So later in the day (from 666) as I can't take the heat anymore. A slight wind rolls in. I am thanking God at this point because I am so hot and can barely row anymore. Then the wind stops, and I am bummed but the clear blue sky is now more gray giving me some nice cover. Eventually I hear rain in the distance which is great because it generally cools down after a little rain. It was great; when the rain came, there was still no wind and the clouds were small. It was the weirdest rain I have ever seen. The clouds were almost mirrored by the rain drops and since they were moving so slow I could weave in and out so as to not get hit by the rain. I got hit twice and even then all I had to do was paddle hard to get out of it. Then as sudden as it had started, it was over. A beautiful moment that lowered the temp at least ten degrees.
All was good for another half an hour- calm, sunless weather. Then I started to hear rumbling off in the distance but no lighting. This was also OK as storms frequently come and go in the area but I don't always get hit by them. I looked up and all I saw where these two huge storm fronts colliding right above my head. The clouds where swirling in circles and now I was starting to get a bit scared. I kept rowing because I was stuck in the only stretch of river in the last fifty miles that had no hills and no trees. Basically I was just a big lighting rod in my metal boat. I finally got to shore in a place I felt comfortable and it started pouring. Lighting is coming down all around me and I can barely hear anything over the ringing in my ears (lighting is much louder when it is right next to you and you are just sitting in the rain). Luckily for me, the worst part of the storm hit the opposite bank. I sat there and watched for the next hour and a half as most of the bolts struck the other bank. Lighting is so much better than fireworks. When watching fireworks, your heart doesn't race and you are not scared of them striking you dead. Definitely the worst storm I have been through and scariest part of the trip so far.
