Day 32, nowhere

Monday June 29, 2020, 9 miles (14 km) - Total so far: 1,666 miles (2,681 km)

Wow, cycling for over a month, with only 2 days completely out of the saddle and 2 partial days, such as today.

I'm still not quite sure how this story is going to end. I left the motel this a.m. at 6, hoping to at least make it to highway 200 and then if worse came to worse flag down a ride to Lincoln. I didn't even get that far. I did do some climbing and I got to a point I could see maybe 3 miles ahead, scope the terrain. I'd done pretty well in the rain, but something triggered me to stop: Was it the intensity of the rain? That my rain gear was soaked? That I was already cold--without the worse elevation gain to come? But I had this thought, that I might be walking a fine line between my ambition to keep going and stupidity. I was afraid of hypothermia.

I told myself if that happened I could pull over and set up my tent and get warm in my sleeping bag. A mile down the road I saw a barn/shed. I pulled up the long drive. It is 3-sided and obviously housed animals because of the manure, but one corner had straw laid out and was clean. The farmhouse is trim and tidy, but it looks like no one is living here. I tried to decide if this was a pause or a stop. Eventually I pulled stuff out, set up, and hung my wet clothes on a line. I needed dry clothes, socks, to get warm. It took awhile to stop shivering.

Miraculously my phone has data and signal. I called a Warmshowers host who had reached out to me last night. She wasn't my host for Missoula, but had been nice in her exchange. When I called she again was helpful. I know it sounds easy to say go back or keep going, but in hard rain, wet clothes, and now that damp feeling of cold, I hesitated.

I decided to stay put. I put out a tarp to catch water and quickly filled 2 more bottles. I already had hot tea in my thermos. I could stay dry and warm, drink and eat here. The tent is protected from the rain, so even potty breaks I stay dry.

Except that it has rained hard all day. I have no imagination for tomorrow. How it will ever STOP. I don't want to spend Tuesday here as well. Last, but not least most of my socks are in some state/degree of moisture.

To be continued.