Day 25: This day never happened.
Day 26: Waking up at four in the morning during a thunder storm, packing up wet gear, and making a mad dash for the nearest cover, is a ton of fun. Sleeping on the pavement under the overhang of n abandoned building for a few hours is a ton of fun as well.
The days walking was very much the same as any other day; we talked to a few cops, played with a few false-wasps, and ended up in the park in a little town called Elkhart.
However, shortly after arriving, we were approached by the towns go-to tough guy, whose neighbors seemed to have asked him to remove us from town. After a brief conversation, filled with double meanings and faux-politeness, we were left quite sure that our presence was not welcome in the quaint little Illinois town.
Not feeling very much like finding another place to sleep, we decided to walk through the night, and make the twenty mile trek to Springfield.
Midnight found us loitering outside the night's first twenty four hour gas station, and midnight thirty found us in the back of yet another police car. Still not in trouble, the officer just felt like giving us a hand with the night's walking. He dropped us off outside another gas station, this time on the outskirts of Springfield.
After a few quick phone calls, we headed in the direction of the nights third gas station, where we bought an 89 cent coffee, and loitered out back in the cold. This process was repeated several more times throughout the night at several different gas stations.
Walking through the streets of Springfield, very tired, moving only to stay warm, we stumbled upon an open graveyard and decided to stroll through it and check out the war memorials that we had seems signs for on the road.
It ends up that this graveyard houses the tomb of Abraham Lincoln, and the stone monument to go along with it!
After admiring the tomb, and then the war memorials, we crossed the street and fell asleep in a field for a few hours, next to a cheap hotel.
Upon waking up, we were tired, hungry, and dirty, and the looming hotel was too much for us mere mortals to resist.
We spent the night listening to music and watching cartoons!
Dylan,
ReplyDeleteSo.... I know you are quite schooled on Mr. Lincoln, must have been pretty cool to stumble upon this sight. In addition, you are quite up on politics, government, and related activities. I am curious what you think Lincoln would think of Obama and some of our current state of affairs across the USA. If you respond to the question, I will make a donation :) and I bet it would make Claus proud.
Mom
The other question, that you and others may find less academic.... What song has been in your head the most as most representative of your journey thus far, and why, of course.
ReplyDeleteThe easy question first: "Kansas City" has been stuck in my head a few times now, and it has a pretty solid and steady bluesy line, so its a good pace-setter.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Lincoln goes, its really hard to say. During his time as president he had his plate pretty full with the war, so there were not too many times where his opinions on domestic issues really played a huge role in his politics. The world was also a very different place then; America had not yet cemented its place as a Super Power, and the international community was still in the process of globalization. That being said, Lincoln belonged to the Republican party, a party just recently formed from the Free Soil party, which had been running on the slogan "free labor, free soil, free men". Lincoln was no stranger to strengthening the powers of the federal government, or extending the reach of the National Banks. Lincoln-Era Republicans instituted new tariffs, more progressive tax systems, and even suspended habeas corpus during wartime. Despite being known as "The Great Emancipator", Lincoln ended slavery just as much for political and economic reasons as any other. The Emancipation Proclamation was a clever way to prevent foreign interference in the war on the side of the south, and it didn't actually free any slaves.
I think it is safe to say that if Lincoln could see the state of the country today, he would be glad to learn that we are still united, and have even expanded since his time as president. While he definitely strengthened the role of the government while in office, its impossible to know for sure whether he would support or despise the size that it has reached today, or the role that banks and money now play in the governing process. Everyone wants Lincoln as the poster child of their ideology, and you could make an argument for a leftist Lincoln, a right wing Lincoln, or any number of varying in between Lincolns. When it comes down to it, his political philosophies were a product of his time and place, and it is his political genius that should be respected and studied even now, more than a century after his death.
Hey there,
ReplyDeleteHere your travels haven't been so great lately. I have been watching your blog and enjoying your stories. I talked to your mom today it was great to see her. I sent you a little something to hopefully bring a smile to your face. Just remember how many wonderful people and experiences you have had on this adventure, and forget all those who are less than friendly. May my small contribution bring you much enjoyment. Safe and Happy Travels.
Jenni Taulbee