Gunner is the German man that has been walking across the country for the last nine years.  A master sausage maker from Germany, he moved to the United States in the early 1990's.  He liked his new country and wanted to see it all first hand, so began a journey on foot. He built a wagon, which weighs 650 pounds, and inside is a beautiful hand carved crucifix a friend of his in Germany carved, and gave him, for his journey.  Gunner's wagon is long enough that he can sleep in it. His journey began in Buffalo, NY in 1993. Gunner has all the essentials in his wagon, and a large water jug on the front of the cart.  He walks the whole way, except when going down steep hills, he will ride down.  The wagon is equipped with brakes, so he can maneuver it down hills and give his feet a little rest.  He has traveled all over the United States, stopping in to meet the Governors at each, and is given a license place which is nailed onto the wagon. He makes stops along the way and gets a job to earn himself some spending money, and during the winter or when weather was difficult for travel, he stayed put for awhile and got jobs painting houses or cooking.  Gunner averages 15 to 20 miles per day when walking.  He stayed in the southern states during the winter months. Gunner does not take hand-outs!  He works for the money he has to pay for food and new shoes!  Gunner can sometimes be found working in restaurants, sharpening knives and cooking. He will not sleep in hotel or motel rooms, or in someone's house.  He sleeps in his wagon!  His final official stop to meet the Governor is Salt Lake City, Utah.  We hope to have a big party for him at the finish line! From there, he will walk to Oregon and build his home in Eugene, Oregon.  Gunner told us he will write a book when he finishes his journey, and entitle it "Hiking With Jesus Christ."  Gunner came through Mancelona, MI on June 27, 2002. He is on his 79th pair of shoes!  He enjoyed a cold beer while being interviewed by the newspaper, and later, the television station.  The Missionary Church served lasagna for lunch. That sunny afternoon, he sat out in the driveway in the sun, enjoying fun conversation with our children, at our business. We went to the Pizza Shoppe for dinner, then drove out to our house and relaxed by the garden. He told us stories of his journey, namely the ones where he found a corpse, the one about the lady that was haunted by a coyote at a roadside park, and the one about his "dead grandmother" being in the wagon!  That night, we packed him a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a diet Coke, a Twix bar and some other snacks for the night and his journey the next day.   I think we started something with the Twix bars - he seemed to really like that! We brought him back to our office that night, where he slept in our trailer. We, along with the kids, waved good bye to the man we thought we would never see again!  He left in the morning, around 6:00 a.m. The day he left, we took a little run up U.S. 131 North and found him at Boyne Falls. He was resting at a park there, where he planned to spend the night. Gunner had already made some new friends, a few young men from the neighborhood that brought him something to drink and eat.  It became obvious, Gunner makes friends where ever he goes.  Gunner calls us periodically with his whereabouts.  Here is a summary of our conversations.  As newspapers and citizens along his journey e mail pictures of him to us, we will be sure to post them here for you to see! Gunner crossed the Mackinaw Bridge between Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas on July 5, 2002, his 66th birthday.  We caught up with him that night at a small motel along U.S. 2, West.  We drove up from Mancelona and when Gunner saw us, he jumped up out of his chair, giving us hugs and saying he could not believe we drove all the way there to find him.  Gunner said the only thing he wanted for his birthday was a chocolate ice cream cone.  We were able to deliver just that. Gunner was tickled about the special treatment he received in Mackinaw City & St. Ignace on his birthday. He was given a complimentary ride across the Mackinaw Bridge, and a business there was kind enough to change the wheels, which were very much worn out, on his wagon. Gunner reached the small town of Suring in eastern Wisconsin July 21, 2002 and gave us a call. He said he was going to continue his journey throughout the state of Wisconsin on Highway 64 west. We are digging through our notes to get as many details figured out as we can....  He said he changed shoes, he is now on his 80th pair, which he bought from WalMart, at $19.50 for the pair!! Monday, July 22 , Gunner said goodbye to Suring, and arrived in Mountain.  On Tuesday, July 23 he walked to Langlade, and arrived in in the Elton/Polar area on Wednesday, July 24.  Mrs. Waite drove up and down Highway 64 in search of Gunner, but couldn't find him. The sheriff's department located in at a roadside park and said he was fine! Thursday morning, July 25,  Mrs. Waite in Polar/Elton Wisconsin area found Gunner. He was leaving the area, headed west.  She brought him some fresh homemade bread with butter.... one of Gunner's favorite "on the road" treats! From there, he went to Antigo, where he spent the day. We were not in touch with him the next few days - it was difficult locating business names to call to see if he had been seen. He was in-between towns for a couple of days, but arrived in Merrill on Saturday, July 27. Sunday, July 28, 2002 - Gunner was spotted this morning around 8:00 a.m. leaving Merrill.   He was west bound on Hwy 64 to Goodrich, where he arrived this afternoon. We received our update from Lori and the folks at the Why Go By Bar in Goodrich. After finding a place to stay for the night, Gunner started walking back to the bar for a drink, when Ken and Olga Hoehn spotted him. They took pictures of him, and gave him a ride to the bar, and had a few drinks. They made arrangements to meet him in Medford. Monday, July 29, 2002 - Gunner left Goodrich, and later called from Medford! He is staying at Pastor Busse's tonight and said he was very tired, ready to get some sleep. He said he would call from the next town, Gilman, in two days. He said he received a warm welcome from the folks there. They met him on the road with food, pasties (apparently the pasties weren't a Gunner-favorite!), shirts, roses and other gifts. Gunner asked, "Where's the beer!"  Thanks to the folks at Strama's Restaurant for the update on Gunner's adventures while in Medford!  There's no question the folks in Medford made a lasting impression, he told me the story about their hospitality, twice. Gunner was interviewed by a gal that writes for the O-W Enterprise Newspaper, in Medford, while visiting with the Hoehn's for a couple of hours. Gunner returned to the church for a good night's sleep. Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - What a busy day! Radio stations, TV stations and newspapers from all over the Eau Claire, Wisconsin area had tracked down Gunner. He was interviewed and was on television and radio, and will be in several area publications. We caught up with Gunner at the Gilman, WI bowling alley.  When he got on the phone, we knew something was up just by the sound in his voice.  He had gone through a tornado earlier in the day. Someone offered him a place to stay during the storm. He pulled his wagon into a storage shed, but refused to leave it.  The homeowners begged him to go into their basement and wait out the storm, but Gunner (we all know how determined he is!) refused to leave his wagon. He stayed in his wagon, in the shed.  When the tornado had passed, Gunner went out and assessed the damage. There were huge trees down all over the homestead, and a large barn next to the shed he stayed in had been torn from its foundation. The shed Gunner stayed in was untouched. Candy at the Gilman Bowl bowling alley said they were taking good care of him, getting him something to eat and drink, and kept him busy sharpening knives for their restaurant and pizza parlor businesses.  He stayed with Candy & her husband for the night. We received a phone call from the assistant editor at the Country Today newspaper.  Scott heard about Gunner on the television, and called them to find out where Gunner was.  The television station passed along our phone number, and Scott called us.  Scott, armed with a diet Coke and Twix bar, made his way to the bowling alley to interview Gunner.  When Gunner saw the candy bar, he just shook his head.  Thanks to Scott, we will be receiving copies of the newspaper articles about Gunner!