It's a Long Way Home

A couple of regular guys from the sleepy town of Waseca, Minnesota went for a walk on this day in 1970.  But this was no ordinary walk. Dave and John Kunst (and don't forget their their faithful mule, Willie-Make-It) set out from their Waseca home to walk around the world. In Afghanistan, bandits attacked the brothers, killing John. Another brother (Pete) met Dave and walked with him for a few months. Dave (and the mule) kept going. He got back to Waseca on October 5, 1974, becoming the first person to walk around the earth: 14,450 miles.

A few years after that, Dave came to Northfield to visit our son's elementary school and give a speech. Something about perseverance, probably.  I think Dave drove that day.

Here's a somewhat related Poem by Richard Brautigan. It's part 6 of a longer work called "Good Luck, Captain Martin"

Carol the Waitress Remembers Still    
Yes, that's the table where Captain Martin
sat. Yes, that one. By the window.
He would sit there alone for hours at
a time, staring out at the sea. He always
had one plain doughnut and a cup of coffee.
I don't know what he was looking at.