There is some relationship between Chester and Popeye, but I haven’t had a chance to search it yet. I also didn’t realize how close we were last night to the Mississippi River and Missouri border! During this trip I have been struck by the way that every challenge is met by figuring out the solution without upset. I think it has a lot to do with the company I am keeping, that’s the way they live. But TODAY, when my bike shut down just after crossing the Missouri, simply saying “engine off!“, I started feeling ticked. In my frustration I remembered the very thing I wrote yesterday about asking God to do things in my life and then getting ticked or scared about circumstances, not putting the pieces together. So I asked for clear sight & a good heart and began troubleshooting the battery, the contacts, then switching to the spare battery. At that point it showed the right amount of power for just that one battery and not the built-in bike one, which told me my bike did not charged the night before. I personally plugged in that bike and looked to make sure it was charging, no idea what happened! That led to a mid morning stop at a convenience store in a little town of 360 called St. Mary. Amy let me roll my bike on into the market and plug in both batteries. We visited, I poked around the store, people chatted with me when they saw my bike and I stuck out as a stranger in such a small town! I was getting coffee after a man asked me a few questions, and when he left, she came over and told me he had bought my drink. I asked why and she said he appreciates people supporting their community and does things like that! When the beer delivery man came, we struck up a brief convo about his red aftershoks headphones that were just like mine at home. Then he went to work and I used the restroom & came out preparing to leave. He said “Hey wait a second, I want to thank you for supporting our police and fire.” I asked how he knew and he said “the flag on the back of your bike, that’s extraordinary.” It turns out he’s the local asst fire chief. I put that sticker on because Jonathan is in law enforcement and it’s how I sort of carry him with me on this trip. Late in the afternoon, out in the boonies and GPS signal lost, I stopped at a home to verify where I was in proximity to the campground. We talked thru options and she invited me in and I ended up charging my batteries with the intention of only being there 30 minutes. Two hours and a huge conversation later, I said I really needed to get to camp, and she & her husband walked me back out to my bike. Her name is Linda, and that was quite an experience. when I got to camp, and Cliff & Kathy had re-situated a couple bikes, and Kathy had worked really hard organizing the trailer and cleaning out the back of the pick up for my new digs… I love love love it! No Wi-Fi to send this tonight. But I’m sending my love!