Barnstormers

Some of the first forms of civil aviation in the United States were Barnstorming and Flying Circuses. These events really took off during the 1920’s as reliable military surplus biplanes from WWI were sold off to the public for a fraction of their cost.

Aviators took these aircraft and performed shows, sold airplane rides, and generally tried to impress people with their piloting skills in an era before Federal Aviation Regulations really took hold.

Barnstorming itself was a fairly egalitarian pursuit with women and minorities gaining fame and notoriety based on their skills in cockpit. It was a raucous era in aviation producing greats like Charles Lindberg, Katherine Stinson, and Bessie Coleman.

These barnstormers introduced America to the wonders and possibilities of commercial aviation. Victims of their own success, the Federal Government enacted a series of progressively more restrictive regulations. Those regulations coupled with the end of surplus biplane sales caused the practice of barnstorming to basically vanish by 1929.

As I pass into progressively less populated areas, my imagination has wandered with thoughts of what it would have been like to live in those heady days of early aviation. If you could get a plane and some training, you too could be a pilot.

Hopping from grass strip to grass strip across the prairie states would have been quite a bit faster and probably more exciting than walking. Barnstorming, smuggling, and delivering the mail could put food on the table, and no one was standing in TSA lines just to have to remove their shoes and their jackets.

Airplane in a Cornfield - Clinton County, IA

As I was trudging along thinking about simpler times, I glanced to my left. Low and behold, hearkening back to those heady early days of aviation, there was an airplane in a cornfield. The hanger was amongst the farms outbuildings, and a grass strip led from the door, down through the cornfield and, I assume, into the sky.

I’ve been looking for one of these throwbacks to the barnstorming era, and today, I actually got to see one!

Disappearance from the "Scene"

Jay disappeared from the n2n scene June 21 as a consequence of a poentially severe right foot problem.       During a period of walking with wet feet because of rain and its after effects,  I'd developed multiple blisters on my right foot.  On two toes and the ball of the foot. Our treatment of them was of no positive effect and they worsened.  Continued walking became pretty uncomfortable, and by the time we arrived in Yorkville (June 20) I had a lot of inflammation and swelling.  The toe area took on an angry red coloration.  Attempts to see a local doctor were unsuccessful, but I was directed to an Immediate Care facility in nearby Oswego.  I received prompt attention, was immediately diagnosed with cellulitis of the foot, given intravenous antibiotics and a prescription for Clindamycin.  I was instructed to keep my leg elevated, "avoid strenuous activity", keep my foot aerated, and "IF ANY WORSENING OF SYMPTOMS GO TO THE ER."   The treatment I received was immediate, and appropriate (as best I knew).   The entire staff we dealt with (front desk, technician, nurse and doctor) were GREAT, and I am thankful for them and the treatment.  The diagnosis was more than disheartening.  Particularly in view of the fact that within the last year three of my acquaintances (including my wife Sarah) have experienced cellulitis.  Each was hospitalized, one for 3 days, one for 5 days, one for 9 days.  (Cellulitis has potential for dire consequences if not treated properly.)    I elected to return to Plano to get with my PCP.  He was available for an early Monday appointment.  I flew back Sat, June 22.         Dr. Tran confirmed the diagnosis, added a second antibiotic, and scheduled a follow-up visit for Jul 01 (today).   He recommended cessation of walking (read that: stay off the foot,  keep it elevated, for 10-15 days).       On the n2m front:  we had reached a point where it was going to be more demanding -- potentially longer distances between predictable resupply sources; progressing into summer (hotter) weather, proliferation of "noxious insects"; etc.    I'm not willing to abandon the trek.  Much of life involves making decisions -- making choices between alternatives in the face of uncertainty.  I'm/we're at one of those junctures.    C'est le vie.

Crossing the Mississippi

Seven states down. Five to go. Today, on my last official day in the Navy and the ninety-first day on the road, I crossed the Mississippi River, leaving Illinois in my wake, and entering Clinton, Iowa.

I’d been looking forward to this geographic milestone, and I was ready to spend some quality time on the bridge over the main channel of the river relishing the moment and taking some well framed pictures for posterity.

One of the things you think about when planning a cross country walk is how you are going to cross large bodies of water. If you plug Newport, RI and Newport, OR into Google Maps and ask for walking directions, the first leg of the recommended course leaves Newport, Rhode Island on a ferry headed headed to Fall River, Massachusetts. This is because Google doesn’t recognize the relatively newly opened mixed use pedestrian and bicycle lane along the Sakonnet River bridge at the north end of Aquidneck Island.

The route will also take you into Canada and back down into Michigan with another ferry ride from Muskegon, MI to Milwaukee, WI.

Anyway, not wanting to lose any steps along the way, I had to figure out a route that got around or across these bodies of water.  Around is pretty easy. It just means a lot more steps. Across can be a bit of a challenge, but I was pretty sure I’d figured that out.

As I was planning, it occurred to me that I was probably going to cross some major rivers, and I might want to check out those arrangements as well. My first thought was the Mississippi, so I looked at the route and went down to the Google Street level view to check things out.

It looked great.  A bridge with a shoulder. No problem.

These assessments were made from the comfort of my desk with either a sufficient amount of heat or A/C to make the temperature just right. I was probably pretty well rested, and I had access to a ham sandwich and a nice cold beverage of choice in the refrigerator right down the hall. Once I was satisfied with my Mississippi river crossing, I never went back and looked at it again.

As I approached the bridge this afternoon, I thought, “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Sure there was a shoulder. It was about two feet wide, and the only thing separating that narrow ribbon of asphalt from the eastbound lane of traffic was a poorly painted white line.  

I glanced over at the other side.  Same thing, but I wouldn’t be facing traffic. I thought back to my planning. I’d checked this out, right? Am I in the right spot? I consulted my phone.  Yep, right spot.

Apparently, due to lack of experience evaluating Google street level views in the early stages of the planning process, I’d greatly overestimated the width of the shoulder. I checked to see if there was another way across, and of course that option looked just as bad and would add another five or six miles to my planned daily total.

I glanced up the bridge again.  “Only one thing for it. Move forward.” I asked the Universe for a safe passage and stepped onto the rise of the bridge.

Needless to say, I didn’t dawdle a whole lot savoring the moment and snapping a great many pictures.  I did get enough of a break in the eastbound traffic to catch a few shots of, you guessed it, a train leaving Illinois and heading into Clinton, Iowa just to the south of me.

Train Crossing the Mississippi on a Swing Trestle - Clinton, Iowa

Having done what I could, I pressed on and scarcely over a mile and what seemed like an hour and a half later stepped back onto a land level sidewalk. There was a grocery store on the corner and I ducked in and sat on a bench next to the carts. I soaked up the air conditioning and let my pulse settle back into a more steady rhythm.

It was not the crossing I’d imagined, but it was a good one. Tomorrow the attempt to cross the first of the big five states begins, but right now the weather warning sirens are going off.  Google tells me that’s a severe thunderstorm warning with pretty high winds. I hope they judge weather better than walking routes. I think I’ll go check it out for myself.