Gateway Arch to I255, Illinois; Distance = 15 Miles; People Met = 10+
We crossed Eads Bridge into Illinois and East St. Louis, making a stark transition that was similar to crossing the East Bay from San Francisco to Oakland. We first went by a casino on the banks of the Mississippi River, then depressed urban streets, then an industrial complex. After lunch we were on a somewhat rural stretch, though with reminders of a depressed area.
Two strange things happened. Someone abandoned by the side of the road a dog squeezed tightly into an animal carrier. In our position of walking across the country we could neither let it loose nor carry it; but we alerted folks at a nearby behavioral center. Officer Couch said she would call the animal authorities for us.
Officer Couch and Celia
I take pictures of everything, good and bad. As we were walking along state highway 3 I took a picture of one of the factories billowing smoke. Within a minute two police cars stopped us. I had to delete the picture I took, allegedly for the sake of Homeland Security. In the area was a road called Monsanto Avenue, which is ironic considering I wrote in Systems out of Balance about Monsanto’s efforts to suppress information on Bovine Growth Hormone.
Yet the most memorable moment of the day was positive, indeed, one of the most positive moments of the trip. We stopped at a convenience store to use their restroom and Aintee’s Barbecue caught my eye. Lisa, or Aintee if you will, was tending her barbecue at the side of the store, standing behind converted 55 gallon drums. Her pick up truck was nearby and in the background was a homeless man named James.
Lisa and her Aintee's Barbecue
Lisa had a troubled background but was turning that around through faith and hard work, virtues that were recognized by the store in allowing her to set up there. She was taking care of a nephew and a stepdaughter on her own and was making plans for expansion of her barbecue business. I did not quite get the logic, but Lisa explained that the title of her business alluded to turning a negative into a positive, with a play on the words “ain’t” and “Auntie.” She did, in fact, exude positivity and kindness.
Lisa had turned into James’s keeper. James was a Vietnam veteran who was not quite all there. He received the occasional paltry check from the government which was not enough to keep him from being homeless, often sleeping under a nearby bridge, but the money was enough for people to mug him for it. Lisa outfitted her pick-up to not only transport her barbecue but for James to be able to stay in it occasionally and avoid being accosted. The store was aware of James as well and allowed him to loiter there on the side of their building. A manager came out once to give James the tool for picking up trash in their parking lot.
Funny, one day we are walking through the grandeur of university campuses, magnificent skyscrapers and the Gateway Arch, but the most lasting memory comes the next day from a depressed area where people are doing there small part to help each other. This moment was capped at the end of our walk by another spectacular sunset greeting us on the first evening in a new state.
We did not stay on the Illinois side that evening, as we spent the evening with Pastor Bruce of the St. Paul UCC Church in Oakville, MO. He took us out to dinner and then housed an informal gathering with parishioners Mike, Tom and Lynn in his home. Between the dinner, informal gathering and subsequent breakfast we got to chat for a long while with Pastor Bruce. He’s an interim pastor with a fondness for travel. As he nears the end of his career new possibilities await him, which may be just as well. He confessed his weariness at how certain topics have become taboo to discuss by the clergy. He cited health care as an example of that.
Pastor Bruce under the arch
Other Photos
Not an action film, I take it
Insider gambling?
Thumbs up!
Rick gave us a tip for our route and the use of his bathroom
Parishioners Mike and Bob at St. Paul's UCC in Oakville
