DAY 232: VIVIAN, LOUSIANA - ATLANTA, TEXAS

Today is Labor Day. As I look up at the VIVIAN, LOUISIANA Water Tower, some 3,000 miles diagonal across America from my home near Seattle, I also look back 70 years in time to my earliest time of recollection of "Labor Day".

My Dad drove Truck & Trailer for Lee & Estes out of Seattle to Portland, Oregon. 70 years ago, the freight was BOMBS in support of Word War II. Little Brother, Jim and I used to take turns on weekends "swamping" with Dad to Portland & back to Seattle. We learned to shift those three gears in the big Sterling Diesels. Scratch a gear and a mark went up on the windshield. Each mark was mental punishment...a reminder to strive for perfection and hoped we would never reach it.

Dad was friends with Dave Beck, the leader of the Teamsters Union. When Dave Beck was sent to the penitentiary for Tax Evasion, it made a lasting impression on me.

Labor Day is also a memory of Big Brother Jay, Little Brother, Jim, and I working summers in the fields in the Kent Valley...working in 1940 - 1941 - 1942 - 1943 - 1944 hoeing spinach, picking beans, tending the Pea Viner harvesting field peas. We ate lunch from the veggies we tended...after walking 5 miles one way from our home on the Stump Ranch.

Yes, we were children...Jim was 4 years old, I was 5 when we started out Summer Jobs.

Many today would say it was criminal - child labor, etc.,

I say it did us good...we learned work ethics...we learned farming...we learned responsibility...we learned how precious having lunch was...we learned the importance to bring home our few pennies to contribute to our family during the years of rationing and shortages. In our family 50% of ALL income was given over to the "family".

I say thank goodness I learned such things early on and feel sorry...yes sorry for youngsters of today...deprived from learning to live in society until - often times - much too late.


VIVIAN, LOUISIANA downtown City Park.

A "fierce" dog with a loud bark...; A tail wagging, "whining" dog as I chatted with him.

Notice the exquisite radiant eyes.

The inevitable Church ... as found in every town of the Bible Belt.

their presence notable on nearly every city / town block as being the most elegant building / property within eyeshot...and being empty most of the time.

I took time out to chat with the "greeters" at one Church - did not photograph it - , will not pursue discussion details; suffice to say, I was not pleased with the response.

A ranch house near VIVIAN, LOUISIANA.

As with most small towns, downtown businesses have closed. The action is found on the outskirts in strip malls - or sometimes not at all. VIVIAN has not entirely escaped losing downtown business, but has retained more than most.

LA 1, Highway 1, North of VIVIAN. There are very nice homes barely visible back in the trees on the left.

LA 1 a bit further on. VIVIAN looks to be a nice place to live. To work? Did not see much opportunity for employment, except in "service" positions.

Then again, one must remember I see things only in passing by...I surely miss 90% of what is really going on.

LA 1...a pleasant country lane void of much of the heavy truck hauling found on US 80.

Walked 14 miles out of VIVIAN. Then drove on into ATLANTA, TEXAS, where SPIA is parked for the night at WALMART...whatever would we do without WALMART !!!

We had three wild fires burning near VIVIAN when I left this morning.

I read on CNN that Texas has 55 wildfires burning in the general area of ATLANTA, TEXAS.

The above photograph is the fire closest to ATLANTA. In the morning, I will walk in the direction of that fire, but miss it by a couple miles to the North.

Discussed the fires with some folks in ATLANTA. Concensus is that they started from natural combustion - temperatures between 105 and 110 F. for the past many days, coupled with the wind from passing Tropical Storm Lee...

We need RAIN down here, folks !

SPIA at rest at WALMART in ATLANTA, TEXAS.

From WALMART, I walked back toward VIVIAN on Texas Highway 77 - a continuation of LA 1. Hwy 77 avoids ATLANTA, TEXAS all together, having a by-pass recently built to the South. I walked the by-pass going East; returned through Hwy 77 "Business" on the way back to SPIA.

Above is Main Street (Hwy 77 Business) as it passes through ATLANTA.

The local Undertaker (Funeral Home).

Some photographs are "washed out". Did not reset my Panasonic properly for the bright Sun after yesterday's cloudy - drizzle day.

Shame on me.

Another portion of Main Street - crossing the well used railroad tracks.

The Railroad Station - when there used to be passenger trains.

My camera shutter did not open all the way. Carrying the camera in my pocket sometimes creates moisture, which "gums" up the camera mechanisms. I try to watch for this - as it happens quite ofter - must have been tired or preoccupied today.

