Tornado Warnings

We woke to ugly skies but no rain and we were hoping that maybe the worst was behind us. No such luck.

After a quick meeting in the tent, Doug & I ran to Parker for groceries just as the rain started again. There was a little water on the road, but nothing too bad. It took us a couple of hours to finish our shopping since we were out of everything and we started home about 3pm. What a difference a couple of hours makes!

The rain was pouring across the highway in small streams and large rivers. We watched carefully to see if others were making it through the water ok, then continued ourselves. In a couple of spots, it was so deep, we were blinded by the water spraying up and over the windshield. Scary!

But, we made it back home in time for the hamburger and hot dog bbq in the big tent. Doug jumped right in to help with the cooking and the rain continued. Instead of a nice gathering of people, everyone filled their plates then headed back to their own coach. The wind kicked up, blowing rain under the sides of the tent making giant puddles inside.

The storm got worse and soon someone told us that there was a tornado warning for the Quartzsite area! About that time, the tent started to give way. Straps were snapping and the whole thing was swaying. Per Doug's instructions, I hightailed it out of there and back to the coach while a few of the guys stayed to put out the bbq and take the tent down.

We never saw a tornado, but I've never been out in sustained winds like that. It was difficult to even walk (or run) back to the coach. And within 10 seconds our clothes were totally soaked.

Hopefully, tomorrow will dawn a little brighter.