104th Talk of the Year—Bitten, Fogged In and Out of Gas

On Monday I gave my last talk of 2004 and 104th since my first one on February 1st in Washington DC. During the past 10 months I have traveled 86,500 miles to 27 states, getting a chance to tour some wonderful agurbs® and meet some incredible people. It has been one of the best experiences of my life and I have had a wonderful time. Thanks to all of you who have made this such a memorable experience.

Some of my memorable moments during that time included being on the program with three Governors (MS, NM & MO); running out of gas in OH; a speeding ticket (my only one of the year) in IN; getting bitten by a dog in KS; and getting fogged in at Sam Walton’s first store location in Newport, AR.

Most are surprised to learn that Sam Walton started in Newport, AR, not Bentonville, but the businessman who leased him space wouldn’t renew his lease at the end of the five year term. He wanted his son to take over the business, essentially kicking out Sam. The town hasn’t changed much since then, while Bentonville where Sam landed has been transformed.

I got the dog bite when I was given a tour of a honky tonk performing arts barn out on a farm. The barn was called the “Fun Barn”. Evidently they don’t get many tourists out there in suits. I told my wife back at the hotel, “I thought that the owner had trained his dog to attack anyone who might look like an IRS agent.” She responded back, “No, they’re just great judges of character.” I’m not sure that I’ll ever win that one.

I’m going to take some time off for the next several weeks and won’t be posting every day. I’ve got some stories that I’ve accumulated in my travels that I’ll want to share with you, but I won’t be doing them on any regular pattern. I plan to again post on a regular basis when I’m back on the road again in January.