Day Eight: Wainwright to Steedman
This was the beginning of the last long leg of this hike. I was feeling sort of mixed emotions about starting. I have been thinking about this trip for so long, it is going to seem weird to have it all behind me. But, on the other hand, I am looking forward to finishing and having other things to plot and plan. Anyone care to analyze that bit of mental acrobatics?
Theresa and I had a meeting to attend in the morning, so I didn't get out to the trail until 11 a.m. This is a little later than I planned, but that is the way things work out. Wainwright is basically a wide spot in the road. There is one road coming off of Highway 94 with a couple of houses and a church. There are no services available, but it does make a nice jumping off point.
Along this stretch, you are following Highway 94 the entire time with the bluff almost constantly right next to the trail. Interspersed among the bluffs are the occasional farm houses. Some are like this one, your classic utilitarian Midwestern frame house that has been there for almost 100 years. You also see some really modern houses that would fit right into any subdivision that you would see being built across the country. I have no way of proving any of this, but I am betting that those houses belong to the farmer's kids who are more of the weekend-type agrarians. Times certainly do change. I really like seeing all the old barns. This one was nestled between the trail and the bluff. If I wasn't afraid of getting shot, I would have loved to have checked it out in more detail.
Every town that I have been through so far has at least one, but often more grain elevators. Usually they look pretty deserted. Since the harvest is on, you do see the trucks backed up around them at this time of year. As was walking into Tebbetts, I finally got to see one of the trucks unloading. To was a little poetic, it looks like a stream of gold pouring out. You get an idea of just how much corn is produced around here when you see things like this. There was truck, after truck, after truck coming to these silos.
At Tebbetts, they have the Turner Shelter
hostel available. It is basically a bunk house. The accomodations are very bare-bones. I think they have a shower, toilet and bunkbeds with a pad of some sort available all for a small donation. Pretty cool. There is a store/bar across the road from the Turner Shelter. This is a good thing since this is another of the trailheads without running water available. I will refrain from my rant about the state providing water at the trailheads for the moment. 
The next town that you come across is Mokane. At one time, I believe that Mokane was a district headquarters for the MKT. The town still has a bar, a few churches, a store and some interesting old store fronts. The coolest part of the town, I thought, was the old jail. It is a stone building with a steel cage door. I wonder if the need for the jail had anything to do with all the railroaders that were around this town? Surely all the fine, upstanding pillars of the community would never drink or carouse to excess! Do any of my former railroad relatives have any comment? 
I really don't have too much to say about this picture. It is a bridge over the Auxvasse River. I just liked the way the sun played on the geometry of the steel. Hey, I have to get a little artsy-fartsy some time! I wish I were a better photographer. There are so many cool images available out on the trail, I just don't have the talent or equipment to do many of them justice. I think someone could do a cool coffee table book just on the trail and the surrounding area.
Theresa and I had a meeting to attend in the morning, so I didn't get out to the trail until 11 a.m. This is a little later than I planned, but that is the way things work out. Wainwright is basically a wide spot in the road. There is one road coming off of Highway 94 with a couple of houses and a church. There are no services available, but it does make a nice jumping off point.
Along this stretch, you are following Highway 94 the entire time with the bluff almost constantly right next to the trail. Interspersed among the bluffs are the occasional farm houses. Some are like this one, your classic utilitarian Midwestern frame house that has been there for almost 100 years. You also see some really modern houses that would fit right into any subdivision that you would see being built across the country. I have no way of proving any of this, but I am betting that those houses belong to the farmer's kids who are more of the weekend-type agrarians. Times certainly do change. I really like seeing all the old barns. This one was nestled between the trail and the bluff. If I wasn't afraid of getting shot, I would have loved to have checked it out in more detail.
Every town that I have been through so far has at least one, but often more grain elevators. Usually they look pretty deserted. Since the harvest is on, you do see the trucks backed up around them at this time of year. As was walking into Tebbetts, I finally got to see one of the trucks unloading. To was a little poetic, it looks like a stream of gold pouring out. You get an idea of just how much corn is produced around here when you see things like this. There was truck, after truck, after truck coming to these silos.
At Tebbetts, they have the Turner Shelter
hostel available. It is basically a bunk house. The accomodations are very bare-bones. I think they have a shower, toilet and bunkbeds with a pad of some sort available all for a small donation. Pretty cool. There is a store/bar across the road from the Turner Shelter. This is a good thing since this is another of the trailheads without running water available. I will refrain from my rant about the state providing water at the trailheads for the moment. 
The next town that you come across is Mokane. At one time, I believe that Mokane was a district headquarters for the MKT. The town still has a bar, a few churches, a store and some interesting old store fronts. The coolest part of the town, I thought, was the old jail. It is a stone building with a steel cage door. I wonder if the need for the jail had anything to do with all the railroaders that were around this town? Surely all the fine, upstanding pillars of the community would never drink or carouse to excess! Do any of my former railroad relatives have any comment? 
I really don't have too much to say about this picture. It is a bridge over the Auxvasse River. I just liked the way the sun played on the geometry of the steel. Hey, I have to get a little artsy-fartsy some time! I wish I were a better photographer. There are so many cool images available out on the trail, I just don't have the talent or equipment to do many of them justice. I think someone could do a cool coffee table book just on the trail and the surrounding area.
posted by Greg at 9:34 AM
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