sentences. Becknell, however, was pleasantly surprised to find that Mexico had overthrown the Spanish yoke, and the new Mexican government – unlike their predecessors – welcomed outside trade. Not surprisingly, others got into the trade soon after Becknell returned, and by 1825 goods from Missouri were not only being traded in Santa Fe, but to other points farther south as well. Some traders used the so-called Mountain Route, which offered more dependable water but required an arduous trip over Raton Pass. Most, however, used the Cimarron Route, which was shorter and faster but required knowledge of where the route’s scarce water supplies were located.
From 1821 until 1846, the Santa Fe Trail was a two-way international commercial highway used by both Mexican and American traders. Then, in 1846, the Mexican-American War began, and a few months later, America’s Army of the West followed the Santa Fe Trail westward to successfully invade Mexico. After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war in 1848, the Santa Fe Trail became a national road connecting the more settled parts of the United States to the new southwest territories. Commercial freighting along the trail boomed to unheard-of levels, including considerable military freight hauling to supply the southwestern forts. The trail was also used by stagecoach lines, thousands of gold seekers heading to the California and Colorado gold fields, adventurers, missionaries, wealthy New Mexican families and emigrants.
In 1866, just a year after the Civil War ended, an unprecedented period of railroad expansion began in the new state of Kansas. Within two years, rails had been laid all the way across central Kansas, and by 1873, two different rail lines reached from eastern Kansas all the way into Colorado. Because the Santa Fe Trail hauled primarily commercial goods, this railroad expansion meant that the trading caravans needed to traverse increasingly short distances. During the early 1870s, three different railroads vied to build rails over Raton Pass in order to serve the New Mexico market. The winner of that competition, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, reached the top of Raton Pass in late 1878. Additional track mileage further shortened the effective distance of the Santa Fe. Then, in February 1880, the railroad reached Santa Fe, and the trail faded into history
We all look forward to our morning coffee…
Sunrise came a little later today as it was storming/cloudy early.
The new Chapter we begin - The Santa Fe Trail
After crossing the major Interstate 70, I headed north west along the Missouri River on perfect gravel roads rolling through lush farms.
This is also the Lewis & Clark Trail because of their expedition through the same area
Coming into the quaint town name Arrow Rock where building are perfectly preserved and there a number B&B’s and theater. Worth a weekend visit if there is a. Show.
There are many points on the gravel road where if the water is high, it is impassable.
Incredible wild flowers line the road
Coming into Marshal, I came by mega silo’s
Missouri recognized 100 year old farms such as this one
Lucky was waiting when I returned…
