THE JOURNEY CONTINUES 29 MARCH 2012

I know its been a while since my last blog but I am back and getting ready to go again. Since I stopped walking a year and a half ago, a lot has happened. The civil trial has come and gone and numerous speaking engagements have also, numerous trips across the country and back and forth to Europe and the UK, and morned the loss of close friends of mine and my family. I have also been very busy beating myself into the ground at every possible opportunity, which may explain why I have been down for two weeks with some type of flu/cold thing going on. One of my buddies I served with in Central America recently returned from Afghanistan and we celebrated by conducting drink and destroy missions from San Francisco to Laguna Beach. It took me about six hours to drive to SF Airport to pick him up and two weeks for us to get back and it all ended, like many things do, in Las Vegas. Welcome home 1SG Todd Sullivan, I may forgive you but my liver never will, 19 days I will never forget.....or remember?. Now for the business at hand. Before Mackenzie was killed, we had spoken about spending her next summer vacation walking the Camino de Santiago from Paris, France to Santiago, Spain and on to Fisterra. After her death, I decided to walk the United States with her ashes, but it was always the plan to walk the Camino next. For the last couple of months I have been really thinking about the Camino and different things have been happening that are telling me I should walk this before walking the U.S. again. It started with friends from Spain asking if I was still planning on walking the Camino, followed by a newspaper article in our local paper and then a show on television in which they mentioned the Camino and showed some footage on it. This is where things really started to get weird. One night , my mom said lets watch a movie tonight so I went over and we decided on a movie called "The Way." The movie was made by Emilio Estevez and starred him and his father, Martin Sheen and was about the Camino de Santiago and a fathers journey for his lost child. I told my mom how blown away I was and that this has to be another sign that I am supposed to be doing this now. Two weeks later, I am in Solvang at the Solvang Brewery spending time with my friends that work there and I am speaking with one of the owners and she asked what was next with my walk and I told her that I am being pushed towards the Camino and that I had researched it since 2007 and was now having these signs telling me I need to do this first. She told me to go with my heart and I told her I wanted to. Now I had told her about the signs and about the movie and tv and articles and friends etc. I was sitting at the end of the bar with my buddy Todd 30 minutes later and I see this guy walk past with his wife, its about 11 o'clock and no one is really paying attention, so I know what I just saw, so I get up and follow them to the parking lot. I say "excuse me, I don't usually do this but I need to talk to you," and who turns around? That's right.... Emilio Estevez. I spoke to him and his wife for the next hour about the Camino , the movie, Mackenzie, our journey, etc. I finish with them and they leave, I return inside and begin freaking out with my friends and it wasn't 10 minutes later I hear my name called. I look up and its Emilio walking back in. He told me that they had walked back to their hotel and got in his car to get me his copy of the movie and then proceeded to sign it and tell me "buen camino" which is the universal greeting on the Camino, what an unbelievable couple. Now this sounds unbelievable I know but everyone who saw it happen, are with me on FB and they will tell you the same thing. I know it was a long way to get to my point but my point is that I will leave at the end of April and begin the next leg of Mackenzies Missing Miles in the first week of May, if all goes as planned. I am happy to tell you that Spot will be with me again and he is supposed to sync with Google Earth over there, so you will be able to watch in real time on our website @ www.mackenziesmissingmiles.org as I walk the Camino. I apologize that the website has not yet been updated with this info but my web guy is on it and it wont be long until we are updated. I will blog and post pictures as often as I can, as I did before. The website is fully operational still and I will give updates until my departure. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela is a religious pilgrimage with a history that dates back to the Crucifixion of Jesus and every pilgrim walks for their own reasons and mine are obvious, if you are interested in knowing more you can Google/Google images it or check out http://santiago-compostela.net/ , or check out the movie if you can. I am really excited for this journey and Mackenzie and I are looking forward to sharing it with our friends as well. I miss her and hurt as much today as the day she left me. I will keep you posted.

