Just a blog about nothing.

I reached my seven millionth step today. On my walk to New York, I have walked 5,000,000 steps. I have passed South Bend, Indiana.

Out of Nebraska Almost to Des Moines

The figurative me has walked 1,774 miles. I have moved beyond Nebraska and have moved into Iowa. I am just a few miles from Des Moines.

I have a very soft spot for Des Moines. We wandered through its streets on an early Sunday morning in April 1982. It was so beautiful on the empty streets that I also wanted to return. Then I thought about winter, and said forget it.

The Big Read

I have been walking. The figurative me as walked 1591 miles since leaving my home in Alameda. I have walked at least five miles a day since my eye surgery on May 13th. I am 28 miles from Lincoln, Nebraska. What I haven't been doing is writing here.

I don't write often because my time is otherwise occupied. Beside walking five miles a day, which takes about an hour and a half, I am reading. Right now, I am in the middle of four books--Nicholas Nickleby, War and Peace, It, and Lorna Doone. I read at least one chapter of each of these books per day.

Why? In 2003, we went to England and Wales. On our first night in Wales, a Saturday, we watched a program that called the Big Read. Someone had picked out the Britain's 200 best loved books. It amused me no end--the British love lists, even more than I do. And they love game shows--a lot more than I do. So they combined the best loved books and the game show, and had a contest over several months for best loved book. They made little short films summarizing the books in the top 20 of the best loved books. The folks voted for the best loved book.

The next Saturday night, we were in London, and it was the last night of the Big Read contest. Lord of the Rings won, although the commentators guessed that not that many people had read it, but many probably had seen the movie (the third movie installment had opened that week in London). Pride and Prejudice was second. Some VA Andrew's book was number 200.

We left England the next day. I made a vow to read all 200 books on the list. I have read quite a few of them over the year as my interest in the project waxes and wanes. Some have been great--the horrific but wonderful "Trainspotting" has been one of my favorite. The horrific and awful "American Psycho" has been one of my least favorite (How anyone can say that they loved this book is beyond me). I have read the wonderful A Fine Balance, introducing me to the Indian novel. I have read my first and last VA Andrew's book. Same for Nicholas Sparks. And I have tried, my I tried, to read Lord of the Rings. It is terrible on so many levels. I will get through it, though, so that I can complete this project in the next couple of years.

Beside reading these books, I read the scriptures every day. I also spend some time learning the French that has escaped me since my mission 30 years ago. So I don't write here. One project had to get left by the side, and this is it. But I still am walking, even if I am not writing.

The pictures do not depict flowers in England, nor do they depict flowers in Paris. Either of these might be appropriate for this post. Rather, they reflect flowers in Red Wing, Minnesota. About as far away from England and France as one could get and still be on the same planet.

Nebraska

I have to date walked 1483 miles since leaving my home in Alameda, California. The figurative me is out in the middle of Nebraska, about 54 miles from Grand Island. The figurative me is sweating, is bored, and has a general mad on. Sort of like the literal me sitting here in California.

Nebraska

The figurative me is headed through the Great Plains. I have walked 1277 miles since leaving my home last September. I just entered Sidney, Nebraska.

My quick internet research indicates that Sidney is one of the top 100 rural communities in the U.S. What makes Sidney so, well, great? The website was a little vague. Lots of development, for one thing. Plus it was the considered the frontier capitol of Nebraska's high plain region. I don't know about you, but to me, that is pushing it a bit to find some significance to Sidney. But the figurative me is glad to be here nonetheless.

The literal me went to Minnesota over the weekend, probably flying right over Sidney. Dorey had gone to see her mom, and I went to spend the weekend with Dorey. We went to the Twin Cities on Saturday morning.

Since leaving my home in Alameda last September, I have walked 1220 miles. I am into Nebraska.

I have been across Nebraka twice--once each way. It was April 1992. Dorey and I had been married the last December and I was going to Minnesota to meet her parents. Yes, that' right folks. I did not meet Dorey's parents until after we were married. I figure that why I am married to Dorey. Before the fact, they could have tried to talk her out of it. After the fact, well, you just have to smile and live with it.

I don't remember a lot about the trips across Nebraska that April, other than that the trip was long and Nebraska was flat.

Dorey and I were talking about this figurative trip yesterday. I said that the figurative me is going to take a long time to get through this area. Dorey pointed out that my pioneer ancestors made the trip from Nebraska to Utah in three months. She said that I was just being slow in my walking. She is right.

I have heard that most of those pioneers were in the best shape of their lives when they arrived in Utah. After all, they were walking 10 to 20 miles a day, and eating a very healthy diet. I have lost some weight since I started walking--not enough mind you--but some. So I believe the statement out the shape of my ancestors. Oh well, more walking.

