Yesterday started off with a quick cup of coffee and "breakfast" in downtown Salt Lake City. It was mild and sunny outside (t-shirt & jeans weather) and we were anxious to hit the road. The ride through Utah was very scenic and we decided to head through Cheyenne, WY instead of Grand Junction, CO because of the snowy weather forecast.
It was actually SNOWING!!! So much for our re-routing plan to avoid the snow. We couldn't believe it. The snow picked up...the wind picked up...then the roads were becoming very dangerous to drive on. I was getting very scared of the situation and glad that it was Brian's driving shift (I was lucky to be driving earlier in the day when it was sunny). As it became dark outside, the snow was accumulating as it was becoming an official blizzard, and it was becoming more and more difficult to see the road, especially when the big-rigs were passing by and blinding us in their dust. We were driving about 15-20 mph as our windshield was covered with ice and difficult to see through. Brian did a fantastic job of staying calm & keeping steady, even when we saw the big-rig across the highway that jack-knifed and blocked all 3 lanes.
We were so relieved when we finally arrived in Cheyenne.
This is what it was like when we arrived...now that we made it safely, it's actually quite beautiful :-)
This was Picasso's first experience in the snow! He was trying to figure it all out. Once he did, he just loved running around in it! However, we had a very tough time trying to get him to "do his business" in the snow. I'm thinking that California dogs don't poop in the snow...he just wouldn't do it.
We got our bags out of the car (which were covered in snow, because the roof cargo box is not quite "weather-proof") and warmed up with a nice bottle of wine from our California stash that we brought :-) We heard ambulances all night long and were so thankful that we arrived safely (Brian's my superhero). We held off from planning our route for the next day, until we knew what the outcome of the blizzard would be.
We woke up this morning to find out that roads were closed and that "it is recommended that you stay off the highways and don't leave unless you absolutely need to". It was still snowing and it was 10 degrees outside! The snow was so pretty, and I wish we had coats, boots, and gloves...
We made the decision to not leave until tomorrow, since the roads were either closed or in really bad condition (and we kept seeing fire engines and ambulances driving by).
This was our car this morning...
The vehicle got dug out and the engine reluctantly started...phew! Then we decided to take Picasso to the park across the street to play in the snow. (Oh, and Picasso finally pooped...but not in the snow.)
This is Picasso in front of a snow-covered cowboy boot. These big cowboy boots are EVERYWHERE in town! It's so funny...they're all different colors and designs!
Picasso is "leg-deep" in snow with his snout covered in snow.
Picasso feels a lot more comfortable on his bed inside playing with his toy. He's like me ... can only take freezing cold weather and snow in small doses!
Well, we're going to relax tonite, get some good rest and hope for clear roads tomorrow...
