We got into the tent at about 8:00 pm last night and a thunderstorm rolled in. The rain soon became a deluge for a few hours. At first, I was gratified to notice that the tent was holding its own. Then I noticed a few drops that I chalked up to condensation. Soon it was apparent that the problem wasn't condensation, it was a leaky tent fly. I assumed the leak must have been at the seams, but much to my surprise, it was in the center of the fabric so the tent waterproofing must have deteriorated.
The rain was slowing at about 11:30 so I asked Lorraine what she thought about leaving and she said, "Are you kidding me?? YES!!" We packed everything up and left by midnight. We passed an Amish girl on her bicycle with a good, bright headlamp. We also saw some ladies talking in a church parking lot. I guess since the Amish work from sun-up to sun-down, they need to play at night.
We arrived home at 1:00 am and our boys, Norman and Fred, were glad to see us. Our boys are our tuxedo and orange cats. It was nice to get out of the rain and into our warm comfortable bed.
Despite the unexpected tent issue, the trip was a success. Part of the reason for the dry run (no pun intended) was to test the equipment, and it is better to find out now than on the Great Divide trip. Other equipment had minor bugs but nothing significant.
I rode 17 miles today around the beautiful countryside near our home in York.
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