Maia

Update: I have walked 1,210 miles since leaving my home in Alameda last September. Well, the figurative me has. I am close to, or have passed into Nebraska. I have about 66 miles before I get to Sidney, Nebraska. I have been to Sidney, Nebraska. I remmember nothing about it.

I have a new walking companion. Last Saturday, we adopted Maia, a beautiful, small chocolate grey. She is a quiet, little thing who was quickly wormed her way into our hearts. I doubt Maia would be a great walker if we were out on the Great Plains. She is exhausted after about a mile walk. Five miles a day would wipe her out. But it is wonderful to have a new walker.

The figurative me has walked 1105 miles since leaving my home in Alameda. I will reach Laramie, Wyoming, this week.

Last weekend, the literal me went to Hearst Castle. Dorey's photo is above.

Europe Part II

Yesterday, I walked my 4,000,000 step since I picked up this pedometer. It was not quite as exciting as the 1,000,000 step. I didn’t even go to Fenton’s to celebrate. Maybe today. However, the figurative me would not like it if I went. I am out on the freezing Wyoming desert, 952 miles from my Alameda home. The last thing I need is ice cream. But who cares about the figurative me--the real me is in California, where ice cream is always welcome.

Europe 2009 Part Two

We were in Canada when we decided to take the pilgrimage. Not really--the pilgrimage to Denmark had long been on the planning schedule. We were, however, in Canada, in October 2008, when we decided to take the plunge and head for Denmark. By that time, we had amassed enough Marriott points to get to Europe and stay at the Copenhagen Marriott for a week. We also arranged to spend a week in the Lake District in England. So in Cobden, we called Marriott exactly one year before we planned to leave to arrange the trip. Dorey looked warily at me immediately after our phone call to Marriott. She said, “You couldn’t even get home before you planned the next one, eh?”

We did not go on the trip one year later to the day. Rather, on July 2, 2009, a Court scheduled a trial to start the very day I was to return. I knew that I couldn’t do this, so on July 3, 2009, Dorey and I sat on the couch rescheduled the trip. It was an expensive hassle. And the Lake District did not seem like a pleasant visit in December. So we decided to go to Canterbury instead.

Actually, the change worked out well. It allowed us to go to Europe at Christmas time, always a fun thing to do. The only thing that we missed that we had planned was to see a play at the Royal Globe. I am still mad about that, Judge.

So in July, we started seriously planning our trip. We bought a book about the Denmark culture. Immediately on reading it, I knew that I was going home. The book discussed that the Danes love discussions. They won’t offer an opinion unless asked, but once asked, look out. They will let you have it once you ask. Me, too, but unlike the descendants of my forebearers, I rarely wait for the request for my opinion before giving same.

So after planning the trip logistics, we only had to wait and read up on the spots we would go to . As we counted down the days, we would remind each other of how many days were left until we could leave. We marked the October day when we were had originally planned to go with sadness. We marked the day that we were originally supposed to return with some pleasure--we still had a trip to go on, after all.

By the way--the trial that was supposed to start the day after I was to return, never happened. I knew it wouldn’t.

Europe 2009 Part One

The figurative me is out on the plains in Wyoming. I have walked 931 miles since leaving my home in Alameda. Part of this steps the literal me took were in Europe in December. I will be in Laramie in 97 miles. So here’s part one of that trip report.

We all take pilgrimages. It seems to be in our nature. I am, however, uncertain whether our pilgrimage treks are really religious in nature. Of course, I belong to a religious tradition which does not really have a pilgrim tradition. I guess folks may travel to Salt Lake City, but there is nothing there which isn’t available anywhere else. And Salt Lake City is cold in winter and hot in summer. And really boring in all weather. And you certainly can live a complete life as a Latter-day Saint without making the trek to Salt Lake City.

This is not to say that pilgrimages do not have a religious component. I was reminded of this pious motivation when Dorey and I were in St. David’s, Wales a few years ago. The saying there is that two pilgrimages to St. David’s equals one pilgrimage to Rome. So, yes, pilgrims can believe that they honor God by traveling on the road.

Yet, I think that even more than a religious urge, I think that pilgrims go on these travels to say we have gone. Or even more likely, we go to show off our souvenirs on our return. The pilgrims who traveled from France to Santiago de Compostela used to pick up sea shells--known as St. James’ shells--to show off to their neighbors on their return to France. Since I have rarely read about the religious experiences of these pilgrims, and have heard a lot about the sea shells, I have come to believe that they mostly went to Santiago de Compostela to pick up the shells, and any religious motivation for taking the road south out of Paris was purely secondary.

