For once the weather app was correct. The sky delivered lightning and thunder, with just a few seconds between the two.
This all began in the early hours of the morning. The last time I could recall being in a tent during a thunderstorm was when I was 14. Those were my Boy Scout days, when the canvas tents had no floor. We were warned repeatedly not to touch the sides of the tent during a rainstorm, but we did anyway, causing water to leak in and join what was coming in from all sides. In spite of the trenches we had dug around the perimeter, the water just flowed in, soaking our sleeping bags and us.
While some water did seep into my own tent last night, and a few things got wet, I myself stayed dry, lying atop my inflated Thermarest mattress. That mattress cost as much as my sleeping bag. Hell, I could float down a river on that mattress!
In the end, it was no fun getting up this morning, packing up the wet rain fly and tent, and getting on the road.
In spite of yesterday’s fiasco at Turkey Creek, I decided to try a guest house again. The Morford House, a Bed & Breakfast in Vici, was just a 10 mile walk from where I was camped.
A few miles from Vici (pronounced “Vigh-sigh” by the locals), Highway 60 failed me completely. The road seemed paved by amateurs, with no shoulder at all and an extremely rough surface.
While walking, I called the Morford. The owner, Nancy, agreed to meet me at the property. “There’s no breakfast,” she said, “but you’ll have kitchen privileges. And we only accept cash.”
The Morford is a lovely old home, with polished wood floors and a remodeled kitchen and bathrooms. I’m up a flight of narrow stairs in a tiny bedroom with one twin bed (hey, it’s wider than my sleeping bag).
It’s what I wanted and needed. I spent the afternoon drying out my gear on the porch in the intermittent sun.
I’ve got a long 21 mile walk ahead of me tomorrow. The weather app predicts “mostly sunny” with temperatures in the 40°s to 60°s. Sounds good!
@ Vici, Oklahoma