I awoke at 7:30 AM and prepared for my day then acquired the key to the van and filled it with petrol before driving out to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point. This year started out with U2's "All is Quiet On New Years Day" so I worked on the story from last night. The heater had been turned off last night so it was ice cold out in the Lookout Point this morning.
First I had an Amish buggy coming and going one minute before a westbound train.
BNSF 832 West.
A unique load. From the Lookout Point I drove to the Amtrak station as I had a pickup to make for the Depot Inn & Suites.
BNSF 7592 West went by just as Amtrak was arriving.
Amtrak's Southwest Chief arrived on time this first morning of 2010.
Nathan Chidester, a friend of mine and my co-host for tomorrow's episode of Let's Talk Trains, arrived in La Plata from Kansas City. I loaded his luggage into the van and we made our way to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point.
BNSF 7699 East on a coal train. We returned to the Depot Inn & Suites, Nathan checked in and I put my luggage in the Victorian Suite for the rest of my stay here then at 11:00 AM, I was in the lobby waiting for our group to assemble. Steve had printed the directions and I took four people to the van to drive them out to Heartland. We took US Highway 63 across the BNSF mainline and turned left onto Missouri Highway 156, which took me through Novelty and onto Newark, where we turned right onto State Highway E, to County Road 150 and Heartland.
The Heartland A Community of Hope 1/1/2010
The Heartland water tower with the cross that can be seen for miles.
A manger scene greeted us as we arrived.
The Solid Rock Cafe.
We had lunch here.
Vintage signs on the walls.
In the same room to the left is the Heartland Ford Museum. As I waited for my meal, I took pictures of the cars and other items in the museum.
A very nice collection of Ford cars and trucks throughout the decades.
A petrol pump.
Our group having lunch, after which we had a tour of the Heartland.
In 1986 Charles Sharpe created the Heartland to fulfill a vision for meeting the needs of northeastern Missouri and regions beyond it. It is a community where hurting adults and children can experience restoration through a relationship with Jesus Christ, and learn discipline and obedience through a work program. This is all done through the work of CNS International Ministries. Here you have the Heartland Christian Academy, Heartland Christian College and the Heartland Recovery Centers which is a haven of spiritual healing for the youth, women and men. It is also home to the Heartland Community Church as well as a farm, diary and cattle ranch.
We drove along a residential street.
The Heartland Steakhouse. At the left is The Heartland Community College.
Views across the frozen lake.
The Sharpe Residence across the lake.
The Sharpe Residence at the Heartland.
Bible verse on a rock in front of the Sharpe Residence.
The Heartland Christian Academy.
A painting in the Heartland Christian Academy.
The water tower. We left the grounds and continued our tour heading to the north and then east.
Heartland Creamery.
A one-lane bridge before we passed through Newark.
Our next stop was the Heartland Goat Dairy.
Baby goats.
Ray Burns entertaining the baby goats.
Cattle.
An operational steam tractor.
Goat dairy.
Heartland Dairy.
Flags flying on a very cold January afternoon at Sharpe Farm Airport.
Horses.
Corn silo.
Food for the animals.
Dairy cows.
Mother cows ready to have their calves.
Calves.
One of the long barns at the Heartland Dairy.
Cows on the rotating milking platform.
Our tour over, we returned to where we started.
The lone tree.
We returned to the Heartland Community; the tour had been very educational. My van returned to La Plata but made a few stops along the way.
How about this mail box!
The sign for the community of Novelty.
Back in La Plata, the Amtrak station.
Union Pacific 9713 East passed the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point. We returned to the Depot Inn & Suites and stored our camera gear then Bob, Elizabeth, Nathan and I drove to Kirksville and I showed them the Burlington Northern station there before we went to Ruby Tuesday Restaurant where I enjoyed a top sirloin. Back in La Plata later, Bill Compton arrived so I showed Bill, Bob and Elizabeth the Exhibition of Amtrak History and the model railroad then returned to the Victorian Suite, where I wrote today's story and uploaded it before taking a sauna bath and calling it a night.
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