July 31st - Day 17 - Eminence, MO to Bendavis, MO - 60 miles
This morning rolled out of the Ozark Mountains into lower hills and flatter farmland. The ride was unremarkable but had some pretty views out over the hills.
I used to be afraid of heights, but I overcame that fear a long time ago (or so I thought). As I was passing through the end of the Ozarks, I saw a sign for a park department lookout tower and thought that I could get some nice pictures of the Ozarks from there. The tower is a very simple steel construction that stands well above the surrounding pine forest. I found that my fear of heights tend to return when I'm looking down on the treetops and there is a gusty wind and I'm standing on something that a middle-schooler could build out of a couple Erector sets. I snapped a few pictures, got down, and then inhaled. I later found out that Cynthia stopped there in the car and took much better pictures than I did. Great, I nearly soiled myself for absolutely no reason.
We camped the night behind the store in Bendavis, MO, a tiny cattle-raising crossroads. In the evening a little, dirty, thirsty, hungry french bulldog wandered into camp and quickly decided to attach himself to us. He didn't seem to have an owner and Cynthia worried that someone had dropped him of in the middle of nowhere. (Bendavis is the very center of the middle of nowhere) Cynthia did name him, Patrick at first, but then decided that was too good of a name for him, so he got demoted to Dobby. (Cynthia says that it's a Harry Potter character) But we didn't feed him so that he wouldn't have reason to stick around. He slept right by the tent and snored/wheezed the whole night.
In the morning, Cynthia was a little heartbroken at having to abandon him again. Fortunately, as I was pulling out of the store driveway a farmer pulled up and said, "Bowser, what the heck are you doing here? Get in the car." Dobby (aka Bowser) ran over and hopped up into the car. I talked to the farmer and he explained that the dogs had followed the pickup into town the day before and that Bowser either didn't know the way home or the other dogs left him. One way or another it was a happy ending and we avoided gaining a ride mascot.
Quality Water Means Quality Life
1.2 billion people do not have access to clean water. Help others avoid the choice between thirst or disease.
As we passed through the Ozark Mountains, among Missouri scenic rivers, we came to a gorgeous little spot called "Two Rivers." At this convergence of the Jacks Fork and Current rivers, the silt heavy rapids of the Current meet the clear calm of the Jacks Fork river and one can actually see the divide between the two. I couldn't help but think of the divide between our access to clean water and the lack thereof in the villages of rural Ghana.
Troy and I consume on average, about 12 to 20 (20 oz) bottles of water daily. That's 12 to 20 times per day that, unlike the people in rural Ghana, Troy and I avoid illness without even realizing it. Regardless of how many miles we ride, we have no doubt that stopping anywhere along the road for water will be easy and risk-free.
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