Day 49 - Friday, July 9

We all knew today would be a big day - Bob’s first day was 31+ miles in heat/humidity and it left him dehydrated and me sapped. Yesterday’s overcast skies and rain gave us some reprieve but we were wiped out last night - so much so that all of us went to sleep at 7:30pm - and today was going to be repeat hot/humid with another 31+ miles. As a result we all wanted to get an early start. I don’t use an alarm and woke up around 3:30am. I figure since our usual rise and shine was 4am i would give the guys a few minutes before i broke out of the back. To my surprise when i came forward at 3:45am Bob was already out of the rig and using the facilities to get an early start.

I decided against taking Lucky with us today as the road was perilous with no shoulder, blind turns and the fact that this is day 3 after the chemo which is the trough. As Bob and I left the rig, Lucky was howling terribly with disappointment…

Our day was a pleasure in the morning cool temp’s, gravel/dirt roads and incredible vistas. Along the country road we met folks just like Lawrence two days ago who were born there and stayed there. I approached a young man working a tractor named Anthony who fit this mold but much younger - in his 30’s they bought a white farm house and he worked 20 acres for corn while making huge metal attachments for tractor in his workshop. He spoke slowly to me about the pace of life, the family and having no desire to move to any city as they live with no cell phones - only an emergency sat phone, no internet. All of the houses we passed had laundry hanging in the back drying in the shade of trees.

Our highlight of the day though was early on as we were on pavement, we sadly saw a lot of road kill including possum mother with her babies still alive and an armadillo mother with her young ones. We also saw a fresh raccoon kill and there flying near was a bald eagle! The state of Missouri has 200 pair of them and there are sighting on average of 1 per week. Here we were lucky enough to see our second in 2 days! But after it flew by, we then noticed its mate in the tree watching. And then it came right near us and followed its partner off into the distance. What a site to behold with their distinct features and massive wingspans.

Our day ended in Tipton MO and we boon-docked in the City Park. As we prepared for dinner, a patrol car approached us and I jumped out of the rig with ice on my shin and a pair of shorts to chat with an officer named Edward. He was relaxed and stoic, even when Lucky came up to him he was calm. He told me we could not stay here and would need to register the RV in City Hall and go to the fairgrounds - we had 15 minutes before it closed. I explained there is no way we can make it and what would happen if we just stayed here anyway. Back and forth - until he was kind enough to offer a solution that he could drive me to the station while the guys broke down the RV. So I rode in the patrol car and chatted with the officer while a K-9 was in the back seat listening along. After registering and paying $15 we were entitled to power, water and sewer in the fairgrounds - a great deal after all! Thank you Tipton Police Department for the guidance and help on this!

All for now - thank you for your ongoing support.

Cheers,

David.

Lucky wasn’t ready to get up at 3:30am. His bed used to be our small little dogs bed that he commandeered early on.

A beautiful sunrise that lasted for what seemed hours to us

Long gravel roads were a treat today

With plenty of streams

Another turtle crossing the road - as usual we stopped to give them a hand across. We have seen so many animals destroyed by cars.

When the sun finally rose, it was magnificent!

An abandoned home along the road

And so many wildflowers…

This was the first Bald Eagle we saw

And then noticed its partner in the tree

It launched out to follow

Coming right by us

And then off into the distance

This was the target

Sun is up, temp and humidity are high but the gravel road is quiet and we are happy to be right there

Bob needed a break - not sure how long he was thinking…

Most common mode of transport locally

Another abandoned home but the flowers are brilliant. On our way into town right after we saw a truck lose a big container of herbicide that landed on 2 cars that then crashed. There was a lot of commotion and Bob and I were first on the scene. I offered phone and any help they needed but the driver of the truck returned to the scene and police and rescue all showed up within 5 minutes - this is how it should always be in an accident, everyone helping each other.

Tough day has a happy ending

Officer Edward dropping me back off at the rig - thank you for the help!