Despite me checking, double checking, and quadruple checking the forecast, it was still wrong. The 50% chance of rain turned out to be 100% chance of thunderstorms.
Rolo and I woke up at 5am to find a very nice (if I was at home sitting on the porch) storm rolling our way. Even if you know nothing, you know not to be in a tent when there’s lightning. In all of 7 minutes I had Rolo and the tent and myself in the car and the storm was still a bit away from us. While I sat there trying to figure out: if it was best to stay here, were we going to leave only to drive right into it (yes, yes we would have), how long would the storm last…those sorts of things–it started pouring. Looking at the radar, it would end around 6-6:30am, so Rolo and I sat in the car and watched the rain pummel the lake and lightning crawl across the sky.
When it finally let up and the radar said it was passed, we headed out to make our way to Texas.
The drive was shorter than the day before, roughly 8.5 hours with the 2-3 stops for gas and dog breaks.
Palo Duro was just a state park on a map that was somewhere between where I was and where I wanted to be. Reviews that I scanned made it sound like a really cool place, so I booked a campsite and Rolo and I were set.
Upon arriving, you come into the canyon at the top and have to make your way down to the bottom where all the campsites are.
Rolo and I found our site, set-up camp and went exploring the canyon. Since it was extremely hot and sunny, we opted for the shadiest trail to “hike” (more of a walk, but no complaints). It was about 2.5 miles roundtrip, not bad. Rolo was a very hot and tired boy, so that meant A/C on full blast and all vents pointed at him. We drove back up the canyon and went into the town where the nearest gas station was to get Rolo a bag of ice to lay on. Although unsure at first, he was a very happy boi when he realized it was a makeshift coolpad (RIP to his original one).
We drove back into the canyon, and I stopped for the scenic pictures leaving Rolo in the car to cool. When we got back to camp, the canyon was starting to cool off, the tent was quickly moved to the new shady area, and dinner was in order.
Quick turkey sandwich and lots of water and Rolo was ready for a nap. Texas is home to biting ants, my least favorite thing about the South, so we hung out in the tent with our battery powered fan (pointed right at Rolo).
I finished book #1, and started book #2, The Help, since I have yet to read it and ran out of time this year to even think about teaching it.
Kelsey & Rolo's Big Adventure 