On Jan. 29th we left Needles, California for home. We got up early and arrived at Las Vegas at about 10AM and breezed through without any delays. We had lunch at Mesquite, Nevada at about 1 PM and said goodbye to the warm weather and the palm trees. It was 60 degrees and sunshine. After lunch we made ready for a long marathon run up Utah, all 400 miles of it. The roads are excellent so we kept going and going until about 11PM. We stopped at a casino on the Fort Hall Indian Reserve just past Pocatello, Idaho and asked permission to camp. The temperature was just a little below freezing. I started the generator and started the furnace and put on the electric space heater. Within an hour the trailer was at 70 F. We both had a good night sleep.
On Jan. 30th we left Fort Hall at about 8AM after having the last breakfast in the trailer. We had about 100 miles left in Idaho then up 394 miles of Montana. We had great roads until Great Falls, Montana. We traveled on ice or ice and wet until Shelby, Montana, then the cross wind started to become a factor. We crossed the border into Canada just after 6 PM and had to stop. The truck and 5th wheel could not stay on the road. We found a room at Milk River, Alberta at about 7 PM and called it a night.
On Jan. 31st we left Milk River at 9 PM for home. We left late to allow the salt trucks to fix the highway. We drove on ice and salted ice for about a half an hour and the roads changed to dry and we arrived near Calgary near noon. Then driving through Calgary the snow started and by the time we reached the north end of Calgary the roads are wet and starting to ice. We kept on driving and driving. The cross wind got stronger and stronger. Just before Red Deer we had the 4 way flashers on, doing 55 km/hr and having real trouble keeping the truck and 5th wheel on the road. The wind was pushing us off the very icy roads. We stopped at Red Deer at 3:30 PM exhausted.
On Feb. 1 we left Red Deer at 10 AM giving the road crews time to fix the roads. The temperature was -17 C. , the sun is shining and the wind is low. We travelled at 60-80km/hr. on the icy roads then we started down highway 16 past Edmonton. The roads became dry and clear of snow and we made good time all the way to St.Walburg.
Teri counted 14 semi's in the ditch, 1 5th wheel in the ditch and hundreds of vehicle in the ditch, upside down, sideways and mainly upright. The last vehicle in the ditch was an hour west of Lloydminster.
We arrived in St.Walburg at 5:30 PM. The trailer was unloaded, the truck and trailer washed and unhooked at 8 PM. We are home just 1 day late.
On Thursday Feb. 8th we leave for Cuba for one week.
PS. Sorry there are no pictures, I had 2 hands on the wheel and Teri had her hands embedded in the seat.
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