SOMEONE YOU NEED TO MEET

Something I have been looking forward to writing for a couple of months now but know that I cant do it the justice it deserves, I will try nonetheless. This is a part of my life that not many are aware of and it is long overdue. When I was sixteen years old and a sophomore in high school, I got my girlfriend of two years pregnant. Needless to say we were young and scared and unsure what to do, so we did nothing, all the while trying to hide this from our parents. We somehow were successful until about the six month mark. We both thought somehow that we were ready for this amazing gift and that we would all live happily ever after. Once our parents found out and they explained to us that we could never handle this great responsibility at such a young age and that we should give our baby up for adoption to a family that was unable to have children but very capable of raising a child in a loving home and able to provide the things we couldn't. After going around and around with our parents , we came to the conclusion that this would be the best thing for the baby and we reluctantly agreed to the plan. We were heart broken but a family was decided on before the birth and we had the opportunity to find out about them and we were both happy to know she would have every opportunity that we could not provide. My girlfriend was taken out of our high school and attended a different school and I remained at my school. One of my biggest regrets in life was the way I separated myself from the situation from that point. I was young and stupid but that is no excuse. I was embarrassed of what people would think of me, so I spent very little time with her. I was so worried about my reputation and how all this would effect me. I did still spend time with her but not near as much as I should have. When the big day finally came, I was pulled out of my auto shop class and driven to the hospital, where she was already in labor. This was the first time I realized just how terrible of a thing I had done by not spending every second with her. I was scared to death, so you can only imagine how scared she was. I jumped into it though and went through the being thrown up on, ice chips, scratching, yelling, and hand breaking squeezes, a small price to pay compared to hers. After a few hours our baby was born. It was a beautiful, perfect, little girl, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was named Julie and we were both able to hold her for a short while and then had to give her up to the adoptive family. It was the hardest thing we had ever done in our short lives. I remember leaving the hospital with such a feeling of loss, one that I would carry for years to come. My girlfriend and I stayed together for another year and a half or so after that but ended up unable to get along and so ended our relationship. A couple of years later I met my wife and we moved on with our life in the military and eventually had Mackenzie together. I never stopped thinking about Julie, I actually would dream of a day when we would see each other again. That day came soon after I left the military. She tracked me down after she had turned eighteen with the blessing of her family. We met in Laguna Beach and walked and talked and tried to cram the missing years into hours. I was so happy and so proud to see the young woman she had become. Her parents did an amazing job with her and I am sure that they are proud to be her parents. After weeks of trying to decide how to explain this situation to a young Mackenzie, I decided to inform her of her older sister. Soon after, at both of their requests, we all met for dinner. What an amazing evening to see these two together. They both brought each other flowers and drawings and letters, without either knowing what the the other was showing up with. They were immediately sisters making plans for the future. We spent some time together after that but kind of lost touch months later. It was probably my fault for rushing them together so quickly. Julie had alot going on in her life, as most girls her age do, and I truly believe that I helped confuse her even more. We spent the next couple years out of contact and both of our lives changed immensely. At the same time I was losing Mackenzie, Julie and her new husband were losing their child as he came into the world. A year or so later, Julie found out about Mackenzie and contacted me and told me of her tragedy and the next thing you know, it was time for me to step off on my walk. The last time I ever saw Mackenzie was in her moms driveway the day before she was killed and the last thing we spoke about in person, was Mackenzie's wanting to find Julie again, its what she always wanted. I kept in touch with Julie throughout my walk, actually walking while talking with her on the phone sometimes. I told her that I wanted to write about her and let everyone know about her but I wanted to make sure it was okay with her and her family. She has recently told me that she was good with that and here we are. I know this is what Mackenzie would want too and that she is looking at all of this with a smile. I have loved Julie since the first second I saw her and Mackenzie loved her from the second she heard about her and we will both love her forever. She wants to be part of us and we want to be part of her. I would love to have her involved with what I am doing and for her to meet all of you that support me and Kenzie. I would like her to be a part of the family that spans all states and many countries. It is a great feeling to know where ever you are, you are not far from those who care. Once she okays it, I would like to post her email and Facebook address on here. Never wait for tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH UPDATE

