And boy, they weren't kidding!
It was not bad up to the Wyoming border.
Roads nice and clear leaving Fort Collins, Colorado.
But the roads were getting worse entering Wyoming.
We made it to Cheyenne with no problem. This is where there's a big Sierra Trading Post outlet store and I wanted to look for hiking boots.
Sure enough, I got a pair of Merrell boots...regular price $170, on sale for $119 and then another 25% off that! So $89 plus 6% tax for a total of $94.34...great deal!
My last pair of Merrell's did me for two and a half years and our regular readers know what we put them through! Hopefully I'll get the same wear out of this new pair.
Leaving Cheyenne and heading north, the road got progressively worse. There was a fairly clear sky and the sun was shining, but it was cold and very windy. And there were accidents. Not really crashes, but just cars and trucks in the ditch sliding off the road.
One of the reasons we hate driving on the Interstate! Unfortunately, there were no other viable options.
Oops.
No point in having four wheel drive if you don't know how to use it!
Maybe four wheel drive makes you just a little overconfident!
Yet another one.
The photos didn't turn out, but we also saw a motorhome in the ditch, a cop car in the ditch, and a snowplow in the ditch!!
Not fun!
But as we made our way further north we were out of the path of the recent storm and things improved considerably.
Clear roads in northern Wyoming.
Not much snow on the ground up here.
Where the deer and the antelope play!
And around 5:00pm we pulled in to Gillette, Wyoming (pop 29,000). We had the address of our couchsurfing host Ashley, and had no problem finding her house. She was working until later, so she had left the door unlocked for us. Her dog Sebastian was there to greet us though! Sebastian was a little unsure at first of these strangers in his house, and it took him a half an hour or so to come over and say hello to me, but now we're best buddies!
Kevin, with Sebastian this morning!
Ruth made dinner so that it was ready for when Ashley came home from work, and her boyfriend James joined us for dinner. We had a nice night talking about travel. Too bad we're only here for the one night because we have more driving to do today!
Yesterday's drive, 289 miles (463 kms).
lovely driving conditions. The wind sometimes can be just as bad and snow on roads. Please drive carefully and watch out for the others. See it here all the time, I have 4 wheel but know its limits, too many think 4 wheel equates to mountain goat and it doesnt.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of furkid is Sebastian ? No pic, how unusual.
Just put a pic up of Sebastian...he's a sweetheart!
DeleteOh, he is a big boy. apparently likes attention and kisses.
DeleteWell, so much for Sebastian's career as a watch dog. We have one here like that in the house. We don't tell people (strangers) coming to the door that he'd be more likely to lick them to death than anything. His bark (and he only barks once, scares the cr*p outta me) is most definitely worse than his bite.
ReplyDeleteDriving in snow like that is one of the times when it's maybe not such a bad thing to have had all that "training" in places like say, Ottawa, or Kingston.
He is a big dog and he did bark loudly but we weren't fooled by it! I think if someone isn't much of a dog lover they might be unsure to enter.
DeleteDidn't enjoy that drive even if we were experienced!
We too did our share of winter driving in the snow belt, so are quite used to it. but now try avoid that as much as possible. And like you said the vehicles in the ditches are the ones with 4 wheel drive. They sure don't stop any quicker thats for sure.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of you excursion and drive safely.
We try to avoid driving in this weather as much as possible too but sometimes it is out of our control. And no, 4 wheel drive doesn't stop any quicker than a regular vehicle!
DeleteLuckily we traveled in between storms but I think we are all ready for spring. We had sleet and ice last night and are waiting for the ice to melt off the slide so we can leave. Hope the next leg of your travels are snow free. We both have Merrell Hiking boots. They are worth the money especially when you get them on sale!
ReplyDeleteGlad you were able to escape the storms! At least you were in a decent spot when you had the sleet and ice, hopefully you didn't have to wait too long before you were able to get going.
DeleteYep, we are very happy with our Merrell hiking boots. We really wouldn't go with any other brand.
Now you told us the whole story and left out the most important part. What did Ruth fix for dinner?
ReplyDeleteMost of the boots I found start at size 8, I'm a size 6 if I'm lucky.
I made a chicken stir fry with rice.
DeleteHave you thought of looking a youth sizes. They are also probably cheaper!
Wow! I wish I could get a deal like that for a pair of merrels! Mine are totally used to the core! Glad you made it safe to your destination! Where are you heading next?
ReplyDeleteCheck out Sierra Trading Post's website. They have definitely be the best price we have seen yet for Merrell hiking boots/shoes.
DeleteWe are headed to Sturgeon Lake Regional Park in Saskatchewan.
Great to hear you are safe, awful driving conditions. And sometimes it's not even YOU that's the problem it's all the YAHOO's around you that feel invincible.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a nice place to stay for a night. I've done that highway (just in the summer) but we veered over to Casper. We were in the motorhome at the time. Very scenic if you don't have blowing snow in your face.
Safe travels!!
We really only had that one day of bad driving, thankfully! We would love to come back to this area and do the drive through Casper and the mountains when the weather is better.
Delete