When I look out my front window, I see a clothesline draped with the remnants of this past weekend’s camping trip. Soaked tents, muddy towels, damp sleeping bags—all reminders of the torrential downpour that occurred on Saturday, accompanied by gale force winds.

The good news is that the bad weather didn’t ruin our camping trip the bad news is that I know to expect heavy downpours next year, and the year after that. Because just like the Three Rivers Arts Festival, a rain cloud seems to follow our little group of campers every May when we head to Cooper’s Lake.

Now I know a lot of people who won’t go camping in the rain, and admittedly, it’s not for the faint of heart or weak of arm. If you’ve ever lugged a waterlogged tent and sleeping bags, you know what I mean. Everything is heavier, wetter and oh, yeah, smellier. And so is your car after you’ve transported it all back home.

But there are benefits to camping in the rain as well. Lying on an air mattress (yes, I’m a wimp), listening to raindrops gently falling on the top of a tent is one of the most relaxing ways to spend a weekend morning smelling the fresh air as it wafts through the windows is a wonderful way to start the day. A good rain also tends to cool things down a little bit, and if you’ve ever been baked out of your tent on a hot summer’s day, you learn to appreciate the natural air-conditioning that a cool rain provides.

Of course, there’s also the satisfaction of seeing your tent hold up even in the worst weather. This past weekend, we stayed in a tent that my sister bought at a garage sale for $10. I admit I didn’t have high hopes, especially when the wind picked up and the rain started blowing sideways. But the tent held and didn’t even leak (my thanks to its previous owners), and unlike many of the newer, fancier tents at the campground, it stayed standing! And while I admit that I had nothing to do with its success, I did appreciate the fact that it made us look like ‘professional outdoorsmen’ who brought the right equipment and knew how to put it up. (I don’t think anyone was actually fooled, though, considering that I somehow forgot to pack the coffeepot, which resulted in some rather unpleasant morning greetings.)

I’m sure someone, somewhere, once said that the worst day camping is better than the best day working, and rain or shine, I would have to agree. Now all I have to do is go fold up all of the equipment out on the clothesline, wait for the next severe weather alert, and head back to the campground. Coffeepot included, of course.