Just a quick update to let everyone know what is happening. First let me apologize for not doing this sooner but things have been absolutely overwhelming for the last couple months, between trying to get my brothers situation handled and dealing with my own issues and other family issues, I haven't had the opportunity. I guess that's not completely true, I have had opportunity, just not the will to write due to my confusion, uncertainty, shame and total lack of knowing what to write. I can say with all certainty that this has been the most miserable and helpless time that I have ever experienced in my life. Since leaving the journey two and a half months ago, things have been a constant battle both mentally and emotionally. The process that we have had to go through just to have my brother evaluated and be determined to be disabled, has been an everyday battle, between countless hospitals, doctors, traveling back and forth , not to mention the unbelievable stacks of forms and application paperwork that have been filled out day and night. Having to have him "referred" in each step of the process, is a daily waiting game and headache not to be believed. This has been so difficult on him and my family that it has put my mom in the hospital as well. She is out now but the pure stress, frustration and heartache, landed her in the hospital for two days and scared the hell out of us and delayed our efforts. Then my older sister was hospitalized to take the focus off of my brother and on to her and she has been in and out of the hospital ever since and that also has really put a strain on our efforts, by somehow pushing my brother to the back burner. The selfishness I have witnessed since I returned cannot be put in to words and the frustration is enough to make one lose ones mind. As for me? Well, as I wrote earlier, its been nearly impossible. I started my and Mackenzie's journey to try and honor her and give myself the opportunity to try and find a way to live the rest of my life. When I left, I was seriously struggling trying to keep it together and knew I had to get busy living or get busy dieing. It really seemed that I was beginning to find some sort of peace being out there with just myself and no distractions.....well minimal distractions. When I realized the extent of my brothers problem, I had no choice but to put my life, my sanity and mission on hold and return home. This is where I belonged and it was my duty to be there for my brother and my mom. The hard part is that coming home only brought back the pain and misery that I was wallowing in before I left, not to mention the embarrassment and shame of not finishing what I started. It was so bad that the only time I left my house was for mission essential tasks because of the fear of running into people and having to explain what I was doing back not to mention Mackenzie's memories are everywhere I go. Now lets roll all this crap into one persons life and see what happens. I can tell you that it is enough to bring you from your knees to your face. I tried to sneak away for a weekend to where I was stationed in Monterey with Mackenzie, for some type of break for a weekend but ended up wanting to dig my heart out with a plastic spoon after that one. I deserved this for knowingly setting myself up for failure. I guess that is enough whining and feeling sorry for myself. So with that said, it seems nothing is going to help me until I finish what I started and that is the reason I will start our journey over in North Carolina and walk home to Laguna Beach California at the earliest possible date. The reason I will start over completely is I refuse to break up this journey into parts, this will be done the way I planned it, though it will now be east to west and in more inclement weather. It will be done right, having lessons learned help plan the journey. I will put myself on no time schedule and we will stop and smell the roses more this time rather than force march the country. There will be more opportunities to speak to kids now that all schools are in session. I will try to raise more money for the foundation due to the fact the first time raised about seven hundred dollars, hardly what I envisioned when I started all of this. To let you know, I have still received support and love throughout this ordeal and I am ashamed that I didn't return the calls , emails, etc. Understand that I appreciate and respect those behind myself and my mission and that I am now far enough away to breathe again and refocus on MY mission again. Oh, by the way, if I didn't mention earlier, I am in Georgia with one of my closest friends Kevin and his unbelievable family. Kevin and I served together here in Ft Benning Ga. and Iraq and Germany. Kevin is the one friend who met me in Arizona for ten days just to be part of what I was doing and to show his love for Mackenzie. Me being here is needed more than words can say. The pain I experience today is as bad as the day Mackenzie left. I am the most miserable person in the world, hiding behind my bullshit, finding time daily to be alone and break down like a child. I know this is not healthy but until I can do what needs to be done, I will continue to walk this road alone, hoping she understands. I am no good to anyone now and I can see this, but I know there will come a time when I will have something to offer again and that time will be soon I hope. I will find strength in what weakened me, the ONLY thing that could ever have weakened me. I will be out here trying to give the love I still owe and trying to make it home and make her proud. Thanks for being here and I will keep blogging to keep everyone informed and if there is no one, I will keep blogging so I can write what I cant say. I am hoping for a November departure, and an Indian Summer, it all will depend on my brother's situation which I will better understand in a few days when I arrive in Jacksonville. I am back, this time I promise it, once again sorry for the delay.

