Saturday March 13, 2021
Still at San Angelo State Park. In the morning--after the usual breakfast burritos--Ed and I left the dogs to take their after breakfast nap while we went to the San Angelo farmer's market. It was easily found--but no farmers graced its space. I was expecting a few people selling crafts or local honey, but not nothing.
No matter. Right across the street was Fort Concho, a beautifully reconstructed post-civil war era frontier fort. Apart from a couple of guys manning the desk and a volunteer demonstrating an old rifle, it was pretty empty. A handful of people wandered through while we were there, looking at the paintings and using the restroom. We self-guided a tour through a barracks and the headquarters building. I wanted to visit the mules but never found them--I think they were offsite and closer to the main visitor center.
Back at camp, Molly and I got in almost 60 minutes of "jogging". We did speed up a little, but we walked some too and I went on a side trip up a gravel road that turned to broken pavement with a lot of stickery grass. Can't jog on that sort of surface--we walked, or rather waded, it.
With a very strong wind in our face, we went around the road toward the dam, then continued the circle to the bison and longhorn pens. They'd been fed earlier, but a few of each were still hanging around. Then back to the main road and home. The drizzling mist of the morning had departed before we started, and before long the sun came out and broke up the clouds. The wind intensified and I noted that if we get thunderstorms this evening, with this wind, they'll be severe.
I failed to make any notes of the evening and that was a shame. Because a strong storm came through with a tornado warning--not watch, warning--at about eight-thirty p.m. A ranger came by to make sure we knew. It would be hard not to know--the wind was gusting up to fifty mph and cloud-to-ground lightning was striking off to the west. The country is pretty flat out there and you can see a long way, however, this light wasn't a long way away. If there had been a tornado, it would have been spectacular.
Storm eating up the sun.
When I took the dogs for their last walk at around eight p.m. (moving it early on account of the storm), I got a magnificent picture of Zack facing into the wind.
Storm has devoured the sun.
After that I sat on the picnic table, watching the light show, and wondering how we were going to load the dogs in the jeep and head to the nearest restroom when the tornado comes. I've had experience with drenching downpours in Texas--it's horrid. Finally I decided I'd just shelter in the Mammoth RV until enough adrenaline kicked in activate my flight reflex.
The wind gusted regularly, and strongly, but finally a wind gust came. Hard and strong and...it didn't stop! It blew hard and kept blowing. I ran for shelter. Or rather, staggered for shelter.
The rain started shortly thereafter and within a half hour, it was all over and the skies were returning to clear.
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