Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 21, 2002

Day 20 (63 miles) Fayette, MO to Sweet S
My 22nd birthday!

Woke up in the Central Methodist College in Fayette, MO. My bunk was wrapped in toilette paper. Kelly, and Ashley R. thought that would be a good way to get me up on my birthday! I also found my bike wrapped in toilette paper.

As usual we all ran out to eat breakfast. This morning we had the added treat of having birthday cake. The prefect pre-ride snack!

We were a little late getting out the door, but Kelly and I finally pushed off. We were soon passed by the pack, because I lost my bike chain and Kel got a flat. Kelly is now in charge of the leg so she got several calls about directions and such. We stopped in at a diner to confirm that the directions were right, and the owner informed us that she had a plan to get in shape this summer too. The plan began with 10 sit-ups, but on the first sit-up she pulled her stomach muscle and hasn’t been the same since.

Well, if that wasn’t enough interaction with the locals, we pulled into lunch in Marshal, MO. There was a flag in the street announcing “Jim the Wonder Dog”. We were too driven to get to lunch to stop, but after we had eaten a man approached us and said: “I can’t help but notice your aren’t from around here… well, I recommend you go check out Jim the Wonder Dog.”

So, we all walked over to a little park with a water garden and dog statue right in the center. There was Jim. Several plaques around the park explained the many accomplishments of Jim: Jim the hunter, Jim the companion, Jim the psychic, etc. etc. Jim could predict the sex of a baby before it was born. Jim could identify different types of trees. Jim successfully predicted the winner of the Kentucky Derby for seveb straight years. Jim was, in short… AMAZING.

Well as if that wasn’t enough, the Discovery Channel was there in Marshal interviewing a woman about Jim. There was also a local reporter who took a group picture of us, and a consignments shop. There, Gary found a sporty blazer ($1) and others found fun T-shirts ($.50). Needless to say we didn’t leave lunch till 5pm.
After biking we finally arrived in Sweet Springs, MO, where the members of the Lutheran Church greeted us on the street. They then shuttled us to the local pool. We didn’t have nearly enough energy to play games or swim laps, but we did have a few laughs (as usual) and the tan lines are getting ridiculous :-).

Back at the church we had great food. Sloppy Joes, fruit salad, bean dip, pasta salad, strawberry pudding dessert…the list goes on. Members of the congregation including the mayor were there. They ate with us and shared their stories about the area, how cancer has affected their lives, and even stories about Jim the Wonder Dog. Once again Travis was a hit. He made a balloon crown for one of the little girls at the church.

It was getting past our bedtime (10 pm), so we all piled into the sanctuary and slept in the pews. It was surprisingly comfortable.

This has really been a special birthday. Places like Marshall and Sweet Springs are what I was hoping for on this trip and the people we have met have been so heart warming!

AWESOME DAY!
-Jenn Parker