Tuesday June 01, 2004

From 10 miles short of Fremont to Helena

Rushed out without eating this morning - and it was a free breakfast, too, "Dang it!". Then realized as we drove to the starting point that there's wasn't a store in site for more than 10 miles. Oh well, I need to lose some weight anyway.

Battled a headwind all @%*)! day long. That's what happens when you're foolish enough to walk east to west. On the other hand, the forecast was for thunderstorms, so it could have been much worse.

The countryside was beautiful. Lots of big fields of newly planted corn, each one just barely sticking its head above ground.

Stopped at Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Site - which is right on Rte. 6.

I used to think of him as one of the most likely to be forgotten when you're trying to name all the presidents. (I did that today. Think I got them all. And all 42 states, too - hey, if I can't name them, they don't exist!

Actually Haye's was a pretty interesting guy. He tried to do a lot for blacks, native Americans, women, children, the ill and veterans. He declined to run for a second term, even though he was pretty popular. He'd made a campiagn promise, he'd serve only one term. Imagine that, a politician who kept his promise. That, alone, should earn him a place in history.