Friends along the Way

Walt Bonnett

A couple of hours after leaving Great Bend, I stopped at the I-70 rest area near Abilene, Kansas. Much to my surprise, I ran into a Walt Bonnett, an annual campground neighbor at the Walnut Valley Festival near Winfield, Kansas. He was en route from his home in Colorado Springs to the Starvey Creek Bluegrass Festival in Missouri.

Kelly's parents

Tom has been dating Kelly Peterson for about a decade, yet I had never met her parents who live near Vermillion, South Dakota. It was only a short detour from our route to visit them.

7:39 p.m. 7/3/2007 Tom with Kelly's folks

7:43 p.m. 7/3/2007 Don with Kelly's Folks

Jennifer Clarke's family

Jennifer Clarke is a traditional celtic singer who lives in Winnipeg. On January 15, 2005, she performed at The Back Room in Great Bend, Kansas. Before the trip, I phoned her and we agreed to meet in her hometown. She, her husband (Don) and her infant daughter (Caroline) joined us for a boat tour of the rivers of Winnipeg.

8:26 p.m. 7/4/2007 Jennifer, Caroline & Don

8:26 p.m. 7/4/2007 Don, Caroline & Jennifer

Cathy Brechtelsbauer

Cathy Collins Brechtelsbauer was a classmate (class of 1966) of Don's at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas. On the way back to Kansas, we spent an evening at her home in Sioux Falls.