Yesterday we learned that Route 40 joins Interstate 70 in the town of Old Washington in Eastern Ohio. We ran the Interstate in New Mexico, but Ohio doesn’t take kindly to such shenanigans.
So we took a detour on back roads until we could get back on 40. And, my oh my, that detour turned out to be one of the highlights of Ohio. The scenery was spectacular and the people in Salesville, Quaker City, and Barnesvilles were equally spectacular.
Today might be the first day since we started back in January that we actually received enough donations from the people we met on the road to cover the day’s expenses!
Our two-time transcon friend, B. J. Timoner, told Kris about a lovely woman named Jeanette in Salesville who treated him kindly. David and I met her in her store and she was just as kind to us.
Fran and Cecil Hall of Quaker City asked if we had a baby in our stroller. Yes, I said. A baby puppy. We struck up a conversation. They were married 62 years ago yesterday.
We told Bill Knox in Barnesville about GMOs. He agreed. Bill’s passion is the fracking waste that Ohio takes from West Virginia and Pennsylvania. He and many other folks are “Working against long odds against out of state waste and the huge resources of the oil and gas industry.”
Andy, Susan, and Toby Weaver, an Amish family, knew even before talking to us that GMOs are a problem. Andy said, “I can’t believe GMOs are legal.” They now have a copy of my book, We’re Monsanto: Feeding the World, Lie After Lie.
All of these good people donated to our run and cause.
Towards the end of our run, we came upon a gate and stop sign which gave us one more detour on our detour and added a few more miles to the day, giving us about 26 miles. We’ve averaged a marathon a day everyday this week. Not bad, considering the sad state of my feet last week.
Road kill? No, this is Jenna, our beloved rescue dog from Dalhart, Texas.
Thanks again to the good people who blessed our lives today!
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Brett Wilcox is the author of We’re Monsanto: Feeding the World, Lie After Lie. Brett and his 15-year old son, David, are currently running from coast to America coast promoting a GMO-Free USA. Brett and David blog at RunningTheCountry.com. Support their run and mission at RunningTheCountry.com/donate.