KC Star Story about Jed

In the June 16, 2010 issue of the Kansas City Star, Daniel Pauling did a wonderful story about Jed's Run Across America.  It appeared on the front page of the Sports section of the newspaper.  Of course being Jed's mom, I purchased more than a few papers that day. :-)

Back to KC....the long way!

After we dropped you off, Roger and I headed back to Kansas City. We were SO HOT, and I couldn't imagine you on foot, with that pack strapped to you in this blaring sun facing the endless terrain of Kansas in the baking, sweltering heat.

We were driving north on 71 hwy. when the car did a "Toyota" on me. The engine began to race, sounding as though it were going to blow right out of the hood......except that unlike the Toyota, I was not speeding up but slowing down.

"Uh oh Roger, I think we have a problem."......
"What's the matter?" He had been dozing, and didn't realize we were slowing down......
"I've got lots of engine, and no moving....I think the tranny just went."

We slowed down and got off the side of the road. I stopped, tried the gears.....almost nothing but reverse....... First gear was still working....a little.

We could see an exit ahead a little way. We pushed and limped her to the exit, then thankfully off the side to a little Conoco station. Under the hood was tranny fluid sprayed all over the place, and an absolutely finished transmission.
The blessing of cell phones made a call to a tow place possible, and after some trying, found someone who would tow us back 77 miles to KC.

THAT was a pricey tow! On getting home, we had to make a decision wether or not to sink the money into a rebuild, or just try to get another car. We were unable to figure out how to come up with money for another car, and decided to bite the bullet and instead try to come with 3 grand for a tranny replacement.
That was no small task either, but one way or another I had to have a car to get to work. If we lived closer to my job I would have just walked, but unlike Jed, I cannot just sprint the 15 miles each way to get there. Yuch! He does the equivelant of me running to and from work every day. How does anyone do that? Not so much for one time, but day after day after day, for about 8 months......not even the weekend off.....I couldn't do it. I could have never done it, even when I danced and was in great shape.
Well bunny, this will cut into the amounts I was going to contribute to your run, but sometimes we don't have choices. We just do what has to be done. And as you have taught me, you just get up after you are knocked down, and you continue on.

Rock on bunny!

Time to go

I couldn't believe time could go so fast, but it was time to take you back to the trail so you could go on. Funny, work days never go that fast....do they run in another paralled universe? The average work day lasts at least a week, and each day you were her lasted only a couple minutes.....how does that work?

I woke up at 2:00 am. Saturday. Jed wanted to get on the road by 2:30 - 3:00 so we could get to southern Missouri before it began to get too hot. The weather, in less than 2 days had turned to what felt like the "dog days of August". Temps of 92-95, with heat indexes in the triple digits. When there was a breeze at all, it felt as though you were in a convection oven. Geeze I hate the heat. I am a fall person. Give me a cool gloomy November day anytime. If it weren't for the fact that I love to garden, I could do without summer at all.

Well, we were loaded into the car and driving south toward the Joplin area. The section of the trail we were going to finished the Missouri distance, then headed into Pittsburg, Kansas, then west across the state. It was obscenely hot that day, and I was beginning to have a bad feeling about how the trip would progress for you through the state. Kansas is a challenge in the summer. You would think it would be easy leaving the mountain roads behind. Easy to run across flat land.....easy......except for the fact that now you are running in triple digit numbers, and the water stops are very few and far between. The towns spaced generously apart....no trees....no shade.....no nothing really. The first time you tagged in on your satellite posting I was relieved. There's something about that little message....Jedediah OK 8:10 p.m........
That little blip with the words OK really mean a lot to me. I try to picture if you have found a tree, a bridge, some water......

The days will get harder from here. Little do I know what will come soon.

Back in KC

Ok, I want so much to put photos on here, so I have an idea! I'll put the pics on a disc, load them onto Buffy's high speed, and access the blog there, so I can edit the posts and put the pictures in.
Most of the time by the time I can get one to load, I've been able to do a couple loads of laundry and lose my train of thought in the process.....

As we loaded Buffy's bike into ours, and you guys into Buffy's car, I was just so happy to know we'd get to have you at home for a couple days. Little did I realize how quickly they would go by. A whirlwind really. The next day we were scheduled to have our get-together at the English Landing Park in Parkville. I'd made some snacks, your dad had made up some cards for you, people were going to stop by to say hello, and the Kansas City Star newspaper was also going to drop by to do a story on your epic run across the country. Mother Nature also had a big surprise for us that next day.....