Our trip to Europe in December 2009 was as close to a religious pilgrimage as I am ever going to take--if one counts a family feeling as a religious sentiment. We were going to Denmark, the old homeland. Several of my ancestors joined the Mormon church and left Denmark to make their trek to Salt Lake City. We were also going to Sweden. Now Sweden is another homeland, one which we in my family barely acknowledges. But it is Dorey’s homeland. On this trip, we were also going to Germany, which is not a homeland in any sense of the word. And France, which is. And Belgium, which isn’t. And England, which is another spot which my ancestors left. Yet even though it was going to be a religious trek in one sense, it was, I must admit, a trip motivated to pick up a few wares to show off on our return.

Wyoming and Europe

I have walked 926 miles since leaving my beautiful home in California. Well, the virtual me as done so. The real me is thriving in California, but I have walked the 926 miles, if not always in a straight line.

In fact, not all of the steps have been in the United States. Some of the steps have been in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France and England. Over the next little bit, I will write up our trip, now that we have been home for a couple of months. I bet you, incontinent reader, can't wait.

Soft Serve Cones at Little America

The virtual me is out freezing to death on the Wyoming plains. I have walked 921 miles since leaving my home in Alameda. A few miles back, I enjoyed two soft serve cones at Little America. I also went to the bathrooms there, the cleanest bathrooms in America. I have since passed Green River, and am on my way to Cheyenne.

I have driven this part of I-80 twice--once in 1982 and once a couple of years ago. In 1982, Dorey and I were headed back to Minnesota so that I could meet her parents. We had been married the past December, but I had not met her parents yet. Probably a smart move on my part. We had Janet Twigg and another gal in the car with us. I remember eating the soft serve cone, and thinking that these were the cleanest bathrooms in America.

The second time I drove in this area was just a couple of years ago. We were driving with Christian as he headed to Illinois for an internship. I needed to check out the bathrooms. They were still clean. To celebrate the unchanging nature of the bathrooms in Little America, I had another soft serve cone.

Up Parley's Canyon

The figurative me has made it to, and have passed Salt Lake City, Utah. I have walked 758 miles since leaving Alameda. I am walking up Parleys Canyon on I-80 to the cutoff to Park City, Utah.

Having Mormon pioneers in my background, I am always amazed when I travel up and down Parleys Canyon. It is very steep. I have seen many semi trucks lose their brakes out here on the slopes. I can’t imagine how they were able to keep a full wagon from barreling down the canyon.

I may make it close enough to Park City to attend the Sundance film festival. Dorey and I once attended with our friend Steven Wood. This was in 1982, when the festival was in its infancy. We were students at BYU. Steven drove. Driving with Steven is always an experience, as he spends most of his time looking backward. Adding to the experience was that it was snowing as we climbed out of Provo to the Deere Creek reservoir. I kept wondering about our sanity about this trip to see a couple of movies.

We saw two documentaries that night–one was Clothesline–a documentary about how women throughout the world are connected by a clothesline. The other was Errol Morris’s Vernon, Florida. The crowd was amused by both. We ate at the Tacotime in Heber on the way home. Strange what you remember nearly 30 years after the event.

On The Salt Flats

The figurative me is out walking among the Salt Flats. I have, I estimate, driven over these Salt Flats while over 50 times. Evening summer crossings are some of my fondest memories. I could often see dark rain clouds gather over the desert as we drove east toward Salt Lake. In a few minutes, lighting would flash off in the distance. A few minutes of rain would fall. And then the smell would hit--that beautiful smell that rises when the water hits the dry, hot tar of I-80. On great days, you can get this smell all the way into Salt Lake City . At that moment, I know that the desert will be cool enough to sleep for a night.

Other trips have not been so pleasant as those summer evening drives. In November 1983, when Christian was just a baby, we were taking home to California to introduce him to my father. Dorey and I slid across the desert in a winter storm, and worried that we would never get Christian to my father. I hope never to make that trip again.

The figurative me has walked 689 miles since leaving Alameda. I will be in Salt Lake City in 50 miles. The picture in the mural is not located out in the desert, but in Berlin.

Quick Catch-up.

I have walked 1,416,648 steps since figuratively leaving my home in Alameda. That is 670 miles. I have crossed the great state of Nevada, and have moved into the Salt Flats of Utah.

While the figurative me has been walking along, the literal me has also been on the move. Dorey and I had a wonderful time in Europe. We walked easily over 60 miles while there. We had Christmas, where Kate and Jacob came to cheer up the house. We had New Years, where we did little but eat and enjoy. And now we are in the worst month–January–but at least we are halfway through.

Those guys in the pictures are my fellow walkers. They can be found in Malmo, Sweden.