Frank Photo Gallery!
coming soon...
Upton Franks home village in Norfolk.
Discovery trail Information on this trail
Buykx.com Franks daughter
Franks reports live each Friday at 2115 BST on BBC
Radio
Norfolk
The first 40 days. Franks own Diary
Frank is in Soda Springs in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. In the last week more than just the scenery has changed, the whole world around him has changed.
The weather is sunny and a very comfortable 70F. He is at around 7500feet. We did not get the name of the exact settlement he called from. On Tuesday this week the terrible terrorist attacks took place in New York and Washington, very close to the point Frank started this long walk. Frank was camped near a lake in Nevada at the time and heard the news from a fellow camper. Along with much the rest of the world he could not believe it and turned on the radio in the camper van to find out if it was true. He spent some time today talking to Americans such as Dick Carter a local who described the sense of shock, helplessness, anger and sadness felt by him and fellow Americans. He also explained how US citizens love their country and have good lives and can't understand why people from other countries want to tear it apart.The US is a country where people come to live from all over the world who only want to help other countries not detroy them. He was bewildered to read a newspaper headline saying the US is at war as there is no enemy yet identified for sure. He hopes George Bush will keep calm and consider his options carefully before he acts, so that the US can't be blamed for perpetrating similar crimes on innocent people in other countries.
Carole his wife was due to join him today at Reno, but her flight did not operate due to the security situation. She has now been re-booked for next Wednesday to join him somewhere near Sacramento.
This has been an extraordinary week in the US which may have changed the world, and Frank along with everyone else in the civilized world has found it hard to come to terms with. Despite its size (which Frank can appreciate perhaps more than most Americans!) everyone from coast to coast feels the same, as if it happened in their own back yard. No-one will forget this week for a long time to come.