I’m an Idiot

After getting camp set up, I took inventory and realized I have absolutely nada for my food stores. I decided to make the 2 mile trek to McDonalds for an unsatisfying dinner and to use the wifi. I noticed it getting cloudier as I sat eating my nuggets and browsing CNN, but I paid $3 for 2 hours and damn it, I was going to use every second. Sure enough, the minute I pack up to leave it starts to drizzle. Always the most prepared, I of course had just taken my laptop in my backpack and unloaded all my waterproof panniers and everything else at my tent. At this point, it is 6:30 and I figure I can ride out in a light rain or try to wait it out but risk darkness and heavier rain. I grabbed a few McDonalds plastic bags, wrapped up the comp and took off. Within 30 seconds, a hardcore downpour began, with intense thunder and lightening. There was nothing I could do, I was soaked instantly and there would be no point in turning back. I flew through the flooding streets and back to camp, where I immediately got everything soaked by throwing around wet clothes and frantically removing the computer from the bag. I am now sitting in my tent, which is segregated into a wet half and a semi dry half. The laptop was fine thankfully but these intense storms are supposed to continue throughout the night and tomorrow morning. I am pretty much stuck inside my tent with not much in the way of clean or dry clothes. I have a feeling the waterproofness of this tent will be tested tonight, especially since a lot of the inside floor is already saturated. I have a hard time sleeping when worried that I might get washed away, so it will probably be a long night. The ride today was from Pocahantus state park to Ashland, VA. As usual, the adventure cycling maps were horrendous with their city inserts for Richmond. Also, Richmond just wasn’t a fun city to ride through. I hit the downtown business district during lunch hour and everything was just kind of crazy. Terrible roads and construction and people darting across the road for hot dog stands, oh my.

UPDATE: I’m writing this from the laundry room/spectacular 80′s game room where I will be spending the night, since I got flooded out of the tent. Turns out not even my hardcore REI tent can hold up sitting in and inch and a half of standing water, due to the awesomeness of campground layout. Thanks, Americamps, for putting the tent camping area in the far corner, lowest lying area of the campground. Still, I have internet connection and a somewhat comfortable leather and wicker recliner to wait out the morning. It could be worse.

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