Began retracing my steps today, from Wyoming to home in Texas. I'm leaving just in time. The forecast low at the ranch for tonight is 15 degrees with a chance of snow. The cabin I stayed in was heated by a little gas fireplace. It keep the interior tolerable, but not really warm. I wore two layers inside while I was there. I don't think the heater would do much good with temps in the teens.
It was pretty cold all day today. I don't think the temperature ever got out of the 30s. I started the day out with ice lining the bed of the truck. When I checked into the hotel tonight most of it was still there.
Speaking of ice, the roads were slushy and icy in northern Wyoming. The plows were out early, but there were still icy patches for a few hundred miles. About 1 1/2 hours after I left I was in that interstate highway zone. Traffic was extremely light. There was a car about a mile in front of me, and another one about a mile behind. I was cruising on autopilot, my mind wandering, when I drove under an overpass. It was iced over under there in the shade. In the blink of an eye I was doing 75 MPH sideways. That snapped me back to reality in a great big hurry. Fortunately, like I said, there wasn't another vehicle anywhere near. But I can guarantee after that I was alert and very careful around overpasses and bridges.
It looks like things will be a little warmer as I continue south. There's a chance of rain, but I can handle that a lot better than snow and ice.
I'm in Colorado Springs tonight. Drove 510 miles today in 8 hours driving time for an average speed of 64 MPH. It would have been higher, except for the traffic and construction in the Ft. Collins -> Denver -> Colorado Springs stretch.
Pet Peeve of the day: Colorado drivers. They're worse than Houston drivers. Besides their general disregard for traffic laws and other drivers, what makes them worse is the number of smug, self-righteous ponytailed hippies driving Prius' with treehugger bumper stickers (example: Save the planet. Ride a bike).
Sign of the day - seen on an oilfield services truck: "Your hole is our goal."
Tomorrow's objective: Lubbock, Texas. I don't want to say Lubbock is a little behind the times, but until May 2009 Lubbock County allowed "package" sales of alcohol (sales of bottled liquor from liquor stores), but not "by the drink sales." At the same time, inside the Lubbock city limits, the situation was reversed, with restaurants and bars able to serve alcohol, but liquor stores forbidden. In May 2009 voters approved changes in those laws to permit the sale of both packaged alcohol and liquor by the drink in both the county and the city.
On the plus side, Lubbock has produced an impressive number of musicians, including Buddy Holly, Delbert McClinton, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, Mac Davis (meh), Lloyd Maines, Jay Boy Adams, and Pat Green. So it's not a total loss.
The time change has got me all out of sync, so I'm going to call it a night. The God Lord willing, tomorrow I'll be back in God's Country.
1 comment:
Travel safe and ya think the reason Lubbock produced so many musicians was there is absolutely NOTHING else to do there??? :-D
Post a Comment