Stick and I were given a large and comfortable room in a Hampton Inn. It was much nicer than what we have been used to on the trail.
While I was getting cleaned up, Stick offered to go down the hall to check out the guest laundry room. To his surprise, he discovered Dory was there. She explained that Splat was still hiking with her. They were several miles ahead of us on the trail, but in a wild coincidence, they happened to be staying tonight in the same hotel. They had also been visiting a friend.
Stick brought Dory down to our room to surprise me and we had a nice reunion. Later, when I talked to John to make arrangements for going to dinner, he said we should bring along Dory and Splat.
My stomach began to hurt on the drive to Olde Heritage Tavern, where we planned to eat. I figured I was just hungry after not eating for several hours. Or maybe I was just dehydrated, I thought.
It didn't take long during dinner before I began to feel worse. Then I began to feel nauseous, so I excused myself and left to look for a restroom.
I didn't see one right away, and now I needed it immediately. I did the only thing I could think of doing. I went outside, hoping a little fresh air would help. It didn't.
Instead, a sudden urge told me I was about to throw up. Fortunately, I was able to get around to an alley behind the restaurant, and that is where I spewed most of my dinner.
I felt much better by the time we returned to the hotel, but I remained concerned about what might have caused this sudden sickness. I began to wonder if it was wise to go back to the trail before I figured out what was wrong.