Tuesday March 5th 2024

I wonder when I started to fear melting in the rain. The prospect of rain seems to be controlling my plans. Most of the activities I look forward to each day are outdoor activities. Here at Paynes Prairie State park it is the walks along the trails and my visits to the observation tower along the prairie. These would be miserable in a full blown rain shower, but taking a chance on the conditions shouldn’t be feared. I need to remember that I own a couple of rain jackets.

Today the forecast of rain played havoc with my plans. This morning the forecast called for the rain to begin late in the afternoon near evening. I headed out on my first walk shortly after midday. Paths were dry and I didn’t feel any rain, but it sounded like rain in the trees. When I got out into the open of the parking lot at the day use area, it still didn’t feel like rain. I checked the weather app and radar on my cell phone only to find that it thought I was getting rained on too. My only guess is that it was light and high altitude rain. Not checking the app before going outdoors saved me this time. I also got a drive to the visitors center to climb the observation tower in before any real rain fell. Another view of the wild horses was my reward.

The real rain finally arrived around 5PM. It is forecast to continue off and on until noon tomorrow. Sometimes it will be heavy rain and others light. It managed to keep me inside for my second walk of the day to the day use area. Now I’m planning rainy day activities for tomorrow morning. Any bets if it actually rains?

The campground got quieter today. The guy on the site three away departed this morning. He has one of those voices that carries way too far. I heard many one sided conversations. His voice was loud and clear as day, but the person he was talking with was completely silent. One of the things I enjoy about state parks like this is the quiet. Even when it gets noisy it is usually the sound of fun like kids playing. This guys voice was just something else.