A vestige of the past: This Caboose use to be the "tail - end - Charlie" of all freight trains. The Conductor rode in the Caboose. With today's modern communications, there is no longer need for this railroad car...the Conductor also lost his job.

Down town ATLANTA. approximately 90 % of stores are empty. There is a small shopping center a couple blocks from down town, but most activity hs moved to a new interchange about 1 mile from downtown - where WALMART, McDonalds, CVS, etc. are located.

Walking distance for the likes of me...but not really handy for residents of ATLANTA without a car.

One of the few exceptions...a occupied downtown store...albeit a Second-Hand Children clothing store.

Looking carefully (click click) one can see a Church behind this Sears storefront...another of the active businesses in ATLANTA.


This Church is a couple blocks from the Railroad Station.

This Church is across the street (Main Street) from the previous photographed Church.

and lo and behold, this Church sits in the center of down town...the only Church of the five within 2 blocks of down town that does not occupy one of the most impressive edifices in town. Being closed, I could not ask "how come?" .

there are no less than 5 Churches within two blocks of ATLANTA City Center.

Then, in the exact center of town - next to the Railroad station, 1/2 block is taken up with this War Memorial, honoring all foreign Wars going back to the Spanish American War.

Please click click to read the monument message. Behind is a Military Graveyard.

Would / Could be Memorial Day. The above Mural depicts United States Soldiers, retreating - for the first time in US history - from the Chosin Reservoir in the far North of Korea...as Chinese Soldiers poured over the Yalu River to push United Nations troops back.

My older Brother, Jay, was part of that retreat. Jay was a tank driver - an amphibious tank, part of the 7th Calvary. Jay survived...many did not. Jay passed away from Lukemia a few years ago. My position - perhaps unfounded - is that Jay contracted Lukemia as a result of being one of the victims of the "Down Winders" ... a US Government experiment of purposely releasing Radioactive Gas from the Hanford Plutonium Plant in the Tri-Cities, Washington State, where our family lived and worked from 1945.

A number of my family have served in combat - or combat zones - since World War II;

I mention:

Cecil Brockman, B-24 Radio Gunner over Germany
Frank "Babe" Brockman, Merchant Marine Crewman in the South Pacific
Warren Maynard, Special Forces Marine - only member to survive a raid into North Korea
Benton "Jay" Maynard, 7th Calvary in Korea
Jim "little Brother", Air Force Pilot in Viet Nam

We have a large family and I am certain to have left some out...

Tomorrow morning, SPIA remains in WALMART as I walk West across a burning Texas.

DAY 231: SHREVEPORT - OIL CITY - VIVIAN, LOUISIANA

We have a rather interesting and- for me - exciting photographs and video today.

But first: Up at dawn. Drove from LOWE's on Airline Avenue to I-220, exiting at US 71. Parked SPIA and walked for 14 miles (7 out and 7 back). Moved SPIA again to a Truck Stop about midway between the towns of OIL CITY and VIVIAN, LOUISIANA. Parked SPIA once more and walked into Vivian and back to SPIA.

It was then that the excitement began.

I was taking many photographs and stopped to take a Movie of an Oil Well Pump in action. I smelled smoke and emergency vehicles drove past with lights flashing. I quickly followed them the 1/4 mile, where they turned in on the Truck Stop Road where SPIA was parked.

The sky about 1/4 miles from SPIA was full of smoke. I rushed to download my camera chip into the computer...only to have it refuse to load. Put it back into the camera...it also refused to view the photographs, stating the chip was corrupted and had to be cleaned.

Grabbed a second chip from my video camera bag, inserted it into my Panasonic and rushed down the road to within 500 feet of the fire. The forest was blazing through the tops of Pine Trees. No emergency vehicles had yet arrived, so I started shooting still and video.

About 30 minutes later, police had blocked the roadway and a few official vehicles started arriving. By now, the fire had reached the road I was on. The wind was blowing about 30 miles per hour - from passing Tropical Storm Lee.

The following are the still photographs, which are already up loaded. I will complete the narrative and post to Google and Facebook. Then I will "Edit" and try to upload some of the video...



View from beside SPIA as I started walking toward the fire...that smoke is about 300 meters away.

SPIA is parked among a string of 18-wheelers and ASPLUNDH tree choppers. The trees are about 100 feet from the vehicles.

The scene as I walked toward the smoke about 500 meters away.

Private vehicles were still coming up the road...no emergency vehicles had yet arrived.

Emergency vehicles now arrived...road is still not closed to traffic. Flames are about 100 feet from the right hand side of the road.

Flames have now reached the right side of the road...the wind blowing them across the road, but the fire is still confined to the right (North) side.

