Invest in a good tent!

Last night, before dinner, we carefully surveyed the hiker/biker campsite (in the rain) for the best possible place to put up our tent seeing as we were the first bikers to arrive. We found what we thought to be the perfect location; level and dry. We claimed our space. We pitched our tent. We then rode 3 miles back into Florence for dinner (in the rain). Upon returning to the campground (in the rain) a small lake had formed around and under half of our tent. We moved the tent (in the rain) to one of the few non-puddle patches of earth. By then every inch of the ground was drenched. We were happy to get inside our Nemo Opi 3-person tent knowing this was the big weather test for our shelter.

It rained all night long. How do I know? Because I was awake throughout the night listening to the rain beat down on our tent. While I wished I was sleeping I was more grateful that we purchased the tent we did as it kept us dry! Don't skimp on the tent. Go for the good one! Trust me on this.

Today we splurged on a motel in Reedsport. If you've ever camped in a tent during a deluge you understand why we're in a motel. The tent may keep you dry but once you pack it up, it's soaked. A dry shelter is a good one.