Below is a pic of my campsite last night.
It was nice, quiet and dark, and I slept well until about 3 a.m., when strong winds woke me up. I tried to go back to sleep, but was unable to do so. A little before 4, I looked at the weather radar and saw a thunderstorm heading my way with arrival about 4:30 a.m. Once the rain arrived, it was predicted to be around until about 11 a.m.
My choices were either 1) stay in my tent until the rain passes; 2) wait until daybreak and break camp in the rain; or 3) go ahead and get up and break camp in the dark and try to beat the rain. I chose the third option. it started raining just as I was strapping the last items on my rear rack. I rode to Houston in the storm and got to Hardee's about 6 a.m. to get breakfast and coffee to try to warm up.
I rode in a steady rain a couple of other times after Houston. One downpour came as I pulled into Summersville (pic below). Another time, there was a lighter rain in the midst of some steep hills. The sun never came out, so all my stuff that got wet stayed wet.
As I pulled into Ellington, the temp had dropped to about the mid-50s, and the north wind was blowing colder. My intended stop tonight was a state park about 27 more miles from Ellington. Since it was getting colder, I was wet and had been wet all day, I was tired, and I was stinking, I decided to pamper myself tonight and got a motel room in Ellington. I took a long hot soaker bath and then a hot shower to wash the bath crud off me. They both felt great. I also laid my stuff out to dry.
Total miles today: 80.5
I was getting shivers just reading about your ride. I'm SOOO glad you got a hotel for the night!
ReplyDeleteIt was much needed and enjoyed
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