The road to Tariko had many short leg-sapping hills. A couple were about a km up and down. It has been like this for the last few days. Also the wind always seems to be in my face.  I guess this is the reason the majority of cross country runners run in an easterly direction.
Just outside of Tariko I got stopped by the sheriff a friendly guy called Reilly. He told me when his folks came over from Ireland they lost the ‘ O ‘ from  o’ Reilly. This happened a lot during the Irish potato famine as many of the fleeing Irish that arrived in Ellis Island were illiterate so names their future name spelling was often determined by an unfamiliar US immigration officers entry document.
Anyway Sheriff Reilly ran a full background check on me.
The hard shoulder was so bad with holes and mud that I obviously had to run on the road when no traffic was coming towards me.
Sometimes even when I was running in the shoulder a vehicle would move right over to the other lane giving me a wide berth. 
I saw Reilly’s patrol car coming towards me. I looked back, saw his red brake lights in the distance. He was turning around. I noticed he was driving slowly while watching me. I stayed in the gravel shoulder. During the background check I heard him say.
” No he was well off (the road) ”
I asked him what he meant and was told that someone had reported me for running on the road!
 
I arrived in Tariko and went to Dollar General for some goodies. On the way out I saw a lady slip as her trolley tumbled over.
I asked her if she was alright as I rushed over. Just bruised pride I think.
I had also asked where there was a cafe I could get lunch. There were a couple of possibilities for me without leaving the highway but as on many occasions I was to make a decision I cannot rationalize with. This time I left the highway and sought the downtown one, a place called The Barn Mule Cafe. I had a delicious chili and cheese sandwich lunch.
Just as I was packing up a lady called Tammie came into the cafe with 3 young boys and started chatting to me saying she had seen me on the road a couple of times during the week. It turned out her fiance, Mark had been driving by and seen Nirvana outside and phoned her. It also turned out that they are the co-owners of the cafe and adjoining Wild Horse Bar. So Lunch was on the house. I had been planning to run the 8 miles to Rockport but when Tammie said she would let me stay in an apartment they are preparing to rent out I decided I would not look a gift horse in the eye… Or even a wild horse. They were good enough to let me take a rest day I spent catching up on my logistics.
 

MARK AND TAMMIE.

Later I was having dinner in The Wild Horse with Tammie and Mark, his workmate Donny and a few of the other locals. We were having a good laugh. Then Donny says… “How you going to get across the bridge Tony? ”

” Run of course. What you mean Donny? ”

“Well you know that bridge just before the Nebraska stateline doesn’t allow any pedestrians. ”

” Well is there another road I can take around it.. Some county road with another bridge? ”

” No that is the only bridge across the Missouri. It’s very wide almost as wide as the Mississipi. ” Said Mark.

And someone else added. ” It’s one lane only. One way flow with traffic lights that only last 90 secconds.. Can you run a half mile that fast? ”

” Ha Ha, of course not! What about Riley… Is he alright? ”

” His bark is worse than his bite. But he is only the deputy sheriff.. Why you ask? ”

” Well if I asked in the sheriff’s office to have them stop the traffic for a few minutes and they refused I would be screwed. ”

Then the subject changed and my newest friends were talking about a  Republican Congressman they know.

So I butted in. ” What you saying you know a Congressman? Can we give him a call and ask him to get me over the bridge? Surely the sheriff wouldn’t object then? ”

So Marks says but I’m not really listening. ” You know Tony this is a small town. We only got a couple of thousand residents and we got a Congressman and a Supreme Court judge. ”

” Can you give him a call Mark? What’s the Congressman’s name? ”

” Congressman Sam Graves of the Republican party. I don’t have to call him he is standing over there.”

I glance around the bar. I guess I was looking for a sharply dressed man in a designer suit and shirt and tie.

” I don’t see him. ”

” Someone points and I still don’t see! ”

So I call out.. ” Sammy Where are you? Can you come over here for a moment please? ”

WITH MY BUDDY THE CONGRESSMAN SAM GRAVES.

So Sam Graves,Rep. comes over and shakes my hand and I tell him about my problem. He is dressed in casuals, with a wolly hat on his head and is holding a bottle of Bud.

I laugh and ask him how he is going to explain to president Obama when an emergency congress meeting is called.

I am smiling and just imagining Obama thumping the desk!

” Sam this is a grave matter! How come your constituency is the only place in the world where Tony Mangan was prevented from running through? ”

Then I wake up as Sam tells me not to worry that I will get across.

Mark says to Donny.

” I think we can get him across on our own. ”

I am bitterly disappointed. ” What you mean I wont have the Congressman, the Supreme Court judge and the whole sheriff’s department holding up the stop and go signs? ”

Then I realize… ” Ah shit the book won’t be as good now! ”

Next morning I am dressed for the adventure. I meet Tammie and Mark and their fathers in the bar for breakfast.

