Enduring the rain train

JONESBORO, Ark. We’re in the path of a rain train – a diagonal swath of rainstorms stretching from north of Dallas to Cincinnati that is tracking to the northeast, rather than east to west.

So instead of blowing through in a couple of hours, the rain will be an all-day event.

Consequently, I have my wet tent, fly and ground cloth spread over stuff in the garage in hopes that it will eventually dry.

I just talked to Indianapolis BMW Club friend Dominick who plans to ride down here tomorrow for a visit before we head north on Friday for the Falling Leaf Rally at Potosi, Mo.

It looks like he’ll have a pleasant, dry ride tomorrow, but there’s a 70% chance of rain for our four-hour, 177-mile ride up to Potosi. The Weather Channel says rain chances will drop to 20% on Saturday and Sunday, so I should be spared a repeat of Sunday’s miserably wet and cold ride home from Shiloh.

The Potosi overnight lows Saturday and Sunday are forecast for at or below freezing – that’s why the alternate name is the Frozen Leaf Rally – so I’ll pack warmer stuff, including my heated jacket liner and gloves.

I’ve been to the Falling Leaf Rally a few times and remember one year in particular back in the early 1990s when I went through several thermal handwarmer heat packs in my sleeping bag to get through the night. The next morning, I awoke to find a heavy layer of frost on the seat of my ‘91 K100RS.

This weekend’s forecast clearly calls for my heaviest sleeping bag.