We had to make a little trip across the state to provide transportation to a family member.

It was a little breezy when we left but the weather app said 20 degrees and partly sunny. Okay, that’s not cactus weather, but it will work. So we set off on our way.

We expected perhaps after we got out of town the wind would settle down a bit.

If anything, it grew worse. Drifts across the interstate lurked unseen to the sides of the cement walls on bridges like little “surprise!” presents waiting to be opened.

After plowing and hydro (ice) planing through one of these “surprises!”, contemplating becoming one with the ditch, we avoided the hammer lane where the “surprises!” were accumulating unless absolutely necessary. Nothing perks up your passengers or a dull ride like cries of “Oh @#(*!”. Try it sometime.

It got worse as we went, reminiscent of a relaxing vacation through the Mongolian Tundra.

The smudge you see is another vehicle’s back-end.

Visibility went to zero in some places. We kept waiting for it to get better but it didn’t.  We were treated to 4 hours of fairly steady and exciting whiteouts due to 50-60 mph winds and blowing snow.

Adding to the thrill was the occasional sound of something slamming from underneath Hhrbie and the shaking that would ensue. I had visions of front-end parts dangling uselessly while Hhrbie limped and pleaded, “Help me!”

Hhrbie has chrome ‘sport’ wheels. These look nice, but they’re not always so practical. The wind was so strong that it drove packed snow through the wheel, into the rim, which would periodically break loose in chunks and fling itself to the highway, leaving the wheels off balance.

Hhrbie made it though and so did we, he’s a good little trooper.

We drove slowly, ever alert for road-crossing Yeti that may have felt it was good weather for a jog.

*Had it been horribly icy or slippery, we would have stopped and found a motel. The road itself wasn’t in bad shape sans the drifts that collected by bridges in the hammer lane. We just mostly had visibility issues. We slowed way down where necessary and used fog lights, high beams and hazards.