Today was a nice leisurely day. We pulled into Pueblo around 8a after driving through the night (for 800 miles). Isaac and I went to a “junior ranger” presentation at the state park while the ladies kept sleeping. Then we dawdled around town for a while,

It was a dreary day, overcast and sprinkling on and off, but pleasant enough for the kind of day we wanted. As we started getting ready for bed it started raining a bit more, and was coming down at a steady pace. Lying in a tent listening to the sound of rain is extremely soothing. The lightning and thunder was less so, for the kids, but eventually we all nodded off.

Fast forward an hour and a half, as Cassandra and I both wake up at the same time with the same look, wondering if we had remembered to reserve an ark with the campground. The charming patter of rain we fell asleep had been replaced by a gale of wind threatening to shread our rain tarp. As we contemplated our options I put my hand down into the puddle of water that had collected on the tent. We were on mattresses but the still sleeping kids were on a thin blanket sure to soak through any minute.

Fortunately we have a newer tent, all of which seem to have more doors than walls. We were able to swiftly unzip the door right where they were, grab them sleeping bag and all, and toss them in the car. Isaac woke up long enough to mutter “Hey, I’m getting wet.” Jane asked me to put her back in the car, as I was halfway to the car. Both of them were asleep 5 seconds later.

At this point the normal course of action would be for the parents to get in the car and crash with the kids. Instead …

Me: “Here’s what I’m thinking. I’m not falling asleep anytime soon, and we could be making a lot of headway to our next stop. Let’s take all the wet stuff and throw it in the carrier and head out.”
Her: “Okay”

Torrential downpour? No problem. Darkness? Feh. Lack of weather gear? Well I *thought* my jacket was waterproof. It took over an hour to strike the camp. A ranger came by near the end letting us know some of the roads were flooded and would probably be impassable soon.

A few highlights:

  • I was recreating the world’s strongest man keg tossing event, trying to get the full carrier onto the roof. I finally caved and asked for help, and we quickly got it in place. Cassandra then broke into song, “It Takes Two”, from Into the Woods.
  • The kids have yet to ask why the woke up in the car nowhere near a campsite. Good to know their life is so surreal it seemed perfectly normal to them.
  • Changing into dry clothes in the camp bathroom. Sometimes a series of events can be expressed with a single idea, and this was it for me. You know you’re having a bad day when it’s the middle of the night and you’re naked and freezing in an outhouse.