My tent pole held through the night, thank goodness. Though it looks like another section is strained toward the point of being ready to break. ...Likely only a matter of time. But I don't have to set up my tent tonight! Which is a real relief after the day this has been.
It kept drizzling on me as I tried to get things dry in the morning, which was a bit of a hassle. But little did I know then how bad the rain was going to get. I ate my breakfast in the cafe and then said my farewell to Wheels West and its fine people. I knew then by the clouds and the forecast I was bound to get rained on, but I thought it would be a light shower, no more. It really wasn't that heavy, but it just kept on coming. After foolishly passing up a generous offer of shelter from someone I was passing by before I thought it was going to be too bad, I ended up stranded out in nowhere with no shelter to take. Eventually, soaked, shaking, and with my back sand splashed from my tires and passing cars, I found cover in the bathroom at Comanche Park, where I dried off with toilet paper best I could (yep...) and waited for the weather to abate.
It was only temporary relief though, of course. The rain would return, and worse, I would find myself needing to go through an area of heavy duty construction. I mean, really heavy. The very nice lady stopping the cars to wait for the pilot trucks to guide them through, who I got to chat with while waiting, told me they'd been advising motorcycles to turn around. ...And there I was on my bike. It was terrible going. At the behest of a worker, I pulled over at "the shithouse" and let the other traffic pass me. I then soon ended up with a guide truck all of my own. I made it damn near all the way through, when the mud became just too thick for me to move. Thankfully, my very nice guide saw my problem, and loaded my bike up to take it and me the last mile of the four mile construction stretch. He was then even generous enough that he had me sit in the toasty warm truck with him and wait out the worst of the storm. At this time he warned me there was yet more construction another ten or so miles ahead...
Thankfully, that construction was far more complete, and far less muddy and horrible. It really wasn't too bad. I eventually reached Newcastle...not sure where to go, soaked, mud stained, and with my bike and trailer a tremendous muddy mess. I got myself and my stuff clean...ish...a little...at the city park, with the the use of a copious number of paper towels. I changed out of my nasty clothes.
It was then rather late and I sought somewhere to stay, hopefully free. I was offered a church parking lot, directly near a train track and made of rocks and weeds. ...I left it as a backup if all else failed. And I started asking people to crash on their porch. It only took two tries. And now, thanks to a really nice elderly couple, I am in my sleeping bag on a porch, sheltered for when it inevitably storms more tonight. I went to a restaurant, filled my belly, and perhaps more importantly, charged my phone. And thus, after a tough, wet, cold, muddy day, all my needs have been met.
Sadly, while I passed some neat things, like the decorated bison in Custer (similar to Lincoln's bike sculptures), or the (I'm sure crazy expensive) Bedrock themed camping locale, or all the magnificent misty mountainous scenery, I took few pictures on account of the rain, and the critical need to not get my phone wet.
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