Just as I am finishing up a reporter comes in for a story.

Another hour and I am just ready to go outside for the pictures when a woman comes in. She has a big smile on her face and says.

” Do you remember me? ”

” Yes you are the woman that fell in the Dollar General parking lot. ”

” Yes and my name is Karen. ”

Karen gives me an orange tee shirt which she got specially printed for me.

It has my name on it along with the word BELIEVE and the date of our encounter 3-9-11 printed on it. I am thinking it is a cross between a Guinness advert and a bible verse.

Then she hands me an envelope and starts talking about ” Godwinks ” and always grasping the moment. I haven’t a clue what she is talking about. She tells me she is a writer of note and has penned a message especially for me.

I

KAREN AND THE REPORTER AFTER WE GATHER UP ALL HER NOTES.

thanked Karen and said I would read it later when going to bed.

This is Karens note:

Thank you for my ‘ Godwink ‘…

On 3-9-11 at the Dollar General store – Tarkio, Missouri I was on my lunch break, rushing through my errands. The lot was so full I had to park on the side by the grass. When I came out with my cart full and began pushing it across the grass to the passenger side of my truck, the thing tipped over completely on its side.

It was then that I heard -

” You ok? Need help? ”

I looked up to see you crossing the lot in the drizzling rain, seeming down and out, pushing your cart of life. You wore a beanie of many colors, a yellow vest with reflection bands, black leggings and a smile larger than life.

I saw an American flag sticking out of the cart and another flag I didn’t recognize.

I wanted to ‘ help you ‘….. But I said ” Nope I’m ok “- Because I was rushing; and you lowered your head to tend to your cart, but first you said -

” Lost your pride is all. Don’t worry I didn’t see. ”

Then you smiled at me and it was gentle. I thought about you for the rest of the day…And wrote these words….Secretly wishing that I let you help me.

God bless you, Karen.

So we all went outside for the photos. The reporters notes all blew away. We retrieved them with me stepping on one of the loose pages of questions. It was probably the ‘ How you get across the ocean ‘ one..

‘Should have let that tormental question blow all the way down highway 136west!

The plan was that Mark and Donny were going to drive out to the bridge and they would stop the traffic! In all the confusion I forgot to ask them to take Nirvana the 30km/18 miles.

I think I am loosing my marbles another slip up! And I was cussing my stupidity all the way!

I had told them to meet me at the bridge three and a half to four hours after I left as I intend to take a break at a gas station on the way.

The lads arrived four miles early so we loaded Nirvana into Marks pickup truck. The traffic was busy. I ran past some signs which stated the bridge was only 8′ 6” wide. Less than 3 meters!

A TIGHT SQUEEZ!

Barely enough for a truck to get through and that’s why I have to have the traffic stopped because imagine if I didn’t have this help I would be running right into a truck while pushing Nirvana across the Missouri river!

The crossing worked out really well. It turned out that the construction of widening the bridge had come a long way since Mark and Donny were last here. The project was to build a separate eastbound lane alongside the single shared traffic light controlled lane.

HALF OF THE EASTBOUND LANE WAS COMPLEETED

Before I got ready to run across I stopped for a drink of water. I looked down into the fields below by the riverbank. A team of construction workers were busy preparing rebar grills to be lifted into place on the new section. They looked up at me. I was also wearing a yellow high-viz vest like them. They probably wondered who I was or was I a worker goofing off.

Half of the new eastbound lane was completed, so that was easy. Mark suggested I run that half and then jump over the separating wall onto the old lane just after my own west bound traffic went by… But what happens if I don’t make it across before the lights change again!

I ran the first half and then saw that the rest of it was prepared for rebar. So legged it over the rebar mesh. It was awaiting the concrete pour. I remembered a job I once had with a bridge crew in Colorado 10 years ago. We tied the rebar in place with braiding wire on the bridge. It was back breaking work. So hard we got extra pay when we were doing the rebar tying work.

I stepped cautiously over the mesh hoping not to meet any of the construction workers or worse a foreman who might attempt to stop me. I decided I would just keep running. Luckily enough I did not meet anyone.

AND HALF WAS REBAR. I DECIDED TO RUN THIS AND NOT TO JUMP OVER THE WALL ONTO THE SINGLE NARROW LANE.

I was taking extra care not to slip between the square mesh which was just a little smaller than my shoe size. It was slow progress. I was also taking care not to fall into the Missouri!

A few minutes later I was across the bridge and into Nebraska!

Thanks lads!

.

TEAM MANGAN: MARK AND DONNY

This entry was posted on Friday, March 18th, 2011 at 5:40 am and is filed under jogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.