Big Basin - The shortest camping trip in history

It's not supposed to rain here in the summer. It really isn't. It usually doesn't. So, when every meteorologist in the Bay Area seemed to agree that we were in for a rare summer storm, on the exact same day that our camping trip was due to start, we had no choice but to assume they were wrong. Or, that maybe they were exaggerating a bit about the downpour, the thunderstorms, and the 100% chance of precipitation. Well, I'm here to tell you that they weren't wrong. And they were not exaggerating. But we gave camping a go anyway. Sort of.

It wasn't raining when we packed up the car and left home. If it had been, we probably would have walked right back inside and made s'mores in the microwave. But we didn't. We hit the road, ready for some adventure.
I think we were about an hour away from the campground when the storm hit. Chad and I chuckled, and wondered aloud how we would go about setting up camp if it was still coming down like that when we arrived....
As it turned out, it was still coming down like that when we arrived, and we wondered some more and chuckled even louder (although you could barely hear our chuckling over the thundering deluge). We figured we'd just hang out until the rain let up enough for us to set up the tents.

Lucky thing #1: There happened to be a giant tree cave in our very campsite. Dry kids.
Lucky thing #2: Chad had happened to grab a couple of umbrellas as we left home, just in case.
Lucky thing #3: The Cookie Crisp (the official junk cereal choice for this trip), milk, bowls, and spoons were easily accessible.
Lucky thing #4: So were the hotdogs (and Smart Dog).
Lucky thing #5: The fire-sheltering umbrella did not burst into flames, even though it steamed ferociously and was burning hot to the touch.
Lucky thing #6: Trees big enough to shelter people inside their trunks are just one of the most amazing things on the planet, and we got to spend time with them.
Lucky thing #7: These days, Chad and I are adventurous enough to have a camping picnic in the pouring rain, but wise enough to cut our losses and bail...instead of spending the next 48 hours being soggy and cold.
Lucky thing #8: We were only a couple of hours from home this time, and our long camping trip is still coming up in August. It will definitely be longer than this one....... :)