Bike Odyssey 2014 – Day 45 (July 1st) – Day of the cat

Much-needed rest, attended by Kami and Tim’s elderly cat, Casey (18), after a blessedly restful night with 3 ice packs. The USA national soccer team, as I write this, is about to kick off against Belgium. ‘Anti-Belgian feeling is at a new high in the US,’ said one TV commentator, apparently with a straight face. ‘The Belgians make great chocolate and great beer,’ protested his (female) partner. It felt like a Monty Python sketch. 11-year-old Stella, Tim and Kami’s youngest, made me fried chicken and potato crisps. The hospitality we’ve enjoyed on this trip has been humbling. Not to mention the generosity, the patience, and the quantity of work incurred by our absence, of our spouses – Joe’s and mine – both of them a Claire. To them our journey, and this blog, is gratefully dedicated. Tomorrow we head from Iowa into Missouri (State Park campsite), Illinois (likewise), Indiana and Ohio.