We arrive at Meat Cove, finally...it is far from inviting.
By the time we arrived, it was late in evening...I think about 9 or 10pm....imagine this place dark, raining lightly, but the rain is coming down almost sideways from all the wind. There are wind gusts that are probably 30-40mph, and we can hear the surf crashing loudly against the rocks below us. Temps were in the mid 50s, so we weren't so feeling cold. These are definitely not the ideal conditions to camp along the edge of a cliff...but we're stubborn and have our minds set on camping for the night. And we weren't about to ride back through the winding, hilly, muddy, gravel road back to the Cabot Trail to find something else. No one else is at the campground except one very comfortable looking RV... I could see lights inside the RV...I wonder what they must be thinking about us crazy bikers about to set up tents.
A young man comes out of his office/house. I tell him we're looking to set up camp. He suggests a spot farthest from the edge and surrounded by some trees to help with the wind. We shrug off his suggestion and decide to go for the spot by the flag.
He has a look on his face that reads: Are you fools crazy? And then he asks again, "Are you guys sure?" I should've known then to take his advice, but being the stubborn fools we are, we said we're sure.
He also tells us that unfortunately, he doesn't have any more cabins available, and mentions that there's one camping site past the flag pole by the cliff, but that's off limits during stormy weather like tonight... I think, "Hey, we're not *THAT* crazy..."
As we pay for the spot, he asks us if we have really good tents, saying we're going to need really good, strong tents to withstand the windy, rainy conditions tonight...but lucky for us, the temps should hold steady to where it was now...which was about the low/mid 50s..
I think to myself, "Uh oh..." and start to have concerns about my Wally World tent... I keep my poker face and just say, "yea, we'll be fine".
Setting up the tents....Oh my goodness, that was crazy with all the wind!! The wind definitely picked up since we first got there. Basically, as we got closer to the cliff's edge [read: our selected campsite], the stronger the winds... lol.. doh! The wind was so strong that I was afraid my tent was going to blow away if I didn't hold onto it with a deathgrip. Luckily, and rather strangely, a newly wed couple were taking a walk and saw us setting up the tents. They both thought we were insane to set up tents tonight and offerred a hand, which I accepted instantly! They helped anchor the tent down and put everything together. Thank God they were there to help!
Once we were finished setting up, DSH and I quickly retreated into our respective tents. A quick sigh of relief and then I started to organize my stuff to hopefully get some rest. I tightened the tent canopy as tight as possible to keep it from billowing up as the wind blew. Regardless, the wind would get under it and blow up the canopy and felt like the tent would lift up and blow away if I weren't in it! Crazy shit for sure, and I know these $20 Wally World tents were never meant for these conditions!
I had to get some sleep so I put on 2 thin layers and then Aerostich windblocker and my hat and crawl into my down mummy sleeping bag, leaving only my nose and mouth exposed. About an hour or so later, I feel moisture on my nose so I reach out with my hands to feel moisture on my sleeping bag... Damn it. I moved the mattress and sleeping bag as close as I could to where the wind was coming in, hoping I would better avoid the moisture blowing in with the strong wind gusts....wishful thinking, but better than nothing.
When I realized that this was not working, I unpacked my rainsuit and put that on and crawled back into the sleeping bag. Man, that was uncomfortable... All I could do at that point was pray I would see morning....what a night. I swear, at the moment, if an REI rep was there selling $1000 mountain tents, I would've instantly said "SOLD!"
Somehow I managed to survive the night.. Woohoo! Day 5!
I took a long hot shower to try and warm up. Btw, they only have coin operated showers and no change machines, so make sure you bring some with you.
It's starting to warm up, and there's a nice breeze.
I'm sure DSH's Monster has seen more rain, mud, gravel, and general dual sporting conditions in the past few days than most other Ducati Monsters will see in their lifetimes, lol.
Sh!t, I left my gloves by the fire too long... Sigh...I really liked these gloves.
I sacrifice them to the fire and do a little fire dance for no more rain this week..
Woot! I survive Meat Cove!
Ok, now we're packed up and ready to roll... we're both starving too.
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