I left Sedalia, Missouri   this morning (Sept. 17, a little behind schedule), en route to Warsaw and Cassville, Missouri. We made a brief stop at the Starbucks on Highway 50  and were served up coffee and pastries by a friendly and interested crew led by Dena. I don't know if Dena is actually the crew leader, but whoever the leader is, let me say — what a friendly crew you lead! Thanks guys! (I hope the picture turns out, Dena, and that you're following along.)

From Sedalia it was a quick ride down Highway 65 to Warsaw , a great small town on the Osage River . I discovered much to my embarrassment (and too late to change it in the videos) that it's pronounced "oh-SAGE" with a long 'a' — not "oh-SAZH" like it's French or something.

My humble apologies to Warsaw and to the great State of Missouri!

Warsaw, Missouri  is very proud of its heritage, and particularly proud of its connection to the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. There are no less than three markers on the grounds of the County Courthouse that mention this connection. Although Waterman Ormsby  wrote of crossing the Osage in Warsaw, at a ford in the river, Lewis Bledsoe's ferry  had been there since 1831.

After some filming, I had a few minutes to walk around the town. I stopped by the Warsaw Antique Mall (which I highly recommend if you ever find yourself in Warsaw), where I purchased a gold Butterfield Overland ornament with a date of 2006 inscribed on it. Not exactly an antique but it was just the kind of thing I was looking for.

I waited for Juan outside the RV for a few minutes. I began to wonder if he'd fallen in the Osage, when I discovered him enjoying a Hibiscus Jamaica and a salad at the Common Ground Tavern. What a cool place this is! The building is fully restored, and the attendant believes it was a "safe house"; for escaping slaves  prior to the Civil War.

Pressed for time, as always, I took my salad and Jamaica to go. They were great, by the way, another "must-stop" in Warsaw.

We were soon on the winding road that headed south to Cassville . The landscape is much the same as in Ormsby's day, aside from the houses and little towns, with rolling hills, green prairies, farms and cattle.

A stop for refueling led us to Teresa and Lucy, who work at the Cargo Bay Market . What friendly ladies these were! They were genuinely interested in our journey, and Eddie and Charlie in particular. (Who can blame them?) I hope they are following us along, and if so, hello and thanks again!

After another couple hours of some roadside filming, we finally arrived at our campsite where we met John and Jenny, owners of the Oak Hill Court and RV Park . What a great couple they are! I love KOA and all their hosts are very polite, but John and Jenny really care that you’re staying with them, and treat you like family. It's is a relief to a weary traveler to meet folks like them. Come on! Jenny actually called me when we were running 45 minutes behind schedule to make sure we were safe! They even met us at the front and led us to our site and provided us with a hanging light to make sure we could connect in the dark. Now that's a WOW experience!

After chatting with our hosts for a few minutes and hooking up the RV, I sat down to relax a moment and collect my thoughts about the trip so far. One thing I notice is the increased enthusiasm that is building, not only in myself but in the people I encounter. From Dena to Teresa, and Lucy to John and Jenny, to the school kids I'm meeting, to the folks posting comments at this blog, people seem to be really engaged in our journey. I must say I'm pleasantly surprised and gratified that all the hard work leading up to this trip — and the trials since! — have been worth it. The Overland Mail Co. story is often-overlooked, yet it's a monumental event in American history.

The sheer excitement our trip has created calls to mind one of my favorite Ormsby quotes, which he wrote while traveling on the very same leg of the journey I'm on now:

There seems to be a catching enthusiasm about the whole trip, which excited more interest — I know for myself — than I ever supposed could be mustered out of the bare fact of a common coach traveling over a common road, with a common mail bag and a few common people inside.

P.S. To Ms. Decker's class: The mail is safe and sound and is about to meet up with mail from Lowell Elementary School in Arkansas  in Arkansas, en route to its final destination — California!