Next day...

And woke up to snow!

However, the roads were fairly clear – and on this whole trip, traffic has been very light. The roads have also been very good in most places. However, driving through snow and ice is never fun.

Arriving at Rawlins, WY, we found a McDonalds right beside a Tractor Supply, and between the 2 of them, got good internet for Zooming with my Good News Kids’ club. When I ended at 6 p.m., the skies were friendly and there was no precipitation. We decided to proceed another hour or so before shutting down. We weren’t on the road ½ hour before the weather turned very nasty! Warning signs said the wind was up to 70+ mph gusts. It got dark and slippery.

Roger watched a semi jack-knife in front of him. The trailer did a 180 degree spin and all went into the ditch – but stayed upright facing the wrong direction. Everyone slowed greatly and put on their flashers. We were in a long truck line-up. Needless to say, we were grateful to pull into a truck stop and park for the night. The wind rocked the R.V. constantly, putting us to sleep!

Friday dawned clear and dry. No more snow, ice or even rain! Just the wind - and suddenly, it wasn’t as big a deal. However, with 70+ gusts, you keep both hands firmly on the wheel! We parked in Lincoln, NE, for the night.

ID to UT

The day started out pleasant – no sun, but no snow/blizzards! We stopped at Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in Nampa, ID, for a tour. Then we toured the Warhawk Air Museum around the corner from MAF. One of the best museums we’ve been to – well documented information, clean, organized. We recommend it!

Above: The remains of the airframe that was recovered  after the tragic martyrdom of the five missionary men in Ecuador in 1956.

Leaving there, we started climbing again and around 5 p.m. hit another blizzard. The snow was not accumulating on the road, so we pushed on into UT. Just inside the border is a town called Snowville. We pulled over there to find a church for a mid-week service, but there wasn’t one. I did find a post office to mail some cards. We found Calvary Baptist Church in Tremonton, UT, and joined a small Bible study. They allowed us to stay for the night – we went to sleep to the sound of rain...

High Dessert-Winter-R.V.-XXX

Tuesday was off to Bend, OR. However, we found snow and ice abounding on the road. We went through a blizzard – wild winds, white-outs, slippery roads, and 3 semis in the ditch. At our friends’ house – David and Betty Starr – friends of many years, we enjoyed coffee and coffee cake, along with reminiscing. They live next to a daughter, with another one a mile away, which is why they moved from WA.

Despite terrible weather and road conditions we made it to Ontario, OR, on the ID border, just after dark. Once we got over 4 mountain passes, up to 6,880 feet high, the weather moderated and we pushed on to 9 p.m. At Love’s, we got one of the last truck parking spots. By getting a membership with them, with their 10 cent discount, we bought gas for $3.29!

Off to the Far East…

We got a little late start, but not so late that we couldn’t stop at the Cle Elem bakery! One of our favorite spots! Cle Elem also has the cheapest gas around, so we tanked up. From there we had no problems driving to Yakima. On Snoqualmie Pass there was lots of snow beside the road, but the road was dry and clear.

It was good to meet with Jeff & Lynn Kiser - at the park where they were with 2 grandkids. We had some time to get caught up on life. From there we headed to the Columbia River. After crossing into OR, we found a quiet parking spot right on the river – just what I wanted!! We got parked fairly early, so put together a 500 piece puzzle.

Mar 2023 posts below part of the Fall 2022 trip!

Wyoming & the Ferris Wheel in Billings, MT

Driving north, we stopped for internet in Douglas, WY. The McDonald’s was very cooperative. While I was online, Roger went into the store. He was told about a free parking place in the town’s park. A severe storm blew in during the Zoom time, so we decided to spend the night there. Since the storm blew over quickly, we then did our laundry. The park was beside the river and it was a pleasant night.

The WY roads that we traversed are in great shape and their rest area had superb wifi!! The State is sparsely populated and we drove for hours with nothing but rolling hills and a few cows!

Friday morning we experienced a temperature inversion – a 50 degree drop!! Must have been the storm brought it in. Arriving in Billings, Roger talked me into riding the ferris wheel that is in Scheel’s. Amazing! It’s so big.

We spent the night in a truck stop in Columbus, MT. Saturday was a driving day and we arrived in Haugen for the night.

From there is one day to HOME!

Focus on the Family & R.V. Issues

Tuesday morning we were ready to visit Focus on the Family, which was the main reason we came to CO! As we drove down the last hill that takes us to them (Colorado Springs is built on hills), the R.V. brakes refused to cooperate. They shook the vehicle violently sideways and it felt like the whole R.V. was going to be shaken apart. We were both traumatized by that experience and knew we had to get it fixed before going anywhere else. So, that became our morning obsession – find a repair shop that could take it right in. In the meantime, our friends hadn’t heard from us, so they called. We explained what had happened and they met us for lunch at Smashburgers. It shares a parking lot with Focus, so we walked to lunch.

Les Schwab took on the R.V. work and allowed us to spend the night in their parking lot. The next day Grosenbach’s loaned us their car and we returned to Focus, since we hadn’t done any touring there. One thing I wanted was to eat at Whit’s End (of Adventures in Odyssey fame). I had a sundae & it was better than I thought possible!

The R.V. was ready mid-afternoon. We had a Mexican dinner with Doug and Becky, and then found a church to attend together (our friend’s church canceled that day). The pastor spoke on “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” using King Josiah and the people as his example. After ice cream, we said good-bye to our friends and spent another night at Les Schwab’s. (They offered their house, but we prefer our R.V.!!)

We had a tire alignment appointment for the next morning and got there first thing. But they couldn’t do it since there were other issues. Those issues we had to put on the back burner until we get home. Some major things need to be addressed!