AUGUST 26 2010 OVERDUE UPDATE

I woke this morning at 5: 08am and laid in the dark staring at the ceiling. I immediately was overcome with a feeling that I cant explain. I don't know if it was just coincidence or something more but I felt like I needed to write about it. Mackenzie was killed on a Thursday morning on August 28th and I received the call at 5:08am. I know its not the 28th yet, so maybe it was just coincidence or a nudge to wake up and start writing again, seeing as I have been avoiding it so long. Lots of people have kept in touch, asking about my brother, updates on whats happening and just letting me know they are here. I appreciate all of those who remained and apologize that it has taken this long to get back to it. It has been difficult for me to write for several reasons, the main ones being embarrassment and shame. I know that I came back for the right reason but I cant help but feel these feelings, knowing that I have yet to finish what I set out to do. So really I guess it is the internal struggle that is driving me crazy. I know that I must see this through before I can step off again. My brothers life is first priority, regardless what it takes. We have been given the run around by countless doctors and organizations since my return. The one thing that we have learned is that what we need is not here in California. The average wait time for the transplant here is anywhere from three to five years. We have been researching other options in other states with two to three month wait times. So with this said, I will soon be living in either Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia or Missouri. It should take only a few months to get through the process and then I will restart my journey but this time from the east coast to the west coast. I will take the experiences/lessons learned from this journey and some cold weather gear and do it right and avoid the distractions that I allowed in this time. The reason I will start over is because I refuse to take away from my daughter and my journey by breaking it up in pieces for ANY reason. It will be executed the way it was originally planned and when I am feel Mackenzie and I have accomplished what we set out to do, then and only then will this be over. I will continue to blog daily to tell you about my brother and his progress and the things and people that I never had a chance to write about along the way. Some of these are great and some the exact opposite. From a childhood best friend that reconnected with me and then wrote and recorded a song in honor of Mackenzie that he named "Sunflower Roads," (I hope to get his permission to post the song and the words on this blog) to people that did unimaginable, selfish things to disrespect the journey and those involved in it and those supporting it. Also the love interest I gave up on along the trail and how hard the decision was and why I am okay with it, not to mention all of the other things that we didn't have the time to share. For those who were here and those still here, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience and your support and know that this is not over and wont be until I say it is. I am miserable but motivated for what tomorrow may bring and thinking of my baby girl always. Thanks for being here.

*I will always remember driving along Highway 1 near Big Sur with Mackenzie, my brother, sister and niece. We were on our way home from visiting our old home of Monterey where I was stationed in the mid to late 90's. I was trying to drive the winding road that traces 300 foot cliffs along the ocean. I had told Mackenzie no more candy or junk because she would get sick and there was nowhere to pull over. Without me knowing, "Uncle Eddie" is steadily handing her licorice on the side of the passenger seat and she was steadily eating it as well. Needless to say, she gets sick and has to throw up, so I pull over as far as I can to the cliffs edge. Did I mention it was night by now? So in the dark of night, I am straddling a three hundred foot cliff in Big Blue while my sister and niece holding Mackenzie's legs and body while she throws up out the window in the back and into the waiting ocean three hundred feet below. During the process, we almost get hit by a passing vehicle and become part of the real big blue. Thanks for the memories Ed. In all seriousness, Ed loved her and she loved Ed and he was a great uncle to her.....most of the time.

THE JOURNEY ENDS TODAY

This is going to be a difficult one to write. My little break has turned into a show stopper. I never thought I would be writing these words here or now but the journey is over. There was a medical issue with my brother that put me in a holding pattern a few days back. I was told by a doctor at the hospital that he was "at the end of his road " and that he would not be surprised to read about him in the obituaries in two days or so. He was admitted into the hospital and tests and panels were immediately run on him. He was stabilized but as the specialist told me he was going to need some help if was going to survive this. After four days in this hospital, he was released to me and I drove him directly to St. Louis, where he was put on a direct flight to California. He is now back there meeting with the necessary doctors to try to save him. They are not sure he will get a transplant organ in time, so I am going back home to be there for a surgery that may require me giving him a portion of my liver in a procedure that will hopefully prolong his life. We share the same blood type, the same parents, both males and are only separated by two years. The doctor said that these and other variables may make me the perfect donor. So with that said, I am on my way home to try and make this happen and at the same time ease some of my moms suffering. I don't know what is going to happen but I do know what will happen if I don't go. The choice to leave our journey is a difficult one, but one I have made, knowing that is what Mackenzie would have insisted on and knowing it is taking me where I belong right now. I will continue the journey as soon as humanly possible. If I am needed, I will do what is necessary, recover and go. If I am not needed, I will ensure he is going to be fine, and then continue. At this time I cant say how long it will be but I can promise it will happen. The only way that it won't is if something happens to me. I am sorry to those involved and have been honored to have had the opportunity to share with you the journey to this point. Most of all I am sorry Mackenzie, but I cant help but wonder if this may have something to do with the constant struggles that kept me close enough to react. I guess that only time will tell. I will continue to blog when possible to keep any whom are still interested informed on how this all turns out and when I will be back at it. I only ask that if you are one who prays, that you include my brother Ed in them. Know that it is with a heavy heart that I leave this journey on hold and my apologies to those waiting on the other side, especially Rob and Andy and the kids. I will be in touch and I will be home soon. Thank you from Mackenzie and I both, for sharing the journey with us to this point, it will continue.

