Kingsley and the Snowbirds travel south

We spent Saturday & Sunday running back and forth between the house and the coach with everything we thought we might need for two months on the road. The weather was so nice and unseasonably warm. Sunday night we moved Kingsley around to the street in front of the house so we might make an easy getaway Monday morning.

Monday, January 19th – We leave Edmonton
After all the last minute details, we departed at 10:30 am. The roads were dry, the sun shone and Kingsley seemed happy to be moving again. Alan drove right through to Nanton where we filled up the gas tanks @ 81.9/litre. I took over and drove to Lethbridge where we somehow managed to get on #5 instead of #4. Not sure how that happened but it only delayed us about 20 minutes before we got back on track. Alan took the wheel again and we crossed the border with no trouble. I called my cousin, Ann, to tell her what time we would be arriving in Conrad. Twenty minutes before we were to arrive we had a blowout of the 3rd tire on the passenger side! What a mess!! It was dark and around freezing and we were on the busy I-15 highway just south of Shelby. I called the triple A and they were there within an hour. Alan took the bikes and the bike rack off the back of the coach so he could get to the spare. He also had the jack ready. It was dark and we were just on the shoulder of the interstate…not too safe but, we had just bought a special LED light flare/flashlight the day before and it worked well. We arrived in Conrad at 8:00pm after also getting stuck in their back lane ½ a block from our destination. It was such a relief to be there. Ann had a beautiful meal ready for us and we felt so welcomed. We got all caught up with the family news over a bottle or two of wine and didn’t turn in ‘til after 1:00am. It was a very long day!

Tuesday, January 20th - Inauguration Day
Larry made a great breakfast and the four of us got comfortable to watch the big event on TV. It was a wonderful experience made even more special when shared with our American cousins. Ann & Larry each received engraved invitations to the inauguration ceremonies in Washington because of their volunteer work organizing the Obama campaign in their area. We are so glad we took the time to watch it live with them. After, Alan went out with Larry to find another tire to replace the spare. Fortunately, Larry knows everyone in Conrad so it didn’t take too long!
We left Conrad at 2:30pm and drove as far as Butte, MT traveling in the dark through the sometimes treacherous Red Rocks pass south of Helena arriving at 6:30pm. We stayed at the Walmart overnight. The generator enabled us to operate the furnace and the ceramic heater so within an hour it was toasty warm inside. We were the only RV people in the parking lot…..I wonder why! It went to 25F overnight but we slept well and stayed warm.

Wednesday, January 21st
We awoke at 7:00am, made a thermos of coffee and were on the road by 8:00….a nice early start. It is a beautiful day with sunshine, blue skies and dry pavement all the way. We crossed in to Idaho at 10:30am and then Utah at 2:30pm. The scenery is breathtaking and there is very little traffic on the divided highway. I took the wheel just before we came to Salt Lake City so had to cope with the rush hour traffic through that whole area….very nerve-wracking!! We made it to another Walmart, this time in Payson, after a 400 mile day. This great weather is supposed to stay with us for the next few days.


Thursday, January 22nd
We awoke to the sound of rain on the roof! Not a good thing as the temp outside was at freezing. It didn’t last too long but managed to leave a film of ice on the coach and the pavement. We were back on the road at 8:45am and the ice had dissipated quickly. We stopped to eat at noon when we realized that we sort of forgot about breakfast so were starved!
By 2:30pm it had warmed up with the sun coming through the clouds. The view keeps changing ….really beautiful rock formations and colours. Dramatically, it warmed up as we approached Mesquite so we stopped to change our clothes and put away the mitts. I shed my long underwear and put them away until the return trip (or maybe next winter). We drove as far as Henderson where we stayed the night. We now have the water system working so finally got dishes washed. Warm enough to sit outside before dinner. Tomorrow will be an easy trip to Quartzite, AZ.