I spent a little longer returning emails and following up on some business this morning. But once we shut down the inverter for the day, we sat outside in our loungers reading.
The most exercise we got was moving our chairs in the shifting shade as the sun changed positions in its normal course. Our thermometer read 94, and there was just enough breeze to keep us from sweating. Some bug spray kept the annoying insects off, and wet bandanas around our heads and necks kept us cool enough.
Both of us finished a book, started another, finished it, and started another. I finished one book at Devils Tower and then have started and finished five others during our six days of boondocking there and here.
Let's see, I read a book about a guy that travels the world and films highlights about local culture and food without a script. I read about a 20-something college student that worked a seasonal job in Alaska one summer. I read a Brit's take on political correctness, and a story about a small town Illinois high school baseball team's magical journey with an unlikely coach in 1971. I read about a young woman's humorous trials, tribulations, and triumphs going through life with serious attention deficit disorder (and noticed a few too many similarities in both Linda and myself). :) And today I completed the story of a 6'11" 40-something guy, who had never slept outside in is life, as he walked the entire Appalachian Trail in 2005.
The quality of the books varied, but all kept my attention enough to read through them in about a day. Part of me kept saying, "Based on these selections, maybe I can write a book." :)
As you can tell, I'm a non-fiction guy. Linda likes fiction, but her current obsession is historical fiction, which has just enough historical fact mixed in.
During our stay here, a few vehicles passed by. There were some ATVs and trail bikes and there were more today, Saturday, than any other day, but once they passed our little haven, we were sheltered from the noise as they rode on the roads and trails.
We waved politely as they passed and they waved back. Though we locked our door at night, there never really was any fear out here by ourselves.
Once the sun sank below the mountains, the temperature outside was perfect. Linda fixed us sandwiches from the turkey we grilled last night, and then we continued to sit outside until I had to turn the light on my Kindle to keep reading. Once the bugs started coming to the light, it was finally time to go inside.
Fortunately, it was starting to get cool enough in there. Although, by the time we went to bed, it was still too hot to sleep comfortably.
I got up and tried to sleep with the cool leather of my recliner and a nice cross breeze. That worked until it was finally decent enough to go to bed sometime in the early morning hours.
Linda couldn't quite get her temperature regulated and didn't sleep well. We should have slept outside where it was cooler, and the stars were brilliant. :)
We sure enjoyed our time here, and it is one place we will most certainly come back to if we ever work any more rallies in Gillette. In fact, though I have a loose plan for where to go after the upcoming Newmar Rally, we might just end up coming back here before returning to the Cam-Plex for the Holiday Rambler Rally in mid-July.
Tomorrow, we head back to civilization. And though an RV rally is still a good ways from our former hectic lives, right now it feels like we'll be heading back into utter chaos. Funny how perspectives change.
Perhaps some good ol' air conditioning will be quite welcome based on the forecast for the week but, personally, I'd don't mind battling the heat out in a remote spot in nature. :)
If the heat keeps up, after your next rally drive about 100 miles west (I90 & US16) up into the BigHorn Mtn National Forest. You can easily get up to 8,000 - 10,000 ft and find some cool boondocking spots with the "it" factor.
Posted by: Jim Painter | Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 12:30 PM
I'm sure you already know this but in case you don't, since I've never seen this mentioned. When it's to hot to sleep, and you can't run the a/c or don't want to this is what we do. Open 1 fantastic fan in the rear of the RV and turn the fan on to OUT and close all windows and other vents except for 1 window next to your bed. You will get an amazing breeze coming through that window. This has worked every time we've been in warm/hot weather. Try it!
Posted by: Eileen | Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 04:40 PM