Day 55: 55 miles, Jul 12

Dave and I stopped cycling in Farmington, MO today, he to get new bicycle supplies, and I to rent a car to St. Louis. Yes, it rained even more, unbelievably. We said our good-byes over a meal at the Chinese restaurant. Good luck man!

The picture is of Camille McClean, daughter of Tom and Iku, the friends I'm visiting in St. Louis. I met Tom during my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1999, and we hiked through the state of Pennslyvania together. He had just come out of teaching English for three years in Japan where he and Iku met. The last time I saw them Camille was just 5 months old. Look how beautiful she is now!

Perhaps the best part of my visit is sharing Tom's and my cat stories. He got his trail name, Katmandu, from doing exactly the same thing I did, rescuing a cat! He found a young cat in the middle of the Virginia woods (before I had met him) and carried him in his pack to the nearest road. He stuck out his thumb to hitch a ride for the kitty and eventually found a taker. I love funny coincidences!