Today started off strong. We woke up early; our Columbia, MO, hosts made us a wonderful, protein-packed breakfast and coffee; we were on top of our morning routine. Parth swapped out my old front tire for a new one (thanks!). Spirits were high; we had another day of biking on the famous and beautiful Katy Trail, followed by two days of teaching and rest in St. Louis. By 9:00am the car was packed and we were just about ready to go.
Like I said, today started strong. Too strong. This trip has made me superstitious. Something always goes wrong, whether it’s a tire deflating, car troubles or road closures. If a few hours have passed without something going awry then it’s only a matter of time. Big or small, the problem of the day always comes. In short, we should have seen this coming.
At around 9, Katherine decided to take a covid test, and ten minutes later she texted our group chat to let us know that she tested positive. The rest of us all tested, and thankfully came back negative, although we’ll keep testing for the next few days to make sure. We spent the next four hours deliberating: where would Katherine go? How would she catch up to us after she recovered? What are the most comfortable options? How can we make travel the simplest? After talking on the phone with some coordinators from the St. Louis Science Center, we decided it would be safest to cancel tomorrow's workshops.
Three plans and a lunch later we nailed down a solution. Katherine’s brother’s girlfriend’s family lives in Indianapolis, and they were willing to let her stay with them while she was sick. Aja and I were to drive Katherine to St. Louis (double masked, windows down) and from there she would be picked up and driven to Indianapolis. A lot of car time, but it worked. The remaining Spokes – Sophia, Joel, and Parth – would continue biking the Katy Trail for ~60 miles and ride the Amtrak to St. Louis once it got dark.
After taking a photo with our hosts, thanking them for handling the situation with grace and generosity, and profusely apologizing, we went on our way. The drive was mostly uneventful. We drove without music, and mostly without conversation, since it's hard to hear with the windows down on the freeway. Once we arrived in St. Louis, Aja and I unpacked the car and Katherine extracted her belongings and waited to be picked up.
After Katherine departed and we said our goodbyes, Aja and I went to Walmart to restock on food. On the way back, we stopped to get frozen custard at Andy's Frozen Custard. Frozen custard is our group's newest obsession since entering the midwest. It was a long and stressful day so we figured that we could use a treat.
The rest of the day was less eventful. We got back at 7:45 from our groceries-and-custard run. For a couple of hours we decompressed and caught up on emails. Then Aja left to pick up the others from the Amtrak station while I started working on the blog. The rest of the Spokes walked in about 10 minutes ago.
That's about it for today. Assuming that we all test negative tomorrow morning, we'll probably spend the day exploring St. Louis. It will be weird and sadder less fun without Katherine around.
Till next time,
Timothy