I slept in and enjoyed the bed in St. Louis. Once up I began reorganizing my gear and getting things ready to hit the water. Sometime around 10am Dina returned from a workout class and graciously made breakfast. Eggs, blueberry sausage, toast and fresh fruit.

As I was working to put away my restocked food supply Dina reminded me of the meals her and Joe had saved for me. Two nights worth of Joe's famous beef chili, two nights worth of Dina's chicken and rice soup, and a serving of white chicken chili, all frozen solid and ready to be tucked away into my cooler. To add to an already amazing set up, Dina had baked my favorite cookies, 7 layer bars, and came prepared with a ziplock full of them (she had remembered that my Mom often bakes them as a special treat). Armed with enough delicious homemade food to fuel me for the next few days, the three of us set off toward the river.

Driving through downtown St. Louis we worked down to a river access point in the shadows of the famous St. Louis Arch, "The Gateway to the West".

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After a late night catching up in Hannah and John's living room a slow Sunday morning was in order. Sometime around 11am we left the apartment in the Central West End and headed for brunch.

After a great meal and stories of old high school shenanigans we wrapped up and cruised back to the apartment. At halftime of the Bears - Panthers game we made the move to meet some family friends who I would I stay with for the night, Joe and Dina. With my canoe strapped to the top of the sedan and a back seat packed with gear, Hannah, John and I drove about 15 minutes to Joe and Dina's.

After shuffling the boat and gear from Hannah's vehicle to Joes, I said goodbye to Hannah and John. It was a great stay with an old friend, and I'm happy to chalk John up as new one.

After getting set up I settled into the couch with a cold one and football on the TV. Perfect. A shower and a few loads of laundry later and I was feeling great

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