July 30th - Day 16 - Farmington, MO to Eminence, MO - 90 miles
Today was a pretty rough day. It rained this morning, got hot and humid, and the Ozarks are steep and long climbs that come one after another. It was a long day, not much else to say. I rolled into town around 6pm ready to shower, eat, and go to bed.
While I was out enjoying the ride, Cynthia got stuck setting up the tent alone in the heavy rain at Eminence Cottages, Canoes, and Campgrounds. We are staying near the confluence of two rivers popular with tourists for canoeing and kayaking. Amongst the park and tourist information, Cynthia noted a lot of information put out by the Missouri Department of Conservation about water issues, including a bumper sticker with a crayfish that says "Quality Water Means Quality Life".
Before it got dark Cynthia and I went down to the confluence of the two rivers. The two rivers greatly differ in their character: one is quick flowing through farmland and tan with the sediment load it carries off of the fields and the other is a slower mainstem of the river flowing through woodland and is clear and green-blue. The color difference of the meeting of these two rivers illustrates the way that humans have affected water quality by changing land-use near rivers and adding our inputs to their flow.
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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