Day 123

I slept in on Sunday. I showered and washed my clothes in the sink. I repacked the buggy and checked out. Margarett had left a message for me at the desk. She wanted to swing by and bring me some things! 
I chatted with the owners about the weather. I was headed to Seminole Canyon State Park to camp and resume the day in rest. It was around 10 miles west. They told me it had hailed there last night, and the boy scouts had to come to the motel to seek shelter! Nancy gave me a few pieces of cake and wished me well. Wish I got a picture of them :(. They were nice people.

I bought an 8 pack of gatorade across the street at the only store in town. I also bought some peanuts.

Margarett came by! She gave me a cup on ice, a bottle of sprite, carrots, biscuits, holy water, and bug lotion! I thanked her. We exchanged information and she told me to let her know if I needed help down the road. We parted ways.

It seemed like a long day but I was only going a few miles. Well 10 miles, but in reality that is a short day. For some reason it dragged on. I must have still been in “rest mode”. I kept up with hydration and made my way west.

A Sheriff Deputy Brian pulled over to check on me. He had seen me the day before. He was a great guy. We talked about the journey and the land I now found myself in. We parted ways.

Open road, canyons, and desert:

I made Seminole Canyon around 2:30 p.m. A mile before the state park, I got another flat :(. I didn’t want to stop and fix it. It was hot and I just wanted to rest. I kept pumping it up with air every few hundred yards and crept my way to the park headquarters. I figured I would tend to it once I set up camp.

It was a great hike. 

I spoke with the staff and their systems were down. The storm knocked out the internet access the night before. They told me to find a spot, and to swing by in the morning to pay the park fees. They also told me Betty, the park host, would be there to greet me. 

I hiked up the road to the desert vista campground. The tire held up. Betty greeted me! She told me we would be expecting another storm and I was the only camper. I could sleep in the bathroom building if it got bad. She told me the public wifi was still down and offered me to swing her RV to use a mobile hotspot to contact family! 

I set up camp, showered and took a quick nap. I headed up to the park host’s RV.

I met up with Betty and her husband Carl! They were so nice to me and welcomed me inside. It felt really cool to be inside an RV, literally, and figuratively. They had AC. We talked about the journey, the park, the road ahead, and lots of other things. They gave me some really good cherries to eat, and offered me to join them for coffee in the morning! They also gave me a Texas map! After quickly messaging some family and friends, I retreated back down to camp. 

The view was amazing. I watched the sun set. 

Storms to the west, yet the sky above was open. I saw sights I have never seen before: rapid lightening, a textured sky, and the milky way above. Surrounded by hills, canyons, and valleys, stars littered the sky-scape. Satellites and planes. It was awesome, in a true sense of the word.

The storm never made its way to us. It danced around all night. Lightening penetrated my eyelids. I slept well with my hammock swinging in the wind.