When I woke up, the skies were nearly black with clouds. What was this Jed? Did you bring the torrential downpours from Kentucky with you? I was beginning to think so. Roger and I loaded the car with snacks, watermelon, coolers with drinks, tableware, etc etc etc.....and hopped into the car to drive down to Parkville for the party. A short distance down I-35 the wind and rain began to beat on us so badly we had to pull over. It was impossible to see anything. We would wait a couple minutes, then try it again, only to have to do the same thing repeatedly before we finally found the sky pouring out just a barrage instead of a mini-typhoon. I was beginning to wonder if the park would get flooded out, as the rain had been pretty consistent these last few weeks. I remembered the flood of 1993 when the park and in fact most of Parkville itself was under water. Please don't let that happen today I thought. When we finally got to the shelter, I saw the newspaper reporter was just leaving after interviewing you. I was glad they showed up in such foul weather. I was equally impressed that a number of your friends braved the elements, some with their little ones in tow, to welcome you home for a few days. What great friends they are. I could tell how much they loved you, and how happy they were to be able to come in spite of the nasty cold rain. When I get the pictures transferred, I will post several of them. Well, no matter the weather, you were home, and for a while it was so fun just to see you, and know that you were happy spending time with friends. Hope you will get a chance to see all the people who wanted to come. The next couple days will be filled with sunshine no matter what the sky throws at us.

Almost home !!!

I believe that someone commented that after over 1,500 miles running, with few places to "freshen up", that things were beginning to "grow" from you. Ha ha!

catching up again

Ok, I am so far behind it isn't funny. I have been on here more times than I can count, trying to load a picture of you, Buffy and the little girls at the end of the Katy Trail in Clinton. I have a great video of you coming in, and with this slow speed dial up, I am sure I will not live long enough to load it. I'll write, then try to load the pictures later.
It's hard to explain how I felt when we came down to get you in Clinton. You have to realize that life is so much different when you're getting old. The anticipation of seeing loved ones is stronger than that of a child on Christmas Eve, waiting for Santa.....you look out the window a thousand times....convincing yourself that you really do hear the bells and the hoofs on the roof. That's what it was like. Buffy had of course gone down the evening before..to get a room, (no trail sleeping for her) and to ride that last 25 or so miles with you as you got into Clinton and prepared to stop your run for a while to visit us. As Ande was out of town, we had the little girls and prepared a little snack basket to take with us in the car. They were so excited to see "Uncle Jed", and to tell you the truth I was so happy they were here the night before we left. The time flew by with them here, their exuberation keeping me busy, and keeping my thoughts from running too far ahead. I hadn't seen you Jed, for a long time, and my mind was crowded with a jumble of emotion. Children outgrow their parents, but we parents never seem to outgrow the need to be who we always were to you. Funny how that works. In our hearts we know, but in our minds we tell ourselves we are indispensable, and we will always be a critical component in the lives of our children. In reality, we have prepared you so that you won't need us, then we ourselves have the problem letting go. I am doing pretty good I think really. I worry now, but I don't obsess. Don't laugh....it took a while to get here. Every now and then I see that little curly haired boy looking out the back window of the school bus transporting him to kindergarten, with a tear rolling down his face and his little hand waving goodbye. What you didn't see was the tear soaked face I wore into the house that day. I had to get my "calm face" on now, but as we pulled into the parking lot at the trail end, I didn't feel that way. We were early it turns out....imagine that!....the kids and I walked around a while, we threw the blanket out on the ground and had snacks....they were restless... You know how kids are,.. "Is Uncle Jed here yet?" "Is mommy with him?"

Roger's leg was hurting pretty good, so he sat under the shelter house, and I walked up and down a section of the trail with Ellye and Aeva. Old eagle eye Ellye found a mulberry tree, and I pulled a branch down and shared berries with them. We found a nickel, and Ellye invented a "shell game" out of trail dust and fine gravel to hide the money under a little mound, while we tried to guess which mound it was in. We played till they were quite dirty, then all of a sudden Ellye looked up and said "I see something! Maybe it's Uncle Jed and Mama!" I could make out a speck which continued to get larger, but I could not tell what it was. In time I could see a bike rider, who as she got closer, turned out to be your sister. A short distance behind, I saw a runner! I didn't have to see....I knew it was you! I ran back to the car to get my little camcorder while the little girls ran to meet you. When I got back to the trail, I got you running in with them. My heart jumped out of my body. You were home.