One of Those Days...

I awoke yesterday to look out the window of my room in the old church to see a miserable day - wind, rain and with dark clouds as far as the eye could see. The smell of potatoes, eggs and toast wofted through to my room which gave me hope that the day could me on the mend. Cindy (the pastors wife) was kind enough to prepare this feast and this lady really had a knack for cooking let me tell you, delicous. Washing this down with freshly squeezed orange juice we finished breaky around 9am, I was to sit at the window for the next 2 hours, hoping the rain would subside. The best result I got was the rain easing to a heavy drizzle. At 11:30 I had had enough, I put on my wet weather gear and took off into the rain. After walking in the rain and wind for two hours I noticed a car coming to a stop up in front of me. Cindy and her friend hopped out of the car and began to stuff my cart with all sorts of goodies for the rest of the day. Thank you so much guys for all your kindness and hospitality, was a pleasure to have met yas...

I reached the outskirts of Muskatine and camped for the night on some old property with an abandoned shed and a few trees for coverage. I always like to try and remain unseen from the locals if I can when camping.

This morning I was awake around 7:30am and for the first time on the trip, the insides of my tent roof had a thin layer of ice crystals over it, it had been a cold one! I quickly packed up as moving was the only thing keeping me warm and was on the road by 8:30. As cold as it was this morning (-2 or -3) today was one of those days that make you happy to be alive. The sun was starting to melt the ice and dew, causing a slow, rising steam to float off the trees, grass and the river and there was not as cloud to be seen, a sign for a good day of walking.

Being off the freeway I already had an extra spring in my step. Making my way through the old farms of the area I noticed that there is now no more corn crops left, the farmers have taken them for the year before the snow could get to them. After maybe 10kms or so I heard some dogs barking in the distance, preparing myself for another stand off I was happy to see a little fluffy thing and a beautiful labrador came running out from behind some bushes. The Lab was an affectionate one and was immedietly by best friend, the little critter took a little longer too earn my trust, barking and darting around my legs for the next 5 mins before finally giving me the nod and coming over to say gday. We continued on as three for the next hour or so. It was great to have the company and I found myself chatting away to the lab as if it was an old mate from back home. We parted ways as the little critter noticed a bunny in the bushes and took off after it deciding it had more to offer than me.

 Not long after I was abondoned a man and his young grandson suddenly appeared beside me riding upon their big ride on lawn mower. After chatting for a while, Hanlan was to invite me to his house for lunch, I was happy to comply! Hanlan has a great property overlooking the river and was good enough to cook me up a meal of meatloaf, corn and mashed spud washed down with a snapapple iced tea. Before I was able to say thanks and take off he had also produced home cooked brownies, cookies, some energy bars and a bag of nuts and sultanas. This was as you could imagine a boost to an already good day. Thanks so much Hanlan, it was a pleasure to have met you, your granduaghter will be in my prayers.

From there I kicked on, with around 3 more hours of sunlight left I hoped to make the next town, and aren't I glad I did! As I was closing in on the town, a car was to stop next to me and the fella in the car informed me  "the next town is only around 4kms away, keep going, we will be waiting for you there". "What" I thought, who will be waiting for me there? I arrived in the town of Oakville around 7pm and was to be greeted by a group of 6 or so people including the Mayor Benita and Dale who was the guy I had met earlier. This was something I had not expected, and what a great bunch of people. After meeting and greeting everyone and taking a few photos we all headed of to the local restaurant for a feed. It seems my mate from lunch, Hanlan, had gotten in touch with the crew and informed them on my potential arrival. After expecting another cold night, alone in my tent, munching on ham and cheese sangas, I am happy to tell you we all spent the night laughing and tuckin into a big steak and vegie plates. I am now spending the night at Benitas who is just a lovely lady.

It really was "One of those days" where every little thing made me smile, or reminded me of a friend or loved one back home. It seems God is adamant on walking every step of this journey with me and making sure I see the best of this country and its people! You will not hear any complaints from me...