CAPTAIN’S LOG - DAY 8
North Star Date: 12/4/2012
Location or Route: Edmonton, AB to Lethbridge, AB.
Travel Miles: 313 (2144 - Cumulative)
Weather Conditions: Clear skies and strong easterly winds initially, lessening through mid-route and strengthening out of the west at the end of the day.
Road Conditions: 3”-4” of snowfall two nights ago was blowing across the highway for the stretch from Edmonton to Red Deer, melting and refreezing on the sun-radiation warmed surfaces, and along with the high winds caused extremely hazardous driving conditions. Mostly bare and dry from Red Deer to Lethbridge.
Animals Observed: Cattle, and quite a number of Rush Hour Calgarians.
“Breaker one nine sweet child o’ mine, you got Superman here, c’mon?”
“C’mon back, you big handsome hack, you got the flower in a plain yellow wrapper, c’mon?”
“Yeah, that’s a big ten-four there Sunflower, well we better get this caravan onto Highway 2 and take it southbound to McCloud; from there it’s eastbound to that Trestle-Bridge town and another night on the shut-down, ten-four.”
We had wind in store on December four when we left that Edmonton town; from a little know joint, name o’ Sandy Point on the western belt go-around. I was running front door, not tired and sore, ‘cause we had our rest at the Embers, we were back on the road with our regular load and a banshee blowin’ cross-winders.
“Yer rig taking this wind ok Superman?”
“That’s a big ten-four Sunflower, it’s stuck to the road like glue. You’re little yellow angel might have more trouble; how’s that wind hitting you?”
“It takes a strong left arm, but don’t be alarmed, I’ll keep it pointed out straight. If we stay on task and don’t go too fast we’ll be there before it gets late.”
“Ten-four Sunflower”
By the time we got to that Stampede town, the wind had-a come on down, but now we had in sight, a new foe to fight, in the thick of those Calgary clowns. So for now I’m retired, and I don’t want re-hired, and I don’t need a rocking chair, it’s just me in the lead, on my worthy ol’ steed and the flower watchin’ out the back door, ten-four.
“Hey little flower, you okay back there? You wanna ride up front for a bit?”
“Negotory good buddy, ‘cause I’m feeling okay, I can stay right here all day. We got miles to go, so I’ll watch your back door, let trusty ol’ SAL show the way.”
11:27 AM (0F/-18C and -17F Wind Chill)
The wind was only about 15-20 knots at the RV Park near Edmonton, but as we got up onto the highway, we saw significant increases to maybe 30 or 35 knots of steady crosswinds right out of the east as we drove southbound. All the snow from two nights ago was blowing across the sun radiation warmed pavement, melting and refreezing, and drifting in places. It was very treacherous driving and there was quite a bit of traffic, now that we were back into the higher populated areas and on interstate-like highways.
There was a great deal of tractor-trailer traffic and of course cars and pickups of various kinds, each slowing down and speeding up for their various personal reasons. We saw several accidents where people had been blown off the road, or were driving too fast and had lost traction and ended up out in the barrow pits. There were at least two multiple vehicle accidents.
We stayed in the flow as much as possible and just fought our way through it. CW McCall makes for some good road music - but I didn’t dare listen to him, or to anybody else for that matter, as I wanted to devote all my concentration on driving and the traffic around me – and of course on taking snapshots.
3:17 PM (35F/2C)
We took an exit at Red Deer, south of Edmonton by a couple of hours, and fueled the vehicles, also refilling the propane tanks. Temperatures are above freezing; snow and ice is melting off the rigs and the roads. The wind has died down quite a bit too, but even though the road has improved, traffic is taking a very long time to spread out after so many miles of reduced speeds. Beethoven’s Symphonies performed by the London Symphony Orchestra makes for some good road music.
3:51 PM (42F/4C)
We’re north of Calgary and starting to see and smell lots of cattle. These are some of the sights and smells of our great plains that we have sorely missed over the past three years. Looking out over the vastness of this land reminds us of our beloved high-plains of eastern Wyoming. You cannot take a picture of this scene and get the right idea; you have to view it peripherally for it to make any sense: side to side, and top to bottom.
The temperature is rising rapidly; already up to 42F! This morning our Fairbanks friends were at -37F; that’s a shocking 80 degree temperature differential! May God have pity on your souls! We are not with you physically, but our hearts remain with you and our thoughts will never be far.
“Ruth, do you remember that guy I used to work with in Fairbanks?” Uhhh… what was his name?”
5:18 PM (45F/7C)
We hit Calgary at rush hour, eight lanes of 10-20 mph bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour. After getting through the metropolitan area I got on the phone with Bridgeview RV Park in Lethbridge and received self check-in instructions for when we arrive after business hours. SAL says we’re less than two hours away.
We stopped at one exit to use the camper facilities (gotta love a house on your back). We were standing out in the wind in long shirt sleeves and smelling the moist earth and melting snow and breathing in the fresh water-vapor infused atmosphere of a place that actually gets air-flow (that’s High Plains speak for wind).
7:11 PM (47F/8C)
We pulled into the Bridgeview RV Park just west of Lethbridge and picked a site. Setting up camp, we’re walking around in shirt sleeves; no gloves, no hats, no ear muffs. We’re not making well-coordinated mad dashes from one inside warm place to another. The snow and ice are gone from the trailer and vehicles. What’s left over is a filthy coat of two-thousand miles of road grime.
“Hey! Let’s warm up those last two meatball subs you made and have a nice little dinner in the camper.”
Day 8 Pics
