We knew that when we got out here the truck was getting new rear tires and it was confirmed by the repair shop doing our brakes. So Aztec Tires in Eloy was our first stop on Saturday’s supply run. Yes, he could get the tires; they’d be here on Tuesday.
The
spare was put on and then Kim started tracking down rims in Eloy and Casa
Grande. When Marshal got here and heard
the issue he said he had four extra tires with rims that he wouldn’t be
needing...right size rims so our problem was solved. They headed back into Eloy
to deal with the tire/rim issue. Came
back with prettier rims and new treads. J So much to be thankful for in that whole
saga.
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There was a knock on our door at about 9:30...Dylan and Clayton were patiently waiting outside for us to come out and ‘play’. J Clayton asked real quietly if Grampa was awake yet...the kiddos knew that he was going to be out at his telescope until really late at night. We came outside because the camper is just too small for us plus 4 kids. The kiddos hung around with us while Marshal and Callie went for a bike ride down Picacho Highway. We sat outside in the warming sunshine and ate cherry yogurt covered pretzels which in the hands of a 2 year old was a big mess.
--------------------
Shortly after lunch I ran into Eloy to do some
errands and Kim went for a walk down the frontage road...we were going for a
bike ride when he returned. I could see
or rather couldn’t see much to the west toward Casa Grande because of blowing
dust. It looked to be an issue in the
direction of Eloy, too, but it was still sunny at the camp.
 |
| Downtown Eloy |
 |
| Eastbound I-10 |
I
called Kim and asked if he wanted me to pick him up. Because he had been collecting items along
the road to use in camp, he said that’d be a good idea so he could put them in
the truck. While he said that walking
was doable, there were times he couldn’t see and it felt like he was being sandblasted. He was a slow moving target for the dirt to
slam against. The view of the Picacho
Mountains beyond the westbound lanes of I-10 was totally obliterated by the
dust...about ½ of Picacho Peak, on the eastbound side of I-10, was visible with
blowing dust at the base of it.
I drove
further down the frontage road to where the visibility was a bit better so I
could do a 3 point turn to head back. Saw
an accident involving 4 cars on I-10 between exits 211 and 219. The front end of one car was stuck in the
back end of another car whose front end was stuck in the back end of another...and so on. Four cars connected together like that and it
seemed to be blocking a couple of lanes.
The dust storm was definitely a factor in that mash-up. Traffic was rerouted because the 3 lane
highway was shut down between those exits...traffic had to get off at exit 211,
take the frontage road to exit 219 where drivers could then get back on I-10. But I have no idea how long it took the
couple miles of stopped traffic caught right behind the accident to get cleared
up. Marshal, who was returning from Casa Grande, got caught in the back up
several miles west of exit 211 which is the Picacho exit. He said that there were times enroute to Casa
Grande that he couldn’t see anything...like being in a whiteout back home except
it was dust.
When
I left to do errands and Kim left walk we didn’t think twice about leaving the back
ramp down and the front door propped open.
As it turns out that left only the screen doors to keep the blowing dust
out of the camper. Ha! Walked into the
camper to find a layer of dirt over everything: floor, table, sink, coffee
maker, computers...if it was out, it was covered with a thick layer of dirt. I swept and then we wiped down that which
could not be swept but I think there’s going to be this pervasive chalky
feeling of dirt on the floor no matter how many times I sweep. Lesson learned the hard and dirty way.
Out
on the highway there was a computerized traffic sign with the phrase “Blowing
Dust...Slow Down” written on it. After
seeing what our camper looked like they should stop saying “Dust Storm” or “Blowing
Dust” or “Dust Devil” and just call it like it is. It’s not dust, it’s dirt...blowing dirt, plain
and simple.
In our
travels between Arizona and Michigan we’ve seen blowing dirt in the distance. While camping out here there’ve been windy
days and the occasional gust of dust has rolled through the campground but
nothing serious. A dust devil even
strolled through our campsite last year but it was short lived. But today...today we had sustained blowing
dirt that made it nearly impossible to be outside.
Eighty-four wonderful degrees out today and our bike ride had to be
cancelled on account of blowing dirt. L Arghhh!
--------------------
Walked to the office at about 5 p.m.
The wind was still a force to be reckoned with and dirt was still being
thrown around but I could see the sun.
There was still a haze off in the distance but I could see the mountains
so the dust wasn’t as thick as it had been.
As we
sat in the camper to avoid being sandblasted we could feel it shaking every so
often. Freddie and Flossie were blown
over and it seemed prudent to just let them lay. I anchored the rug with the cement cores that
Kim found and hopefully that keeps it in place instead of flapping around
adding to the flying dirt.
--------------------
At
about 6:15, I realized I’d have my 10,000 steps if I went for a short walk. Still very windy but the dirt seemed less of
a factor. Out on the frontage road I
could see both the Picacho Mountains and Picacho Peak although there was still a
haziness in the air. Not quite out of it
yet. But the air was warm despite the
wind so that was a plus.
--------------------
As of 8 p.m. the trailer is no longer being
shaken by the wind. Kim isn’t going to
attempt imaging tonight though. The
atmosphere is still a bit hazy and he’s feeling a bit tired from his late nights
and early wake ups. Getting only about five hours of sleep a night is catching
up with him.
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