I needed some fresh air and exercise last night, so well after supper, probably around 7:30, I decided to hike up to the lower petroglyphs viewing area, a distance of just over 4KM round trip. The sky was threatening rain, but I didn’t let it stop me since I’ve seen tons of sky like that in the last months and no rain has ever come.

It was a beautiful evening and the quiet country gravel road felt very isolated. I did pass a few vehicles, with the drivers waving at me, but I still felt rather alone in the world.

The hill up to the petroglyphs looks really steep so I thought getting to the top would be good exercise. Ha. I just kept up my brisk pace and before I knew it, I was at the top and not an iota out of breath. This is apparently the most challenging road to walk from the village, so I guess I’ll have to stick to it if I want to get a semblance of exercise. At 4KM round trip, I really should do it at least three times a week.

There is a campground at the very top of the hill with electrical hookups only and a VERY steep gravel access road. The campground gate was shut when I went down there a little while ago, so I don’t know what the sites are like.

The sky was starting to spit by this point, but I wasn’t concerned, being only about 15 minutes from home. I enjoyed the view for a bit, inhaled as much of that delicious damp prairie air as I could, and then started back down.

About a third of the way home, it started to rain lightly. Right at this point, I was passed by a truck and the driver offered me a lift. I thanked him and said I was fine.

The rain started to pick up a little, so I increased my pace. I was within view of main street when the rain began to come down hard in icy cold little needles. Another truck passed (!) and I again refused a ride. I was already sopping wet, so I might as well finish the walk properly.

By the time I got over the hump, I had gone from sopping wet to soaked. My skirt was completely sodden and very heavy. The roads were mini rivers. I kept up the pace, trying to look as dignified as I could to the drivers on main street (geeze there was a lot of traffic last night). A couple of minutes later, I was home. I hadn’t been wet long enough to be chilled, so a towel and flannel jammies later, I was very comfy.

The storm continued into the night, well after I went to bed. I couldn’t get internet, so I read the magazines I’d bought earlier in the day, then went to bed with a book.

It’s still very damp out there this morning and I’m selfishly disappointed that this rain has once again set me back in being able to movie Miranda to the back of the lot. I’m having charging issues and am hoping that I’ll get a bit more sun in the back, but the ground is still much too spongy.

Getting soaked not withstanding, I really enjoyed my walk last night and think it’s high time I got a couple of audio books onto my iPod Touch and got back into my beach habit of going for several long walks a day.