Monday, April 7…Home Again (Michael Kiwanuka)

 

Rough night last night. I could not get to sleep. Most nights my head hits the pillow and I’m out. Not last night. And it wasn’t that my brain was busy trying to solve all the problems of the world or that I was mentally rehashing every stupid thing I’d done in the past 10 years. I just couldn’t fall asleep. I eventually did but I woke up this morning knowing that my head would be nodding as we drove.  I was right about that, and when it happened, I missed a crucial part of the Harry Bosch book.  After we finished it, I went back and listened to chapters 42 & 43 with earbuds so I could fill in the missing action.

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   Today was the last leg of the trip and we were just anxious to get it done. No Roadside America side trips this time. Before the ice storm, we had thought we’d be home by Saturday, which would have given us a couple of days to ease back into life. Because of the ice storm, we didn’t leave until Friday, which doesn’t give us any time to let our bodies adjust to the time changes of the last couple of days.  Have to hit the ground running tomorrow.

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   Today we had wind again…all the way home. The truck kicked off the cruise several times today because of the swaying. It was the Kansas kind of wind that makes me involuntarily twitch and brace myself as it tries to push us off the road. While it stretched what was supposed to be a six hour trip into nine hours, I’m so very grateful for a safe trip home.

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   I was so absorbed in listening to the book today that I missed the Pure Michigan sign. Wasn’t even aware where we were.  Luckily, there’s a rest area whose access loops around and I got another shot at taking a picture of the sign.  On a day where the main purpose is getting home, there’s not a lot of picture opportunities.

   Therefore, the Pure Michigan sign is important.

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   Turned onto Barnard Road about 5:45 p.m.  I was a little apprehensive about what we’d encounter as far as the aftermath of the ice storm was concerned. Devastation, destruction, chaos…these words and more had been used to describe what area. But they were also spoken or written by people who had

experienced the trauma of the past ten days. We didn’t…we certainly knew what was happening but that’s not the same as living through it.  We returned after the fact. The power is back on, the ice has melted, and the trees have been removed from the road. Except for the tops of trees and limbs being broken off and tree debris lining the ditches, life looked fairly normal when we rolled in. Of course, tonight we saw only a small snippet of the area affected but I was duly impressed with the cleanup efforts.  

   The ‘picture tree’ in the front yard will never be the same, but it survived. There are limbs that need tobe cut off, but the base of the tree is still there.  Grandkiddos will still be able to compete for the highest spot in the split trunk when it’s time for family pictures. The other white birch in the yard is in about the same condition…broken but salvageable.  As soon as the chill is out of the air, we’ll have to start clearing the debris.            

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   It’s great to get away but it sure is good to get home. I’m looking forward to getting back into our life. 

Sunday, April 6…Computer Age (Neil Young)

 Because of the stress of driving through the snow and wind yesterday, we stopped earlier than we normally would have; we both needed a break from the road. Today we were up at 7 a.m. and on the road by 7:30. Had thirty-five miles in the rearview mirror by 8 a.m. 

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   Last night, Kim went into the camper to get his coffee maker, so he could have a “good cup of coffee” in the hotel room.  It was stowed in the truck this morning.  When we stopped at a rest area, he grabbed the Jackery (electric power source) out of the camper and used the tailgate as a table to make a cup of coffee. Quick, efficient and he knows it’ll be good. Gas station and restaurant coffee is always a gamble in the taste department. 

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   Our route to Arizona typically takes us through Kansas; the exact route through the state may vary from year to year but we’ve discovered it’s always windy. Yesterday, from my perspective in the passenger seat, the wind was trying to knock us off the road. Today, it seemed much kinder. I was very thankful for that and I’m guessing Kim was also as he didn’t have to see my involuntary reactions to the movement of the truck/camper in his peripheral vision.  Less wind equals less stress for both of us.

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   Signs of spring were appearing by the time we left Arizona: cactuses were blooming, palo verde trees were greening up and the wildflowers had finally appeared. Subtle but noticeable. 

   Spring has also sprung in Kansas and Missouri, but the colors are much more vibrant. Leaves on the trees, flowering bushes of various types, and rich black soil in the fields. Dandelions and daffodils added a splash of yellow. I like the muted colors of the desert, but the colors of a Midwest Spring are the best!

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   Picacho to Charlevoix is a little over 2,000 miles; we typically figure it’ll take us four big days of driving.  Since we didn’t make our goal of 500 miles yesterday because of the weather, Kim was determined to make up for it today.  We were on the road today for 13 hours and he exceeded all expectations by putting 690 miles behind us. That’s right, 690 miles! That leaves roughly 420 miles for tomorrow, which Rapunzel says should take about 6 ½ hours.  Sounds doable. 

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   In Illinois, there are hundreds to thousands of acres of farmland along US 55. These fields extend to the horizon on both sides of the highway for miles.  Too soon to tell what the crops might be; but the expanse of tilled rows speaks of a lot of hours spent on a tractor. I was feeling sorry for the farmers but then I wondered about the possibility of self-driving tractors. I know computer technology is already being used in farming, but is an autonomous tractor really possible? I asked Google and, while I won’t pretend to understand all the technical jargon, the basic answer is yes, there are self-driven tractors. And I doubt George Jetson would be surprised by that.

