As I came to in the morning, I stuck my head out of the tent. A massive barge was parked just off shore from my camp waiting to enter the nearby lock. As I made oatmeal and coffee the engine fired up and a blow horn from the the lock signaled the all clear for the barge to enter. Shortly after hitting the water toward the Quad Cities I received a message from an old family friend, Ben L. I had forgotten that Ben lived in the Quad Cities, and he reached out, asking if I was available to grab dinner that evening. Being that it was still mid morning and East Moline was a short distance away, I told him that sadly dinner wouldn't work, as I would be cruising through town shortly. Luckily, Ben was able to get away for lunch, so we made plans to meet for a quick bite.

I paddled to a public boat launch and met Ben around 11:30am. He helped me to unload the boat, and we stashed the gear and canoe on a nearby dock. It had been years since I'd seen Ben, and it was great to catch up. He had stayed with my family for a time when I was in high school and he was working his first job as a psychologist at DeKalb High.

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