(Route 66 Museum, Oklahoma, USA)
I am sitting here at the top of grand canyon and thought it was probably about time to update my blog. Once again I have had an adventure packed week, some planed adventures and a few unexpected adventures. Last I left you I was in Tennessee. I had heard that a snow storm coming in the afternoon. So I got an early start to try to avoid any more encounters with snow until I headed north. Part of my logic behind this road trips destinations were to stay more south in some of the southern states. The thought behind this was I would hopefully be able to avoid some winter driving up north and see the south when it is not sweltering hot. That was at least the goal. Unfortunately that goal has not been met. Although it will make this blog entry a bit more interesting :)
So leaving Tennessee early I did not realize the winter storm was going to be coming from the west originating in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Which happened to be the exact direction I was heading. I ended up in the middle of a crazy snow and ice storm that the area was not used to having. When the storm hit I was near Little Rock Arkansas and it got crazy fast. There were at least 5 accidents or cars off the road every mile on the highway. It got to the point where the radio said the police would not be responding to any fender-benders or people being stuck in ditches, you had to have a some big trouble to get their attention. There were just to many accidents going on at once. The reports were that most schools and businesses were to be shut down for a couple of days and new storms would be rolling in for the next couple days as well. All I knew is that I did not want to get stuck in a cold place with nothing to do but sit and wait. Even then I would have to find a place that was warm and open. I figured if I could get to Oklahoma where it started they would have the roads cleared by the time I got there. Also I am from where we get crazy storms like this, so I know how to drive in the stuff. So I should be fine, right? So I continued along watching cars spin out all around me. I was traveling at a speed of 10-20 mph for most of the trip. What should have took me 2 hours was taking 5, but that what was fine, I was getting out of the mess. However as I was getting closer to the Oklahoma border the roads were looking better and the little bit of traffic on the road was speeding up, I did as well. For a little while I was traveling around 45 mph. As I was driving along thinking it was great I was able to get this far without any trouble my car jack-knifed on me. For those that are not from where it snows, a car jack-knifes when the back end swings around and turns the car into a spin. I tried to correct it, and was almost able to, turning the jack-knife into a couple fish-tails. I think my last correction was a bit too much and I spun around 180 degrees and slid down into the ditch, at just about the time the cars behind me got up to me. After a bit of maneuvering I was able drive along the bottom of the ditch and get up and out. Back on the highway with no damage to the car or me. I was trying to figure out how the car started spinning out as I never hit the brakes and that is when my brother informed me the car I am driving home for him is rear-wheel drive! Knowing this I was even more happy I had been able to drive for 4 hours before I got into trouble. So after the spinning and trip into the ditch I decided it was time to call it a night.
(White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA)
The following morning was slow going again, but got better soon after I got into Oklahoma as I suspected it would. Continuing on the trip I stopped at a few places along the famous historic route 66. When I got into New Mexico I thought my snow and below freezing temperatures were finished for at least a little bit. Oh was I wrong! The plan was to drive to a town near the foothills of the rocky mountains, stay there for the night and than in the morning explore the rockies in northern New Mexico. For a good portion of this trip I have been sleeping in the car. Now before most of you start shaking your head and getting worried about me, let me explain a few things. First the vehicle I am driving is an SUV. So in the back I have the seats laid down and a nice comfy bed set up with a couple sleeping bags, a bunch of my mountaineering gear and other stuff to stay plenty warm. So probably a bit nicer than camping. Second I am very careful of where I stop for the night. I do not stop on the side of the road or rest areas, so the boogie man is not going to get me. My favorite place to stop is a truck stop, lots of people are coming and going all night and that is where most of the truck drivers pull up for the night too, I jet join them in my SUV. Third, if I had to stay in a hotel every night I would no money at the end of trip! Remember I've been traveling for 6 months, that gets expensive. So back to the story. While talking to my mother on the phone she looked up the weather for a town near where I was hoping to get to and it said it should get down to 10F (-12C) that night. That seemed a bit extreme to be sleeping in the car, but there were not much for hotels around and I was tired. So I decided to give it a whirl and if I got cold I would get up and drive however far I needed to get a hotel for the night. Well I slept like a baby that night with all of my warm gear. In the morning when I was crawling out of bed I thought it felt cold. I thought is must of hit the 10F that had been forecast. So I turned on the car and gawked when the temperature gauge said it was -20F (-29C)!!!!!!!! I got my iPhone out to verify & sure enough it was. I can not believe I slept out side in -20F weather!!! That is just crazy!!!!!! I was not even in the mountains or foothills, I was in the plains.
(Jumping next to a cactus in Arizona, USA)
I drove 40 minutes up the road to find an open gas station where I could get some hot coco and be warm. When I got there I realized this area was not used to these temps at all. All of the coffee and coco machines were not working as all the pipes had froze. So I stayed there a bit and helped the lady that worked there get some things under control and cleaned up. I also gave her some tips on how to prevent it from happening again, ie running water through the night. I never got my hot coco but I was able to warm up. As I drove on that morning it got as low as -22F (-30C). After a cold morning I had a great day driving through the Rocky Mountains, Santa Fe, and central New Mexico. It was some pretty country. Central New Mexico really reminded me of outback Australia surprisingly enough.
In southern New Mexico I stopped in at the White Sands National Park. In the middle of new Mexico you roll up to the huge white sand dunes. They are so white they look like snow. They do not cover a large area and there is no water near by, but there they are. On southern Arizona I stopped at a couple more national parks. Each with their own stunning features. On my way through Phoenix, Arizona I stopped in downtown and ran into a festival It was fun to walk through with the music playing and the different stalls, which added to the fun of the city. I also caught up with my friend Aaron again. Yes same guy I drove down from Louisville to Dallas with. I also got to see one of his old roommates I had known from way back. After spending a short amount of time with them I headed north to the Grand Canyon. I walked a short way down the wall and back up. The Grand Canyon is gorgeous and all I dreamed it to be. So here I sit waiting for a shuttle bus to come pick me up enjoying the wonderful view.
I hope you are all doing well!
~Laugh & Love Life~
