I‘ve camped a total of three nights on this trip. It has rained each time. Last night, the rain started at about 3am. It’s going to rain on and off all day. There’s no avoiding getting wet, and it’s not even a matter of how wet. It’s the type of thing where it’s probably best to give in and accept my soggy fate for the day. I don’t mind the getting wet part. It’s the what to do with all of my wet stuff part that I don’t care for.
I’m writing this from inside my tent. I have two hours before the nearest restaurant opens for breakfast. The closest porta-potty is a few hundred feet away. My contact lens stuff is in the trunk of my car – as are all of my clothes except for what I wore yesterday and what I used to prop up my pillow. There’s no way I can do any of this and not be a wet mess.
Last night after parking in the field that is “tent city,” I sat and talked with some of my neighbors. I hung out with the “mayor” of tent city – a guy named Mike from Ohio who has been coming to the festival for 35 years. I know he’s the mayor because he has a black top hat with yellow lettering that says mayor. I also met John, Mayor Mike’s friend. This is John’s first festival. Later, after some of the music, he and I sat around their camp fire. He’s a musician and was working on a song. At a restaurant in town, I met Sean. Sean works one of the vending stands. He used to write poetry and has taken odd jobs in Florida, California, and Alaska. Later in the evening I met Paul and Tom who also sat around the campfire.
There will be no shortage of opportunities to meet interesting people here. I just wish the weather were more cooperative.