The vehicle pulling out is a local home-owner. I spoke with the man and woman...he pleaded for help...my home is just across the road...I need water...perhaps I can borrow a water hose from the Truck Stop...

I wished him luck...he drove off. At this point, the fire had not crossed the road.

Another private vehicle just drove through the dense smoke.

The fire has now crossed the road and is rushing headlong through the pine forest to the South.

a real conflagration now...and the flames North of the road are moving East, towards where I am standing.

Flames are now being blown by the wind completely across the road at macadam level.

And fire is burning on the South side of the road.

And then appears the Media in the person of Cody from Channel 12 TV.

Cody's vehicle. Cody captured none of the action above. He only got in on the remaining excitement. In 10 minutes, flames were crossing the road where Cody and I are standing.

Emergency vehicles are arriving...but no fire engines as yet. I have been moving back. In the beginning, I was about 50 meters beyond that pickup truck on the right. Flames are coming from the right side of the road and circling around behind me. In another 20 minutes, the area I now stand will also be under flames.

This is the smoke behind me...about 100 meters from the road and closing through the tree tops.

Everyone has now moved back. At this point, one of the pickup trucks came by ordering Cody and me to get completely out of the area...guess they also could see the fire circling around behind us.

EMS Aid vehicles are now on hand...nothing to do as yet. Everyone is staying clear of the flames...and still no Water Trucks (Fire Engines). I have been taking photos for about an hour now.

I have moved back to SPIAs parking lot. The flames are still moving East. The wind is still blowing hard from the North.

Finally a fire truck arrives...has no water on board. Takes another 10 minutes to fill up.

A second fire truck arrived a few minutes later. Both drove down the road and came immediately back to SPIAs parking lot. They arrived much too late to do anything but watch with the rest of us.

The Truck Stop Manager came over to me and said they were about to evacuate the entire area as the flames were dangerously close to his fuel tanks.

This area where the fire is burning is littered with on-line oil well pumps. Where I walked SR 1 to VIVIAN, LOUISIANA, there were well over 50 wells just along the road. Many more were back in the trees. Many of these wells are in the path of the fire.

I gave TV Channel 12 photographer, Cody, my photograph chip to download in his computer. He had NO images of the actual fire in the early stages. I did have them, and he was extremely pleased I offered them to him.

I am now parked in WALMART of VIVIAN, LOUISIANA for the night - with the blessing of the Manager. In the morning, will again walk North. We will enter Texas by mid morning at a point where Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas all come together at one spot...another photo opp.

In my rush to the fire, I again pulled a tendon in my left leg. Will not keep me from walking, but I MUST be more attentive / careful.

My repair to SPIA has not leaked in today's rain - mostly drizzle - from Tropical Storm Lee, which has now moved on.

DAY 230: SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA - UPDATE

UPDATE OF A DAY OUT - from walking...

Rain pattering on SPIA's aluminum roof woke me up...so, no time to do the repair to the right hand side of SPIA. It should be OK if I don't put any weight up there - especially when driving.

After a few hours' rainfall, inspected my previous work...all looks to be in order...no leaks so far.

Tried to make a phone call to American Express Credit Card - my "banker". Shock !

My AT&T 3G phone - new at CARLSBAD, NEW MEXICO 4 months ago simply quit working. Took it in to the local AT&T corporate office...they don't know what is wrong with it...they cannot - will not - fix it...must purchase a new phone & if I do, will lose all my memory, which includes all phone numbers from umpteen years not on the SIM card.

In frustration went to VERIZON to pick up a "cheap" phone. Cheapest is $89.00. Simply do not have the $$, so left VERIZON with no phone. I do have an old AT&T 2G phone which might work when I switch SIM cards.

I really do not need a phone as no one calls me. I use the phone for emergencies - have had none - and to chat with family & friends on some of those long lonely stretches; and to make bank transfers to pay for the Mini Computer monthly fee ($50.50 per month).

Is there no end to the petty problems thrown at me...I came out here to walk.

At least, I have SPIA, who is at the moment dry and cozy for the night. Also, I can heat water and cook. Today, before my nap, striped down, and gave myself a three-time-over good scrubbing; rinsed with ice water from the Ice Chest. Felt great...almost human again.

Oh, yes, also picked up Heart Medication from WALMART today. Been taking the stuff since 1995...Cardiologist told me if I skip the medication for three days, don't be concerned. After four days, won't matter anyhow. Been out for a week or so, so thought I best not push my luck.

Thank you to all those sending good wishes...just ignore me...am a bit down at the moment, but I see a corner up ahead...just gotta get to the corner. Always something waiting around the next corner.

Tomorrow IS another day - Gone With The Wind...that is Aimee's Stomp'n Ground.