TUESDAY JULY 20, 2010 FRAGO

I will be off for a few days to tend to something personal. I will be back at it immediately after and apologize to those following. This is something that should have been done earlier but I now know it cant wait any longer. Thanks for all of your support and know that this could not be avoided. Lance

EVEN MORE FROM THE MISSOURI RIVER AND KATY

COULD NOT RESIST THIS ONE, JUST THOUGHT IT LOOKED WORTHY OF A LOOK.

THIS SIGHT AT THIS LOCATION PROBABLY HAS NEVER CHANGED OVER THE YEARS AND WILL NEVER CHANGE. ONE OF TWO BROTHERS I MET WHILE WALKING. NICK.

ONE OF THE KIDS I SAW FISHING AS I CROSSED ONE OF THE BRIDGES, NAMED BRANDON

BANKS OF THE MISSOURI

DON'T ASK...I DON'T KNOW HOW IT GOT UP THERE

MISSOURI RIVER LOOKING NORTH

ONE SERIOUSLY LARGE RIVER...THE MISSOURI

ONE OF THE OLD RAIL BRIDGES OVER THE MISSOURI RIVER

THE OTHER LOOK TO THE KATY

MORE FROM MISSOURI AND KATY TRAIL

ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE KATY TRAIL

MORE KATY

AND MORE KATY

AND MORE KATY, CAN'T HELP IT IT GOES ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE STATE

