It's amazing how the weather significantly impacts physical activities. Since the start of this trip, the daily temperature has been scorching hot. At the end of each day, I have felt zapped of energy. There was a big change today. The temperature stayed in the 70s. However, the wind direction changed from being out of the south to north, which made it a little more difficult. Still, the cooler weather made the ride today much more enjoyable. Tomorrow is forecasted to return to a hotter temperature.
When I made it to Eureka yesterday I checked with the sheriff's department to confirm it was okay to pitch a tent at the park for the night. They told me that would be fine. When I got to the park, it was still hot and there was no one out playing there. However, as it got cooler, probably about 7:00 p.m., people started showing up at the park with their kids. I sat and talked with a couple of locals for awhile while their kids were playing. It's funny how the first thing kids notice is the duck on the front of my bicycle. Everyone left about 8:30 p.m., and I ended up getting in my tent about 9:00. For a couple of hours, I heard numerous sets of fireworks going off around the parks perimeter. I eventually dozed off and got a restful night's sleep.
As has been common on this trip, I woke up about 3:30 a.m. For a few minutes I laid there debating whether to get up or try to go back to sleep. I saw lightning in the distance, so I decided to go ahead and get up to beat possible rain. The rain never came.
I have been fortunate this trip when it comes to rain. I have only ridden in one storm the day I left Oak Grove, but there have been several thunderstorms around me on other days.
Sunrise pics below. Notice the low, thick cloud cover.
Pics around downtown Hamilton below.
