WALKING ROUTE 66
101 Years Of Living With Purpose And Joy
I found Dena Anders working in her shop.
I had a great night under the stars. I awakened to more surprises and delights. The morning crew had arranged for me to have a warm shower, coffee, and donuts.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Fire Chief had called the Fire Department in Afton and made arrangements for me to spend the night there. He also suggested to the chief to phone the next stop and see if they would accommodate me. He told me that I could go to one town after the other staying at fire departments.
How does it get any better than this?
It took me an hour to get to Miami, Oklahoma. I stopped at Mickey Dee’s to get a bite to eat and update my blog. People always got curious when they saw my stroller, allowing me to share my fliers. They had some regular customers who meet there every Tuesday. It’s a seniors’ club.
They told me I was a baby, and suggested that I stop at Ander Shoe Shop and meet Ms. Dena Ander because I already missed her. She had to leave to go open up the store.
I took some pictures of the history in town as I headed down the road. Ms. Ander was a delightful lady and showed me around her shop. She was used to people stopping by the store to take her picture. Being a centenarian makes you a celebrity anywhere, but when you live in a small town, it is more so. I wrote about her in a couple of stories that you can read here and here. Ms. Ander passed away earlier this year, a couple of months shy of her 105th birthday. May she RIP.
One-Stop Convenience Store was my last opportunity to rest and stock up for the day. The 10-minutes planned stop turned into 30 minutes, but I left rested and feeling refreshed. It was a hot day, and because I stopped to talk to people and take pictures, I was running late if I wanted to get to Afton before the sun went down.
I must have gone four or five miles when a pickup pulled up behind me, and a young man came out. He said I had left some papers and maps behind at the c-store. The lady called her grandson and sent him looking for me, knowing that I will be somewhere down the road.
How does it get any better than this?
Google was telling me that there is a burger joint coming up soon. Liar, liar, pants on fire. When I reached the place that was supposed to be the burger joint, it was a saddle shop. Mike Schulte is a disabled veteran, paralyzed from the waist down, and wheelchair-bound. He owned the shop, and he let me rest, fill up my water bottles, and use the restroom.
When I came out of the restroom, there was a message on my phone. The Fire Chief from Afton wanted to know my ETA. The station was another 2.5 miles from where I had planned to stop. When I took into consideration the added distance, it would be way past sundown.
As I think back and ponder.
After walking almost 18 miles the day before, I put in another 22 miles. It makes me wonder why I was in such a hurry all the time. In hindsight, it doesn’t make sense, but back then, I was trying to get from city to city to avoid having to sleep on the side of the road.
Yes, if and when I decide to walk cross-country again, whether it be on Route 66 or another route, I will take my time. Be better prepared physically, mentally, and financially.
Stay blessed and be happy, my friends.
Day 63: Age is Just a Number (Original blog post).
Just for fun.
When you’re in Oklahoma, you think country music and John Denver.
I invite you to tag along if you’re up to it. I am mentioning a few friends who may be interested in it. If you are tagged but don’t want to read my stories daily, let me know in the comments, and I will remove your name moving forward. If you are reading this and aren’t included in the list below, but you’d like to come along, let me know so that I can add you.
Michele Amy Trista Henery Timothy Tim P.G. Sherry Saloni Indra B. A. Linda Sharon Tree Linda Britni Desiree Elisabeth Simona Kristin Helen Julia Chris Rosennab Tom Truenorth Agnes Aurora LauraRaduenz Catherine Joe Stuart Gurpreet BFoundAPen Margie Bob NaNa’sworld Wolfie Rebecca Susannah
As always, thank you for reading and responding.
Here are some of my other stories:
Rasheed Hooda is a published author who has contributed to many of Medium’s top Publications; The Startup, The Ascent, P.S. I Love You, Rogues’ Gallery, and ILLUMINATION, to name a few. He is also a Top Writer for several topics. If you like his work, buy him a cup of coffee, he drinks a lot of it.
