### May 30 On May 30, 1804, I was preparing to embark on one of the most exciting adventures of my life: my journey with Meriwether Lewis to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. But before we set out on that fateful day, there was a bit of an incident that left me feeling a bit embarrassed. As we were getting ready to leave St. Louis on our expedition, a group of locals came to see us off. I wanted to impress them with my horsemanship skills and decided to show off by riding my horse down a steep embankment and up the other side. However, things did not go as planned. My horse stumbled, and I was thrown headfirst into a muddy ditch! The locals guffawed at my misfortune, and I couldn't help but laugh at myself as well. Fun fact: Although I had a reputation for being a skilled rider and horseman, I wasn't always successful in my equestrian pursuits. In fact, I once challenged a man to a race and ended up losing so badly that I had to forfeit my horse! Needless to say, I learned to be a little more humble about my abilities after that experience. Overall, my embarrassing tumble into the muddy ditch on May 30, 1804, served as a reminder to approach life with a sense of humor and not take myself too seriously.