It was August 12, 2006 and I was about 1,300 miles into my run across America. I was on the road that morning logging 37 miles between Bowman, North Dakota and Hettinger, North Dakota when the sky opened up with a little rain. A friendly-looking elderly gentleman stopped his car slowly, rolled down his window, and asked me where I was heading. I told him that I was running across America and that Delaware was my destination. The man looked at me standing in the rain with a yellow jogging stroller, shook his head, and said: "Young man, you have the brain of a scarecrow!" He then drove off.
I continued on my way, thinking about the scarecrow from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz movie. In the beginning he was "mindless," but by the end of the movie he's viewed as very wise and the Wizard appoints the Scarecrow to rule the Emerald City. By the time I had reached the Atlantic, I too had become wise about many things. So, that elderly gentleman may have thought I was as dumb as a scarecrow, but I believe it was the journey that made me wiser than I had ever been.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