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   We finished listening to The Concrete Blonde this morning. As usual we both had the guilty party figured wrong. Started listening to The Last Coyote, which is the fourth Harry Bosch book and we’ll finish that one tomorrow. Audio books have proven to be a good way to pass the hours spent driving, especially on a long day like today. I mean, I’m capable of keeping up a good stream of chatter but 13 hours’ worth would have been annoying to both of us.

Saturday, April 5…Catch The Wind (Donovan)

Our mindset when we left Arizona was that we’d sleep in the camper if the weather/temperature allowed for it…why not save a little money.  But Friday wasn’t a hot day to begin with and the temperature dropped as we climbed elevation in New Mexico. Not the best conditions for sleeping in an unheated camper. Also, we’d have to drive right up to the point of going to sleep because the camper isn’t set up as a spot to hang out with the bikes in it.

   As we tucked ourselves into a warm bed in a room with heat, it was time to say, ”Oh, yeah, good decision.”

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   I’m typically the navigator on our trips which means I pick the route. Today, I was trying to find the best way to get us through the big blue cloud on the weather radar screen. Decided to stay on US 54 north of Tucumcari, heading for Dalhart, TX, instead of taking I-40 across the Texas Panhandle. That seemed to be the quickest route to get into clear weather. So, once I got Rapunzel on the right track, we were good to go.

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   There was a little snow when we woke up this morning. Nothing bad, though; in fact, it wasn’t even sticking to the ground, only on the vehicles. Cleared the windshield and mirrors and started east on I-40, heading to Tucumcari, NM, which was 47 miles away.  After about three minutes, Kim said, “Should we be concerned that we’re the only ones on the road?”  I looked up and noticed that yes, we were the only vehicle in sight.  Hmmm…

   The snow was still in the flurry stage when traffic in the westbound lanes picked up a bit. More traffic was encouraging; but there wasn’t much eastbound traffic. Kim was proceeding cautiously because of the wind, which increased the chance of ice forming on the road surface. Snowfall picked up and

started to accumulate in the eastbound lanes, which slowed us down more. Couldn’t see what condition the westbound lanes were in but eventually saw why there was no little to no traffic coming at us…traffic was stopped! Two lanes of traffic stopped. Eventually saw a westbound semi in the median, with the path it made as it left the road still visible…not exactly a welcome sight and I’m sure one of the reasons for the stoppage.

   Meanwhile, the conditions in our lane were quickly turning to shit. Snow turned to slush and visibility was compromised…or maybe that was just my side of the windshield. Anyway, it was a very tense and quiet ride for what seemed like hours but, in reality, was probably only 20 minutes.  Wind and slush are not a fun combination. There were no exits nor did stopping in the road seem prudent, so we kept on going…slowly.  

   Then maybe 10 miles down the road, the snow lightened up and the road surface was no longer slushy. By no means were we on easy street but at least, we could breathe normally again. The drive to Tucumcari was a little less tense from that point forward.

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   Kim did a masterful job of guiding us through the mess and I did my best not to whimper.  And believe me, the struggle was real. 

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   Drove into Tucumcari for an early lunch at the Pow Wow Restaurant, the place with important people painted on the wall by the booths. It’s closed…and apparently has been for over a year. That was disappointing. I don’t know why it closed but I read that an American Legion Post will be taking over the building after some outside cosmetic work is completed. Dinner nights and monthly dances are being planned.

   Tucumcari looked like a ghost town. Maybe the dreary weather had something to do with that, but the number of buildings closed or falling into disrepair on this section of Historic Rt. 66 is sad.  On the plus side, the grocery store is still going strong, and, for such a little town, there seems to be a strong demand for cannabis based on the number of dispensaries.

   We did find a place to eat which gave us an opportunity to take a break from the stress of the last 40 miles and for me to change from my shorts to jeans.  Forgot to bring my jeans in from the truck last night, so I left the hotel this morning wearing shorts. Temperatures are supposed to rise after this storm system passes through, so tomorrow I’ll be keeping my shorts nearby, just in case.

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    As we headed north on US 54 after lunch, the road surface cleared up, except for a couple of openspots where the wind blew snow across the road. Less than thirty miles out of Tucumcari, the snow was gone, totally gone. Yes!! We’d managed to hit the gap in the big blue cloud on the radar.  But then we had major wind to contend with. Argh!

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   The wind through Texas, Oklahoma, into Kansas was crazy! After the craziness of the snow this morning, I would have preferred a smooth ride the rest of the way home. With every gust that threatened to push us out of our lane, I found myself clutching the door handle and leaning. It was an involuntary response…I was either trying to prevent us from falling over or bracing myself for the big tip over. Not a relaxing afternoon, for sure.       

   Here’s something I learned this afternoon: the truck’s cruise control will automatically turn off if a sensor detects too much swaying.  It kicked off at least once today.

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   We’re in Pratt, Kansas, for the night.  Didn’t make quite as many miles as we’d anticipated due to snow and wind. If we’re going to make our goal of getting home on Monday, we need to get on the road early tomorrow…and hope there’s no snowstorms along the way.