I overheard a lady at the restaurant say, “We should pray for the rain to stop now. We have had enough. This is unusual for us.” Indeed, I am in the northeast part of Washington, not yet near the rainy Cascades, and this relentless rain seems excessive – on and off for 5 days. Mostly on. Snowy driving before that for 2 days. 

When I was camping near Spokane, at Riverside State Park, the rain did not affect my days at all. I spent the days inside with my grandson, so I was out of the elements and totally occupied with being a grandma. Back at camp and inside the tent, things were a bit damp, but no big deal. I only went there to sleep soundly for 8 hours then Tango and I returned to Silas’ side.

Things are different now. I am at a campground overlooking Grand Coulee Dam and, aside from the pup tent, there are only two places to go during the rain: into the car where I can eat, read, and write or into town, when I can eat, read, and write or take in the dam visitor center. Tango likes being in the car at the campground the best. He has his cushy bed and can be near my side.I read or listen to audiobooks. About every hour I pat his head and say something soothing, and I present him with food and water as needed.

I prefer going into town where I am free to wander, especially when my eyes tire from reading. This morning I started with a robust breakfast at a local cafe and then drove down the street to the library. There, under the curious glare of several elderly librarians, I feasted on the Internet and enjoyed the warm setting away from the relentless rain. There too, people talked about the rain and wondered if it would stop. They all tried not to stare at me, a gray-haired waif dressed in baggy sweats, an oversized green fleece sweater, and a matching knit cap, which barely contains my uncombed hair. I have a bad habit of wearing wool socks with my Teva sandals, which is quite handy but looks atrocious. Hey, it is a rain day, again. Sandals and socks are part of my uniform on rain day. No apologies.

I make a choice to stay upbeat because I know the rain will stop. My Weather Underground app has a little graph that shows the rain tapering off this evening. Furthermore, the app also says outright: the rain will stop at 6:45 PM. Then, about an hour later when I check it says the rain will stop at 7:30 PM. Later, the apps says 11:45 PM.  I don’t let that discourage me because I realize that for the next 5 months I am completely at the whim of mother nature. Patience and creative use of my time will make the difference between a great experience and one big bummer. Wrangell, AK, for example, receives an average of 13 days of rain in May. Of course, by then I will have the mansion up and will have the option of sitting in my chair inside the tent or inside the screen house. I have always wanted to have endless time to read and write, and rainy days provide that time. They are a blessing, really.

I am not the only crazy camper here. Someone in a small blue car with Arizona plates is parked about 8 spaces down. I have not seen him/her leave their car, which is loaded with a bike and a car top carrier. I am in the car now, back at the campsite, and I just peeked down there and I can see the human form wearing a red jacket and hunched over the steering wheel; perhaps they are waiting to emerge when the rain truly stops. Maybe their app says 3:30 PM. I can barely extract myself out of Alice after several hours of sitting so I can’t imagine how that person will ever stand upright again.  

An older 5th wheel pulled in. I haven’t seen them either since I returned. And, down the hill, I saw I guy with a boat and a truck camper. Guess he goes out on the water regardless of a downpour. Not a bad option, either. And that is all of us. waiting for the rain to stop. How fun to be one with the miraculous water cycle.