Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Winter dress rehearsal

Roxy’s van, Studley, near Rocky Mountain National Park

Tuesday, record high temperatures in the Rockies turned into record September lows, delivering up to a foot of snow. There was snow in the Pacific Northwest as well. Hurricane-force winds in Utah sent trees crashing—one toppling my great-grandfather’s headstone, another almost damaging a niece’s house—and left thousands (including my sister) without power. We got the southern end of the freaky weather here in southwest New Mexico. Wind, thunderstorms, hail, rain and unseasonal chill.

Salt Lake City Cemetery

A niece’s house

No doubt, the cold, wet weather was a gift from Canada, which pitied our suffering from heat and firestorms. Thank you, my Canuck friends, even though the relief is only temporary.

Besides a break from the heat, the cold front offered us nomads the opportunity to evaluate our winter preparedness. Do we have adequate cold weather clothing and bedding? A good heat source? Can your tires handle sloppy roads? If not, there’s still time to take measures. Because, as we know from Game of Thrones, winter is coming.

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