I saddled up the 26 foot Uhaul with the tandem axle car transport attached sporting my Jeep Grand Cherokee on it and made my way to the west. It was Sunday morning and a late breakfast with relatives and a friend made for a late start. With very stiff headwinds I could almost watch the gas gauge move.
About dark I pulled into Belle Fourche, SD for gas and grub. It was starting to snow/rain/hail. You know, frozen water drops that look like beanbag pillow fill. This was not a good omen. As I entered Wyoming it stopped. By the time I hit Montana, via US 212, it had started to snow.
It snowed pretty much all the way to Lame Deer. When I was about 10 miles from there, it started to rain. The combination of rain freezing on top of snow made for slow grinds up hills and cautious descents the other side.
By time I rejoined I-90 at the Little Big Horn, the roads were much better. I called it a night in Billings, MT.
I was up early the next day. Overnight it snowed maybe an inch, maybe a bit less, just enough to make the roads, well, interesting. In about an hour I'd driven out of the snow area. The roads were very clear until I started going up just west of Bozeman. Where the mountains shaded the highway there were icy spots. Nothing too major though I did crest a hill to begin a downhill section that was quite icy with a sharper than I would like to have seen curve at the bottom. I was a poster child for the White Knuckle Society.
I stopped in Missoula to visit the Adventure Cycling Association, however, it was Monday and it was President's Day so the office was closed. I did not linger but instead pointed the rig west. I had very good, albeit rough, roads until about 20 miles from the Idaho border. There was much fresh and very fluffy snow. The roads were somewhat snow-packed. At one point the interstate necked down to one lane westbound due to a rock slide.
Once I was on the other side of Spokane, WA, the roads were again good. The speed limit indicated 70 MPH and trucks 60 MPH. I justified the 60 MPH for trucks meant semi trucks and since I wasn't a semi and was pulling a vehicle that fit in the 70 MPH category, I pegged 65 MPH on the speedometer.
I cruised through Washington and only had Snoqualmie Pass left to go over. It had clear roads and it was a non issue. I pulled into a Motel 6 near Tacoma for the night.
The next day I made my way to Starbucks for some coffee and an egg wrap thing (that I do NOT recommend) plus some coffee cake. By 8 AM I'd arrived at my apartment complex. I drove the jeep off the carrier, unhitched the carrier, and backed the truck into unloading position. It was nearly 9 AM, the office was about to open, and I made my way there for keys.
I'd hired two dudes from a local moving company to help me unload the truck. By noon it was empty and by 1 PM I'd turned the truck and trailer in. I'd officially arrived.
It's now Friday and I'm mostly unpacked. I've made some shopping excursions for essentials - beer, groceries. I've just attained internet service and thus this post. Tomorrow, as a reward for busting my ass driving and unpacking, I'm taking a mountain bike ride. I've not decided the "where" part yet. But, I'll have a recap and maybe some pictures. Now I'm going to concentrate on getting settled in and finding "normal." I know I packed it. I've just haven't gotten to that box yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment