We had about 10 miles to go before we would be entering New Mexico. Ten miles of mountainous roads. Ten miles of promised beautiful scenery and lots of signs for moose, deer and bears. We did not see any of those things.
It took us an HOUR to go those ten miles. After snapping the picture of the rainbow, we headed up the hill and a camper pulling a vehicle threw a rock at my windshield, thinking I didn't want to buy a new windshield after all we have recently replaced on the van, (but that is for another day), I moved over to pass. As I was side by side I got hit again, and again and noticed the "gravel" on the interstate..and as the rain became heavier, and the road became icy, we realized it was not rocks, but hail. I slowed down and pulled back behind the camper.
That would be piles of hail along the side of the road. Sweetness really can not stand loud noises, and before we got the the second mile and before the hail got bigger, louder and heavier, she passed out and slept until we got to New Mexico. Imagine listening to that for an hour, and this was before it got really bad.
Thinking that this is great fun.
The temperature dropped 40 degrees when we hit the cold front, and easily climbed back the 40 degrees once we were across the border.
Around mile 6 or 7 we turned on the radio to see if we could hear any specific weather reports. It was incredibly loud in the van, the hail was mostly pea - bean size hail, but there was a short period of marble size hail. The radio reported flash floods possible...well we had seen water running across the road in a couple of spots, in fact we could see how the water was washing out below the road next to us. Not exactly a comforting sight when on a mountain road. Radio also mentioned mud and rock slides possible...again, not what one wants to hear and a great motivator to keep moving and try and get out of there before the road washes away, or the mountain side comes down on top of you.
About a mile later, as I was descending a very steep incline on a very icy road I saw ahead something in the right lane and noticed that the truck a head of me went around it.
That would be a very large boulder, and several smaller ones that aren't pictured, littering the interstate. Again a motivator to get out of the area and not pull over and let the storm pass...seemed equally dangerous at the time. That boulder was going to require equipment to get moved off the road. If weather conditions had been better, I'm sure Eric would have gladly jumped out to do a size comparison, and while I think he was taller than the boulder, not by much.
Sweetness still sleeping and the other two having a great time playing roller coaster and squealing in delight. Mommy was not as appreciative of these extra and extra loud noises at this particular time as she may have been at another time.
Alternating plugging each ear to get some relief from the hail buckets dropping on the van.
NEW MEXICO IN SIGHT!
A very welcomed sight!
The only thing that could have made it better, another rainbow
What great conversation God gave us, oh and an opportunity to build character.
And two days later, once home, CJ's journal entry was this:
And two days later, once home, CJ's journal entry was this:
1 comment:
It is a beautiful rainbow! What a great memory for most of your children.
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