Climate Change

When I rested my weary head on my slightly scratchy Motel 6 pillow last night, it was about 52 degrees. So warm that I didn't even bother bringing a coat in the hotel with me. And then I woke up. Apparently Chicago isn't the only place where weather can change on a dime, because when it was time to let the dog do his business outside, it was -2 out, and that was before the windchill which must have been impressive because it was 40mph gusts. Great, and the forecast said snow was on the way.

I got ready quickly this a.m. and was back on 1-80 by 7:15 in order to avoid as much of the snow as possible and get as far as I could if I needed to stay the night somewhere else. It was pitch dark and blowing like crazy. These cornfields are crazy! And you should've seen these poor freezing cows just standing out there! I mean it was cold and they were just standing there with snow piling up on their backs! Anyway, about an hour in to my trip, the snow really started coming down along with the blowing. The driving conditions got so bad that I had to turn off today's book on tape (Kafka on the Shore) because concentrating on anything but the road in front of me was too much for me. The snow squalled and blew; pumping gas in it was a treat. It then slightly let up until I crossed into Colorado. And the snow really started to fly. No plows had been out yet, so it was just a one-lane road and white knuckles the whole way. By the time I got to Denver, there was about 8 unplowed inches on the road, but it finally stopped snowing.

It was time for a break. Gunther and I stopped to meet Jayne (my resident Colorado friend) and tour her condo in Denver. It was a cute place, except the toliet was clogged from some male houseguest the night before. And I hadn't pee'ed in about 6 hours and 3 coffees ago. So I attempted to plunge her toilet (good friend, eh?) but it didn't work. So I just pee'ed on top of the mess and shut the lid. Swell. Let's go to lunch, Jayne.

Jayne brought me to a cute brunch place nearby called Snooze or something like that. I left Gunther in the car since I was afraid he might chew up Jayne's condo. It was good comfort, Colorado food and of course, I had more coffee to amp me up for the rest of my drive up I-70 to Vail. In good weather, the drive should take an hour and a half. But this was not good weather. Reports said Vail and most of Summit County got a foot of powder in the last 12 hours, which is great for skiing, but bad for driving. But I took it slow though and made it Vail in a little over two hours.

I got a little lost finding Colleen's (and now my) condo because none of the roads are marked, but thankfully Colleen talked me in on the cell. Thank god there's reception up here! For those of you who don't know, I had never met Colleen. She is a friend of Jayne's who opened up her condo to me and the hound for the time. She's getting paid well, but still I had to wonder what was wrong with this girl. Good news: so far nothing! She seems laid back and cool although she's a ridiculous health food/organic/vitamin/tea freak. But I guess that's good. Maybe my big, cheese-loving thighs could learn something from her.

Colleen has a dog too, named Oso. Oso gave a few good growls and snaps at Gunther, so the two are being separated for now. I think that'll pass though. Colleen helped me haul in all my stuff, showed me the bus map and schedule and made me some hot tea (I got to choose between about 30 different kinds)! My room is nice enough, pretty plain which is good since the crate Gunther was supposed to stay in (Colleen had one) isn't big enough for him to turn around in. So I think I'm just going to lock him in the bedroom when I leave and hope for the best. If he opts to chew anything, it will only be my things anyway. At least I'd like to think he won't chew the dresser, the floor lamp or the bed, which is about all that's in here.

So that is the summary of day two's drive. It took a little longer than expected, but I'm here safe and sound in Vail and relaxing on a pretty comfy bed. I'm definitely going to bed early tonight to prepare for some first tracks at Vail's Blue Sky Basin. It was closed today for avalanch dynamiting, which means all that fresh powder will be waiting for me tomorrow morning!