I pulled into Martin Creek Lake State Park in Tatum, Texas yesterday afternoon at about 2PM and it was already close 99 degrees hot. My plan was to get one of their screened enclosures to camp in so I wouldn’t need to set up the tent. The ranger lady at the front gate took one look at me and suggested the air conditioned cottage for an additional $25. I was so hot, I welcomed the change. Once there and unloaded and changed to cooler attire, I ate my sandwich and soup for dinner, planning to jump in the sack and sleep until about 10 PM when I would get up and head on across Louisiana and Mississippi to my Dad’s house in Atmore, Alabama.

I was so excited to be so close to home, I simply could not sleep! I tried to get up and plan my route and then lay back down, but it didn’t work. After trying unsuccessfully for several hours I finally got up at 9PM and packed to go ahead and head out for an all-night cooler ride. I got here at 7AM this morning.

I spent the night before in Post Texas after riding down and through Roswell, New Mexico to west Texas across some of the hottest, driest terrain I have ever been on. I got so hot I took my mesh jacket off and my arms were burned when I got to Post. I’ve been doctoring those since then and today they don’t hurt very much at all.

I’ll head on back to Atlanta on Sunday for the task of paying end of month bills, catching up on my mail and getting back to a routine as I recuperate from 3 weeks of riding a super motorcycle across much of western America.