Yes, We Have Migrated South for the Winter

I realize this is rather after the fact, however, I am confirming, that indeed, the Williamson/Reed household has migrated south for the winter.  Although Edmonton had not had any snow until the day before we left, the falling temperature and shortening days told us it was time to hit the road.

Benny and Rockie (in crate) ready to travel

With the vehicle loaded, and the dogs in their places, we started our three day migration on October 29. Unlike Edmonton, Calgary and southern Alberta had already had lots of snow. We stopped at the A&W in Claresholm, south of Calgary, for a late lunch.  We were in time to catch a number of old farmers in for their afternoon coffee.  One of the old boys said that with the previous night’s three inches of snow, he had already had just over 4 feet of the white stuff at his place since September.

On the road, south of Calgary

Despite some patches of snowy roads, our first day’s drive was uneventful. Our bikes now have to travel outside on the bike rack. Unlike last year, we didn’t plastic wrap them, so we were pleased that the mostly dry roads meant the bikes weren’t getting a lot of tire spray on them.

Vehicle shadow, with bikes on back

We spent the first night in Great Falls, Montana where it was bone chillingly cold. We stayed at the same dog friendly hotel we had the previous two years.  The dogs recognized the place and promptly walked through the front door and around the check-in counter to greet the attendant. Considering how cold and windy it was, I thought I’d take them out for a short walk.  Was I wrong.  They had to check out the entire property to see who had been there lately before they could empty everything that needed emptying. Finally, Benny’s feet started getting cold, so I scooped him up, and we got back inside where it was nice and warm. I mean, really, the purpose behind this migration is to avoid all this cold stuff!!!  A quick check of my weather app showed it was -13C in Great Falls while Edmonton was rather balmy in comparison at +1C. 

We started Day Two’s drive while it was still dark and very cold.  When the sun came up, it showed off beautiful blue skies.  There was lots of snow about, making the scenery quite pretty. We passed a huge herd of pronghorn (antelope), however, by the time I was able to get a photo taken, we had passed the main group.   You can see some of them in amongst the cattle in this image.  

We made our way into Utah, with the objective of getting through the greater Salt Lake City area before stopping for the night. With mountains on one side, and the Great Salt Lake on the other, there is only one major highway through the area that moves massive amounts of traffic … traffic that travels bumper to bumper at 60+mph.  Lucky us, we arrived in the middle of rush hour. Even with no delays, it takes close to two hours to get from Ogden on the north side to Provo on the south. We almost had our front end clipped five(!) times by traffic weavers. Needless to say, Sandy had a few choice words for those drivers!

There are eight traffic lanes here

We spent the night at a small hotel in Nephi, south of SLC, where we got the last dog-friendly room. Sandy checked us in and was happy to report she was given the family rate. Seems the attendant was also named Williamson, and was delighted to find a long lost relative. Though they weren’t really related, as far as either one of them could tell, she still put Sandy into the system as family, so we’ll always get a discount there. I guess that’s one way of building customer loyalty. While this “family reunion” was happening, I took the dogs out for their relief break. Hardly a relief to be out of the vehicle, as it was still bloody cold!   

Practically a heat wave in Edmonton!

We went to a nearby restaurant, recommended by Sandy’s new “relative.”  She advised us to show the server our hotel key card. Just like that, we got a 10% discount on our dinner. Wow, this town is saving us money everywhere we go! Not only that, but there was even reading material to enjoy while waiting for our meals to arrive. 

The morning of Day Three was still cold, but we were again met with a crystal blue sky and snow-free roads, so we didn’t complain too much. As always, it is beautiful to drive through the Virgin River Gorge, where I tend to take lots of photos. I think this image is different from others I have posted over the years, and gives one an idea of the depth of the gorge walls. 

Going through the gorge

We stopped for a break in Cedar City so Sandy could get a cup of tea. The tea shop was right next door to a very cool independent grocery store where we spent some time wandering the aisles while we stretched our legs a bit.  Grocery stores aren’t Sandy’s thing, and I might find them a little too interesting, but really, how can one find a produce display like this anything but attention grabbing?

Our next stop was in Las Vegas.  Usually we do some shopping in REI, the outdoor equipment store, but we both decided we didn’t really need anything. The dogs, however, got out for a relief break. As it was October 31, they wore their Hallowe’en t-shirts.

Just outside of Vegas, Sandy pulled over to check out these sculptures. The Seven Magic Mountains, over 30 feet tall, are a privately funded (to the tune of $3.5 million) public art installation, created with vividly painted massive limestone boulders, which has become a Vegas must see attraction.  As it was really windy, we just stopped for a quick photo.

Once back on the road, it wasn’t long before we got a weather alert on our iPhones.

What the heck???!!  

Benny found this news to be so upsetting, he got sick. Well, actually, he got sick on the exact same stretch of rolling hilly road that has done him in the last two times going home. Poor guy.  After a quick stop to clean things up and place my fire pit jacket in his bed for him to lay on, we carried on. To be honest, this time, those constant rolling hills were making my stomach queazy, too.

Benny after his eruption

This was the first trip down where it was too cold to get into our shorts for the Day Three drive. We actually had to wear long pants all the way to La Quinta! Fortunately, the day after we arrived, it was sunny and beautiful. 

Sandy enjoys her tea outside

The weekend after we got here, the golf course in our community hosted their annual welcome back party. Free food, live band, and an excellent fireworks display.

After a couple of days unpacking, settling in, and catching up with friends, we were ready to face winter.  I can't believe we have been here seven weeks, already. Now, I just have to keep the blog up to date!