MORE KATY, IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE

MORE OF THE KATY

VIEW FROM ONE OF THE MANY BRIDGES ON KATY

SAME

A CARDINAL, I THINK, I HAVE NEVER ACTUALLY SEEN ONE IN PERSON

BRIDGE CROSSING ON KATY

PICTURES FROM MISSOURI AND THE KATY TRAIL

HEADING EAST ON THE KATY TRAIL IN MISSOURI

LOOKING BACK TO THE WEST ON THE KATY TRAIL

I HAD NO IDEA THAT MISSOURI HAD AMISH , NICE PEOPLE, LOVED THEM IN KINGPIN

SUN UP AT ARROW ROCK MISSOURI

SAME

I GUESS I WON'T BE GOING ANY FATHER ON THIS TRAIL, STORM WAS UNBELIEVABLE

SOME TYPE OF FLOWER THAT GROWS EVERYWHERE AROUND HERE

TRAIL HEAD MARKERS ALONG THE KATY TRAIL

LAKE OF THE OZARKSSTORM COMING IN OVER THE LAKE OF THE OZARKS MISSOURI

JULY 16TH 2010 UPDATED FRIDAY AFTERNOON

,Here we go again, time to try and catch you up with what has been happening out here. As usual I will try to keep it in sequence to the best of my ability. Left my aunts house in Warsaw Missouri and headed for the Katy Trail. I found out about this trail from a man i met along the way, he told me that it crossed Missouri from west to east. Well the good news is that it does, the bad news is it leaves me too far north, in St. Louis. But because of the convenience of the trail, and the beauty of it, I decided to run it all the way out and catch a ride do south from there, as to not lose anymore mileage, and cross into Kentucky headed for Tennessee. Hopefully that gives everyone an idea of where I am going and why that route. As far as Missouri itself, it is hot as hell with ridiculous humidity right now. The first week or so was dodging thunderstorms and huge amounts of lightning and wind, tornadoes, and just like that...all heat, all the time. So much for climatizing, I have been thrown right into it and it is miserable. Don't get me wrong, I lived in this kind of heat and much worse while stationed in Georgia, NC and especially Panama, hell Mallorca is humid as hell every summer but I don't have to walk across it everyday. My problem is that I expect to be able to handle it the same as I did for all those years, and I am beating the crap out of myself, but I love it. I will be completely climatized by this weekend, kind of a trial by fire kind of thing. *I just wrote a 2 hour blog and went to post it and what you just read is all that posted. I am out of my mind pissed off right now, that was one of my best blogs to date, will do it all over tomorrow morning , its sleep time, sorry. Well its Friday and I will try this again, please ignore any accidental profanity, as I am still fuming at having to do this, AGAIN. Where were we? Oh ya, the force climatization thing, well I think I have beat that horse enough. So far I have met some great people while walking this trail. Some of the first being two men and a young man named Derek, bicycling a thirty mile route. During the conversation one of the men told me that he had just lost a son to an unexpected illness that came and took him without warning. We discussed the daily struggle of trying to continue moving forward and how his bicycling the trail helps him try to get his mind where it needs to be. He also told me of the foundation he has started and the great things they are doing for those in need, in the name and honor of his son. Great people with a tragic story and I wish him the best with his journey. The next day I ran across two guys also bicycling the entire trail, from start to finish. Their names are Jesse and Ben Sonnyboy, two young men with the world in their sights. They told me of their plans to sail the world on a sailboat and visit every country possible, to include Ireland, where they want to start a bar fight with the biggest guy in the pub by walking up and hitting him in the face and then making friends and sharing a pint together, it was one of the items on their "to do" list. They better hurry though because college starts for them next month. I am sure I will run across them in their journeys, I just hope it is not in a pub in Ireland. Next I met two boys fishing on a stream that I was walking over and I stopped and watched and took some pictures. Their names are Brandon and Nick and they are brothers. Muddy bare feet, and completely happy on a hot summer day, no Internet, no PlayStation, just a fishing pole and a smile. My guess would be that I could find them in that same spot, everyday, until school starts again. I also met two girls from the University of Missouri, riding their bikes along the trail from Columbia, where the university is, to the town I was in, about an hour and a half ride for them. They took the time to give me some good intel on the part of the trail that still waited for me. It was much appreciated and I wish them luck and lots of fun at school. The last people I will write about are Mr. and Mrs. Jerry James of New Franklin Missouri. The circumstances in which we met were strange but the story they told me later was even stranger. I had reached my resupply point in New Franklin where I was supposed to meet up with some support for resupply of water etc. However, my resupply was a no show and I proceeded to wait and wait. After three plus hours, I decided to walk into the town and try to figure out my next move. While contemplating throwing myself into oncoming traffic, I was greeted by this wonderful couple, who asked if I needed to use their cell phone. I replied that I did and they told me to follow them into their driveway. They then invited me to sit with them on their patio with them, offered me some iced tea and let me borrow their phone. I made contact with my resupply and enjoyed a nice conversation with my new friends. During this conversation I was told that they used to live in Tustin, California and that their daughter graduated from Foothill High School in 1971. Foothill is where I graduated from and coached football and where my brother and sister also graduated from. It is where Mackenzie was going to school when she left us. What are the chances of that? Well I know it is 100 percent since it did happen, but really, what are the chances? After exchanging emails and other information, I thanked them and continued on our journey. I am forever in their debt and will never forget them and if you are trying to picture this in your mind, know that Mr. James looks just like John Wooden and just as smart. Speaking of trying to envision this part of the journey, know that it is beautiful and green everywhere, clean and no graffiti anywhere. I fall asleep to the humming of locust and the singing of frogs and birds and the fireflies dancing just high enough off the ground for children to be able to chase with their out stretched arms, as we once did. When we would come back here on vacations, we used to catch the fireflies and put them in a jar to make lamps and we would use them to make rings for our fingers as well. I just wish Mackenzie could have seen these things with me in person so that we could have played and experienced all of this together. Every town I walk through, big or small, I find military memorials in the center of town. I have seen these and others like them everywhere from Arizona to where I currently am now. It makes me proud to know that I was part of what all these brave men were and all those that came before me. These parts of the country will never forget and neither will I. Everyone is so friendly here, everyone waves or greets you with a smile, it is indeed a welcome change from where I come from and I have missed this part of America and others like it. I also had to cross one of the biggest rivers in the country today, The Missouri. It took almost five minutes to cross on the bridge I was on by foot, I posted pictures of this too. I could go on forever about this place but I wont keep you any longer. I will continue to write when possible and I wish that I could have posted last nights version but last nights excitement was overtaken by today's frustration and this is what we are stuck with. Thanks for being a part of the past week.
*Mackenzie and I went car shopping a few years back and I bought a blue Tahoe that she picked out and had to have. We named her Big Blue and I cant see that I will ever part with it.