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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