It was a night of rain last night in Teton. It rained off and on all evening then all night long. I sat up for a while last night reading in between rain showers. Nobody really camping around me so I sat quietly reading. At about 10pm, I decided it was time for bed. After getting all snug and comfy in my sleeping bag, I realized I didn't have my knit cap. And let me tell you, when the temperature drops at night into the mid-30's, having that knit cap on a bald head makes all the difference in the world as to how well you sleep and staying warm. I got redressed and stepped out of the tent only to realize the knit cap was already inside the tent. Dammit! But, I saw a few sites over, someone was still around their campfire. So, I poured myself a cup of wine (yes, a "cup" of wine rather than a glass. I picked up a nice coffee cup with a lid at REI and that has become my camping wine cup. Not the classiest way to enjoy a Merlot, but spillproof and adds that outdoorsy feel to a wimpy glass of wine). I walked on over and chatted for about 30 minutes at the nearby campfire. It was nice to socialize a bit. I needed that last night. I had been keeping to myself a little too much. It was a couple of kids that were headed to a friend's ranch in Wyoming. It was fun to visit for a bit and talking about camping adventures. After a little while, I headed back to my camp and back to bed.
I woke to the sound of rain dripping on my tent. At least the rain had stopped and what I heard was the dripping of moisture off the trees. So, in the drip, drip, drip from the trees, I got everything packed up and was gone by about 7:30am.
The drive was long, made longer by periods of very heavy rain with scattered road construction delays. I drove for 9 hours today and made it to Elko, NV. The wind was probably 20 - 30 mph sustained and I was exhausted. I was so glad I made the switch in lodging. Had I driven all day and had to put up the tent in a heavy wind, as tired as I was, I would have been in a very bad mood. I figure 4 - 5 days of camping is fine, but then it's good to break it up with some solid comfort. I got similar advice from a friend at work who does a great deal of camping, primarily back country and undeveloped. After a few days, he and his girlfriend like to break it up with a nice dinner and a hotel. It's a good way of recharging the batteries.
Luckily, the Wells TV park did not charge a cancellation fee so the Motel 6 only
cost me about $20 extra than what was budgeted for the night.
And once here, I was able to use the laundry room at the hotel (for guests) and washed all my dirty clothes, repacked and reorganized. And I'm looking forward to a restful sleep in a real bed tonight. Plus, I don't even have to take the bear spray out of the car tonight! If a grizzly travels to Elko, NV, can pick the lock on the hotel door and get inside to devour me he can have me without a struggle. It is nice to think about the last 4 nights camping in Teton and not one time did I even hit a 2 on a scale of 1 - 10 with the anxiety while sleeping in the tent. Yes, my anxiety was high on the Ferry Falls hike, but none at night at camp. And I even spent 30 - 45 minutes each night sitting in the dark, with no fire, looking at the stars. At those times, there was no anxiety, no fear. Only relaxation, confidence and peace. 
I plan to be in bed early tonight and be off early in the morning. Tomorrow's drive will be at least 9 hours and I want to get to the campsite in plenty of time to set up and maybe enjoy the drive a little bit. I know I'll be driving through the Sierras and I would like to be able to stop when I want and take in the scenery. So, Yosemite tomorrow night and Phil and Jess will arrive Friday morning. I'm really looking forward to camping with them again, especially since we'll have our own tents to sleep in rather than having to share the tight confines of a 30 foot RV as we all did in Alaska. I'm sure they will be bringing heavy winter sleeping bags while I'll be laying on top of my warm weather bag enjoying the fresh air with the windows zipped down.
Good night
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