6/2/2011
Five AM wake up call. Oh man, despite soft grass, sleeping without an air matress or a pillow can be rough. Cleaning up in a park bathroom doesn’t quite leave you feeling ready to take on the day either. I’m not complaining though. In fact I continue to count myself blessed. I was sitting around and charging my phone and doing some writing when Frank pulled up and brought me a soda, a bottle of water and an oatmeal bar for the road. These gestures mean the world to me.
Two days removed from St. Louis and it felt like another world. I was just informed St. Louis is the third most dangerous city in the United States. I didn’t even realize it when I was running through the projects. Although in hindsight, It was gnarly passing the cop car with an angry youth in the back seat and a couple of juveniles giving their statements. No, I don’t think I’ll be seeing anything on the bike path resembling that scene.
The sky looked ready for a round of storms but the next city wasn’t too far off. I packed my things and made my way with my new tube and two spares. I ran through a couple patches of mist but nothing to worry about. Although, the clouds didn’t look too inviting. The miles were easy and I thought maybe it would be a cool running day. Then suddenly, the mist became droplets. Then lightning.. And of course thunder. I was fortunate to be able to take refuge under trees every fifty meters but the rain was growing harder. That’s when I decided to make a dash for it. I ran a mile in the rain and reached another park just before the real storm hit. A little picnic area sheltered me and it even had a cozy bathroom for me. The restroom looked like it had never been used and it was ideal for me to wait out the storm inside. Considering my lack of sleep, it was a welcome break. I locked the door, took off all my wet clothes and put them under the automated hand dryer. The warmth of the room had me feeling drowsy and I think I napped for a couple of minutes. Yep in a bathroom. It still wasn’t the deep rest that I needed but it was good enough to power me to Litchfield.
After the rain the air was still saturated with moisture so it was a sticky run to the next town. I got to the town at three and I waited for Anna to send me good news from home base on the evenings lodging. That news didn’t come. Nobody wanted to donate a room to me on that particular evening. I strolled my gear into Denny’s, ordered a veggie burger and contemplated my next move. I decided I’d stop and find a cheap room because I was dying for some real shut eye. I’d take a lavander scented salt bath and call it the night.
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