Today was a day of chores and it was a good pick of days to do chores because it rained nearly the entire day. But everything is done, everything is packed, and I’ll be ready to roll out tomorrow.

The first order of business was figuring out which stores were open and what the hours of operation were. Laundromat and post office for the two key items. The post office did not open until 11:45 so I started with laundry. I had to walk down the hill to the laundromat in the rain and wore my shoes because I wasn’t sure how my feet were going to feel.

I decided I wanted to wash everything. I had including the pack so I stripped it down and threw it in the wash with all my clothes and rain gear. While waiting for the wash cycle I walked down to the gas station at the corner and checked out what they had to offer. It was a typical convenience store but also had special items for motorcyclists and hikers. I didn’t really need anything so I was mainly just browsing.

By the time the wash cycle was done the post office was just opening, so I threw my clothes in the dryer and headed to the post office to pick up my resupply box. Since it would be another 45 minutes I went ahead and walked back to the lodge to open up the resupply box. I’m always amazed at how heavy food can actually be and this box was stuffed to the gills.

I had so much extra food I didn’t even bother going to the restaurant for lunch I just snacked on extra food that I had. When it was time for the dryer cycle to be done I walked back down the hill but this time in my flip-flops to keep my shoes from getting any wetter.

When I got to my laundry I was in for a little surprise. My rain jacket did not like the heat of the dryer even though I selected warm temperature, not hot. It had shrunk and stuck together and was barely large enough to put on a toddler when I pulled it out of the dryer. It was still warm and soft so I tried to pull it apart to full size before it set but pulling it just tore a lot of the rainproofing away from the fabric. It’s a good thing the forecast for the next week is no rain and I don’t really use it as a rain jacket but it is part of my sleep system if I use the hammock. So even though it is ruined I still need to carry it with me just in case I need to sleep in the hammock. I have already ordered a new one and it will be waiting for me at Hot Springs in just under a week.

I was all packed and ready to go by 2:00 p.m. so I decided to take a nap before dinner. I couldn’t really sleep but it was nice just to lay in the bed and not do anything. I can’t stand watching TV so I just listened to music for about an hour.

When it was time for dinner I rolled down to the restaurant again and had a pizza, a really nice salad, and a couple of beers. It was not cheap but it was quite delicious. The food here at Fontana was way better than what I was expecting. It’s also surprising since they’re not at full capacity because of COVID.

So here I am again in the room all packed ready to go just waiting for morning to arrive. The hotel does run shuttles to the marina but they don’t start until 10:00 a.m. so I will probably get a much earlier start and just walk down to the marina again. The first shelter is 16 miles up the mountain so what’s another two downhill to the lake.

Time to try to get some real sleep tonight. I did not sleep well last night because my feet were sore and keeping me awake and my metabolism had my body temperature up so high I felt like I was in a furnace even though the air conditioner was freezing cold. Hoping tonight is a peaceful night. Will save the mayhem for tomorrow.