DAY 230: SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA

UPDATE ON SPIA FIX:

The fix on the left side of SPIAs camper is complete. All seams are back-filled with silicon and taped with aluminum tape. Water should not be a concern any more.

Inspecting the right side shows signs of a similar failure to be imminent. I have enough materials to do a pre-failure fix there too, but today I am simply too tired. I have taped all seams on the right hand side, to stop any further water entering the structure.

Tropical Storm clouds are already gathered overhead. The high winds and drenching rains are predicted to begin soon...this afternoon.

Have decided to catch a few winks. If it has not yet started to blow and pour by the time I wake up, may go ahead with the fix to the right-hand side.

In any event, have decided to NOT try to walk today. Will camp out at WALMART - or LOWES- and start walking North in the morning.

DAY 229: MINDEN - SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA

A MAJOR CHALLENGE CONFRONTED US TODAY:

First of all, walked 14 miles early on; moved SPIA to a wide spot along US 80 about 15 miles from SHREVEPORT, from where I did a second walk of 10 miles. Upon returning to SPIA, found a major structural failure in SPIAs Motor Home.

Over the driver's cab is a sleeping area. On the Driver's side, the seam joining the horizontal (bottom portion which sits atop the cab) and the vertical (the actual side of the motor home) had separated from the front edge to about 4 feet back.

"Separated" means the side had come apart from the bottom, leaving a 1-inch gap between them.

I drove directly to a Mobile Home repair shop only to be told the damage was so extensive that he would not attempt to estimate how - and if - it could be repaired...even then, it would be three weeks before he could even work SPIA into his schedule.

Not the information I was hoping to hear. Having invested a few thousand $$ already in SPIA, another major expense is simply not acceptable. So, I drove SPIA to LOWE's. I stripped everything from the overhead bunk area, down to the bare wood and aluminum skin.

From the inside, the gap was at least 2 inches wide...the side of the motor home literally hanging in free space.

I began cleaning out rotted wood from the separated area, finding that the original construction used two 1-inch square pieces of wood - probably mahogany - with self-tapping wood screws to hold the side and bottom together...THAT WAS ALL THERE WAS...NOTHING FOR TRANSITIONAL SUPPORT.

In addition, some "flashing" strip was screwed to finish off the outside. Problem was that the flashing did not shed rain water...it was so constructed that water funneled into the interior directly onto the two 1-inch wood strips...BOTH WOOD STRIPS WERE ROTTED AWAY.

For a few minutes, all kinds of negative thoughts raced through my recently concussed head. I stood on the driver's seat studying what it would take to repair SPIA so that such a failure could NOT happen again.

I came up with a "fix" which uses four 1-inch wide x 12-inch flat per-drilled steel angles. The "floor" part of the sleeping area had to hold the sides in close. I "installed" one angle into position on the floor with the vertical positioned where I wanted the wall to end up.

"Installed" means drilling three holes (angle was pre-drilled) through the floor and thru bolting 5/16" steel bolts. Then I drilled two holes in the vertical portion (of the wall) and thru bolted them. It pulled the wall in nicely.

I purchased some pre-drilled steel flat bars. One of the bars I used as a guide for placing the next angle to the floor and to the vertical. Drilled the appropriate holes, and using the flat bars for vertical reinforcing on the outside of the wall, inserted the bolts. The wall came together nicely again up to the floor.

I installed a third vertical to floor and wall, complete with bolts. The Motor Home structure is once again stable, but with a gap between the floor and wall about 4 feet long.

Must install a fourth angle in the morning. Ran out of daylight today.

All nuts are "finger tight" for the moment. When I am satisfied that I have a stable and rigid structure, I will remove one bolt at a time, apply sealant and reset the bolt. Will repeat with each bolt until the entire assembly is sealed. Flat bars will be used as "backing plates" on the outside....this as the "insulation" if there is any insulation, would otherwise compress when the bolts are tightened. Each nut has a lock washer for security.

Then, I will apply silicon - from the inside - to fill the remaining gap and seal off the remaining wood between the aluminum sheets from any future water penetration.

With the inside complete, I will finish off the outside seam - between the floor and side - with Silicon. Over that I will add self-adhesive aluminum "tape". The tape will be applied the entire 4 feet of prior separation and wrap over the floor and the wall. To assist the tape, I will add an epoxy to the aluminum surface. The epoxy will bond with the aluminum and also to the aluminum tape...I have used this process to repair a number of "holes" in metal window screens.

Over the edges of the tape, I will apply silicon to make the seam water proof.

Two comments regarding the engineering of SPIAs Motor Home.

