We drove from Ohio to St. Louis in daylight and a reprieve from the rain. By the time we hit Illinois the temperatures were up around 80 with high humidity, ideal conditions for odors to percolate.
We drove from Ohio to St. Louis in daylight and a reprieve from the rain. By the timewe hit Illinois the temperatures were up around 80 with high humidity, ideal conditionsfor odors to percolate.
Usually the mind wises up and takes action to stop the odor or move away from it. In the case of a long distance backpacker the odor from sweat soaked grime comes from you and your nose decides to go on strike. So the long distance backpacker can walk through town with hardly a care in the world while all the towns folk are crossing over to walk on the other side of the street.
The pungent odor that accumulates from people confined in a minivan driving for many hours straight is a different matter. There’s no where as much sweat behind the odor, but while a backpacker’s sweat odor has almost a healthy quality about it there is somethingmore putrid with the BO percolating in a humid minivan. Worse still, the nose seems less inclined to go on strike when the mind refuses to take action to stop the odor.
We stopped for the night just west of St. Louis, staying with relatives of Ky. Curtis,Lisa and young Sophie were beyond generous with their good cheer and good food. The two women in our caravan took advantage of their hospitality a step further by taking showers. Not me. I’m daring my nose to avoid going on strike.
