Questions and Answers.

     Introduction:
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTNitq77Utg
     Still in Illinois. It's not a tiny state from North to South! Plus I pulled a leg muscle or something and that's really slowing me down. That is worrisome to me of course, as The Cold is my greatest weakness.
     But in facing that weakness I am learning to deal with it at the least.
     Out here, a camp fire is the difference between a good and a bad night.
     When you're all set up though in a nice spot, just the stars and a fire, got a book, a harmonica, and some food—it's real nice and peaceful.
     I still hate The Cold though.

Questions and Answers along The Road
It doesn't end

but it feels like I'm getting somewhere

even if that's just more and more lost in Illinois
I'll hit the Mississippi eventually!

     Food Review:

 This week we're reviewing my own food by the campfire!

Yay!

 First of all
You need a camp fire.
Always feels good when you start it up successfully
Good and warm

 Now we put this bread on the end of stick
and toast it over the embers

 With the inside crispy
Flip it over
lay on some cheese
and crisp the other side

 The heat should melt the cheese a little bit too
Nothin' like that smokey fire flavor

 I picked up some Mustard Greens along the way
Laid it on some cardboard I found

and there yah go!

 It was so good I made another!
Then burned my plate heeheehee

After a long day or riding in the cold
A warm Oatmeal Raisin cookie is exactly what I needed

 Never underestimate the power of a warm meal
or a warm cookie!

 These strange fruits are actually a type of orange
though the locals call them "Hedge Apples"
They're a good sign
And I can't believe using them to contain my fire worked

 I called them the "Fruits of Curiosity"
I wonder if you can eat them...

 Kinda tastes like a bitter melon.
Definitely better cooked

 The seeds are actually really good!

     The Side of the Road:
     I find a lot of neat stuff just littered about.
     From McDonald's cups to Silver Spoons
     From Broken Tools to Smoking Pipes
     Some of it I grab to either keep or pass on.
     I love giving cool gifts!
     But I can't take all of it with me.
     So I started a little photography project:

—The Things Left Behind—

I'll keep adding to this collection every week.
I don't plan to caption any of them
but each shot I take I take because the item has somehow struck me
How did this get here?
Who had it before?
Where did it come from?
Should I have taken it with me?

     Pictures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYkVHFP53Do

Every day is a gift.

 Thanks to my friend Less for the nourishing food!

 I guess I need to eat more Pizza.

 This one is for my Mom!

 Packin' up

 Ready to go

 I'm still not bored of the scenery around here

It's so much different than Connecticut
I Love The Wind and The Sky

 Yeah I can see that

 Everyday super hero
Good way to be!

 Found some Wisdom on the ground

 I came to the town of Arcola just to see this...

The Hippie Memorial!

 It was worth traveling out of my way for

They stand for Peace and Music
Art and Freedom and Love

 There were a lot of secret messages around

 I was sad that nobody was there at the Memorial
So I made a Peanut Butter and Jelly to cheer myself up

Even the delicious staple of my diet wasn't enough though
So I crossed the street into Sweepers
A humble Restaurant and Bar...

 Where I found the Love and friendship I was seeking
Thank you Peter for your kindness and warm food!

 

The World's crazy man
But I'm not giving up
I was meant to come here
And I'm meant to continue

I heard of a secret capsule hidden in the Memorial...
And found it!
Inside were two precious Artifacts.
I left some Fortune, Strength, and Love.
Did I give enough, or too much?

  Lots of signs along The Road
Cheering me on

I found a warm bathroom at a park to sleep in
It had a SHOWER!

For the record it didn't even smell bad in there
In fact
I was quite thankful for this temporary shelter

 My daily Peanut Butter and Jelly

 I don't know what that thing in the distance is

 Peace — Love
Moon — Reflect
Music — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_LzPFNiSc4

  And then I happened upon a auction!

 The guy talked really fast!
He would fill in any space by yelling "bada-bada" over and over again.

 I won a really nice pair of binoculars for just $2!
I've been using them to look at the beautiful birds I happen upon around here
Hawks and pheasants
Sorry, my camera ain't good enough to get a good shot of 'em

 In the small town of Gays, IL

Stands a historic monument

 Someone was inspired to write this poem about the structure

 No fire tonight
It's a trade off

I got to sleep on some hay in this barn instead

 I look for different signs

 Peace and Music
Two things I'm definitely looking for out here

 When I saw Bill Murry on the wall
I knew I had come to the right place

 Thanks again to my new friends in Effingham for pointing me the way!

Effingham is known to have the Second Largest Cross in the Country!

I got there just in time before the sunset

 I think they built it by the highway on purpose
So people driving by would see it and think.
What does it make you think about?

 There was a nice chapel next to it too.

 The World could end any second
Or it'll just keep spinning
Who Knows?

 I found some warmth within
Churches are good for that
When there's someone inside

 Live the Life you Love.

 Ooooo!
Look what I found!

 I already had the fire started by the time I realized what this fantastic contraption was

 Time to smoke stuff!
Food! I mean food of course!

 Smoked banana
Smoked Peanut Butter crackers
So goooooooood

 Smoked Peanuts and Smoked Triscuits
My favorite!

 And guess what I had for breakfast?
Yeah that's right...

 SMOKED PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY!!!

I never was a warrior like these men
I've been a vegetarian since six years old
Choosing the video games in my room over outdoor sports

I was an Elementary School Teacher in Connecticut
Now I catch bugs in my tent and throw them outside
Am I trying to be something I'm not?
I don't know.
But the least I can do is stop and show respect.

Gettin' a lot of practice in making campfires!
You basically want to construct an oven and fill it with fuel
A flammable oven
So once the inside is hot enough
From all the burning dried plant matter
The whole thing will light up

 Boiled some water in my little pot
I have these little baggies with brown rice in them
Works really well!

I had found these peanuts on the side of the road
Unopened, except for this crack on the side.
Turned out to work perfectly to pour out the smaller peanut pieces
Boiled Brown Rice with Butter, Coconut Oil, and Smoked Peanuts
Are poor travelers supposed to eat this good!?

I Had A Dream of Shooting Stars, Cut Hair, and Smoked Peanuts.

But Which is the Key to Freedom?

Choose wisely.

But don't worry about it too much.

Your choice is already decided in Your Heart.

You just haven't thought about it yet.

Fire — Tent

Hold On — Let Go

Desert — Mountain

Keep — Give

Think — Feel

Self — Others

Life — Death

Strength — Love

Phoenix — God

Heads — Tails
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHFxncb1gRY

But who is asking?

And who is answering?