1. The seams are held together with wood strips using self-tapping screws.

Comment: For a structure subjected to years of exposure to the elements and the "washboard" roads such as US 80 has been for the past few hundred miles; wood is entirely inappropriate.

2. There is NO insulation at the corners / seams. It appears there MAY be a thin sheet between the aluminum walls, but I cannot be certain.

Comment: No wonder it is like a furnace inside in the Summer and COLD in the Winter.

Those who designed and built SPIAs Motor Home must have gone to school to eat their lunch...they certainly were not paying attention to engineering matters.

Will spend a good part of tomorrow finishing the repairs...at a total cost of about $30.00.

Tonight, I am again very tired...physically and emotionally; but, I WILL sleep in the bunk over the cab...if only to snub my nose at the Mobil Home Repair Shop earlier response.

Yes, I am trying to prove a few things about the ability of Old folks to be productive and contributing members of our Nation. I am not pleased in the manner Old Timers tend to be shuttled off to the Upper 40; i.e., put out to pasture...not to be seen or heard from again.

Perhaps it is time we "Oldsters" take charge of our own destiny.

DAY 228: ARCADIA - GIBSLAND - SR 154 - MINDEN, LOUISIAN

Returning from my early morning walk, was washing out my walking clothes...which I always do because they really stink...came a ..."what you doing parked here...?"

Please say HELLO to Joel, Kelly, and Bentley (Bentley is the dog). A long chat ensued about destructive folks and parking on private property and you walked from WHERE ?

Ended up Joel offering SPIA to stay as long as she wanted.

Seems Joel was a born and raised ARCADIAN, while Kelly hails from... a long way away... in SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA - about 20 miles West of ARCADIA - and our destination for tomorrow.

One of the few Churches in ARCADIA, LOUISIANA.


US 80 West of ARCADIA...the road I walked 12 miles this morning.

The Deep South survives on Chicken. This is a new establishment to me.

This is the most obnoxious offensive work site in my entire miles of walking. It is a Waste Water Treatment Plant, but not your run of the mill installation. This one processes POULTRY Waste Water.

It gives off the most gosh awful smell one could imagine. From two miles away, the wind carried the stench as I walked US 80. A number of homes and businesses are situated close by...I simply cannot comprehend how the City can allow such a business to be sited anywhere near other folks.

My clothes reek of the smell. My body reeks of the smell.

Awful...just awful !

US 80 about 1/2 mile up-wind from the stinky Poultry Water Treatment Plant.

A number of factories are sited along US 80 West - within smelling distance of you know what -

such as the one with about 200 cars parked, looking very much like employee vehicles.

this one is also nearby, but a bit smaller.

as is this one.

This one processes gas / oil pipe for drilling. Each length of pipe has a "male" thread on one end...shown above with a cover protecting the male threads.

The opposite end of the same pipes have "plugs" protecting the female threads.

All streams I crossed today were dry or nearly so.

Please say HELLO to Shants.(I believe I spelled his name incorrectly). Shants operates a convenience store and a brand new restaurant way out in the boondocks. He was very kind to me, offering free drinks. His restaurant is state of the art and should do well.

I came upon Shants while driving to the Monument of Bonnie and Clyde. Having taken a wrong turn, I stopped to ask directions...ended up having a Baked Potato and drink.

The Monument of Bonnie and Clyde, gunned down at this spot on May 24, 1934. The movie glamorized these two killers of 12 people, including a number of police officers, but locals are not so pleased. Most references to Bonnie & Clyde are somewhat low key.

I am standing on the spot where the V8 Ford of Bonnie & Clyde stood as it was riddled with over 70 high powered rifle bullets, instantly killing both Bonnie and Clyde.

As I approached the killing spot, I tried to imagine the last few moments of their lives as they came around an "S" curve in the distance, down a short incline, and up the hill (is steeper than it looks in this photograph) to be met by six police officers waiting in ambush.

SPIA stands in the approximate spot where Bonnie & Clyde and their Ford were riddled full of holes.

Much of the stone monument has been broken - or perhaps shot - away; so much so that much of the engraved message is no longer legible. Even the edges of the stone have been hacked off about 4 inches all around...perhaps by souvenir hunters?

We have driven another few miles West on US 80 to the town of MINDEN, LOUISIANA. SPIA is parked in an empty lot across from a grocery store on US 80. Have walked a second leg from here this afternoon, covering a total of 22 miles today.

Tomorrow we should reach SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA and head North on US 71 to TEXARKANA, TEXAS / ARKANSAS, about 60 miles from SHREVEPORT.

We are nearing the end of our planned walk.

Any thoughts on what to do...where to go...after that ?