Travel

J. D. Carpenter’s American Odyssey

DAY 7 – EMPORIA, KANSAS: Yesterday morning, the first thing we did after leaving the Family Budget Inn was drive across the highway to gas up. And there, occupying a space in the parking area with his array of baskets was the young man I had encountered at the ice machine the night before. His name was Eli, and he was was a member of an Amish community of 40-some familes based in Davis City, Iowa. We bought a small basket and a candle from him, then proceeded down the road half a mile to the next gas station, a Kum & Go (that’s right, Kum & Go: a name some might consider better suited to a chain of motels than a chain of service stations) where we found more Amish people selling their wares. We bought a Danish from a young woman named Catherine, whose younger siblings Andy and Fanny were helping her mind the store. Karen gave Andy and Fanny some Canadian coins, which they found fascinating. When I showed Catherine Canadian five-dollar and twenty-dollar bills, she said, “Ah don’t see how those could be worth anything!”

Later in the day, we arrived in Emporia, where some of Karen’s ancestors once lived. Today she’s going to look through the local archives for Farrs and Scotts, circa 1890, and then we’ll watch the July 4 parade. (Today also marks Emporia’s 150th birthday.) We may make it to Dodge City today, or maybe only as far as Admire, or Strong City, or Peabody.

Tags: American, American Odyssey, language arts

About the author

J.D. Carpenter's Campbell Young novels have been nominated for the Arthur Ellis Award, appeared on national bestseller lists (The Globe & Mail), and received critical acclaim (The Globe & Mail, The Toronto Star, The Edmonton Journal, Maclean's, Quill & Quire).