Fredericktown was about six miles from where I bedded down. I got into town around 10 and went to the first restaurant I saw, Sitze’s Café. I walked in and the first thing I saw was a buffet table and behind it a gaggle of old women. The buffet was closed so I got a cheeseburger and more coffee then sat to watch the show.
The show was all of these old ladies. They were holding an auction for god knows what and bid by the dollar for crazy red hats and little cakes. I think the highest bid I heard was $8, but they got into it.
After eating a little bit the owner, Danny, came over and started asking me what I was about so I chatted with him a while. He seemed real into the idea of wandering about the country so we traded cards to keep in touch. Bidding farewell I wandered over to the long awaited laundrymat. I realized the last time I’d done a load of laundry was back in Cumberland City, TN at Mark and Scarlett’s. Worse then that I didn’t have many clothes to wash.
I put a load set to wash then took my pack to Walmart across the way and picked up some Luna bars. As I looked about in the store I met a kid named Russell, I believe, who worked there and was one of the people putting together the Ozark Trail. I talked with him the whole while that I was shopping. Then even when I went back to my wash and read he popped in having gotten out of work and offered me a place to stay. It was in the wrong direction and I wanted to walk more anyway, but I thanked him none-the-less.
After getting everything settled and organized I split town getting some Skittles on my way out. I kept wondering if I could make it the next 17 miles to Farmington or if I should go half way and stop and just have a short walk on Sunday. I was torn, because Shannon seemed really cool and I wanted to hang out with him for a bit, but at the same time a five or six mile walk seemed annoying to me. Five miles out of town I could see the next county line sign and just before I crossed it a van pulled up next to me solving my dilemma.
Steve was the guy inside. He had just finished biking across Missouri on the Katy Trail with his father and nephew and was getting into backpacking. He’d seen me so he stopped and offered his place to stay at for the night. I had twelve miles until Farmington and had done about eleven miles so far so it seemed like a perfect spot to stop and hang out for a bit.
His house was on a little lake that we toured with his dad and nephew on their pontoon boat. After that we played washers, which was like a miniature horse shoes game. Dad and nephew went home after that and Steve and I hung out inside having dinner in front of the Tour de France. It was a quiet relaxing night which was perfect for me right then. I even got a chance to patch up my bedroll which had been leaking.