Dancing in the Rain

Saturday, October 24, 2015:  This morning we are catching the remnants of hurricane Patricia which slammed into Puerto Vallarta yesterday. Drizzle started in the campground about 8:00 this morning and as I drove up to the group campground the first local inhabitants I encountered were three little mule deer playing tag in the brush. It looked for all the world like they were dancing as they leaped, twirled and playfully butted each other enjoying the wet stuff falling out of the sky.

One of the images I will never forget is our last 0.2" rain which the deer were greedily licking off a small tire track in the pavement. What a precious gift is water.

So backing up a bit, most of central Texas was getting tons of rain from the north the last 2 days. Today that same area all the way into Louisiana is getting drenched by more than 10" of rain according to the weather reports. Some of our campers left hurriedly yesterday to try to get to their homes before flooding occurred, but we think they were heading into the worst of the weather.

Most of the campers know that I have WiFi and access to weather reports so my rig is
"weather central" today as they stop in groups to get an update on Doppler radar. The radar is showing that all the rain is past us - so much for Doppler!!

Daytime temperatures are supposed to be in the 60s today and the mid-40s tonight. Tomorrow winds pick up and the temps drop to daytime 50s and nighttime low 40s.  The folks determined to enjoy hiking are reporting bear on the trails today. Whoo hoo! And I am really surprised that 43 of our 60 sites are filled! Being that full this early in the day is a real testament to the determination of Big Bend aficionados to enjoy their park!

Two days ago, Kenn (the other camp host) was painting a picnic table here in the campground. He was startled to see 2 deer go running by not too far away and even more startled to see a young mountain lion running right after them trying for the kill! The deer escaped, but stories like that really get the campers to comply with food & garbage regulations! (Kenn was not going to tell even his wife about the sighting because she (and I) would be extremely jealous. In his lifetime, this was his 3rd mountain lion sighting and Linda and I have never seen one in the wild.)

Friday night was pretty exhausting, but, thanks to Kenn and Linda "minding the store" for me, I was able to get away for a while to enjoy dinner at the Lodge with a friend. The campground was 100% full and all 7 group sites were occupied by 78 people. Some of the group site members were delayed in their arrival until after 10:30 p.m. so their friends were worried about their safety and I hung around to make sure everyone arrived safely. There was a short family dispute at 12:50 last night (I did not have to call any law enforcement) and a carload of campers had to be turned away at 2:00 a.m. They were happy to go on to Cottonwood, which was their final destination anyway. . .

Sunday, October 25, 2015:  It is now early Sunday morning. The drizzle turned into an all day rain yesterday - accumulating just over 1" - the most of anywhere in the park! I went from damp to soaked through. By the time I realized how heavy the rain had become it was too late for the rain pants and boots. Oh, well! (For Stef - OMG to the bacon Spam!!!! Enjoyed a whole can over the past few days!)

This morning I am sure there will be a few campers huddled in their cars with engines idling and I will have to be the grinch that  tells them to shut off the engines. Today about half the campers will depart for civilization and jobs that resume tomorrow morning. Group camp will change over from a fraternity group, a bunch of 20 year old drinking & hiking friends, and a wedding rehearsal cookout to 140 8th graders and their chaperones for 5 days. It will be interesting! Well, I'm off to enjoy another day of camphosting!

Love notes from campers :-)