The winter of 2019 had a slow start in Montana with relatively warm temperatures in January (highs even in the 50’s!) but unfortunately took a dramatic turn for the worse and has been brutal ever since. Record cold and snow blanket the land all the way from Canada to Mexico. Just as I was ready to leave town the weather got even worse and I had to wait for nearly two weeks before a window of opportunity arose: two days of clear weather forecasted to the south and west of Billings would allow me to get through the worst of the mountains on decent roads. A massive snow storm has just hit the entire 1000 miles between Billings and Las Vegas with temperatures below zero and heavy snow but it has moved east. Under brilliant blue skies I set out, fingers crossed that I would get far enough south before the next big storm hit. The first stage takes me from Billings down to Las Vegas.
It’s 13 degrees as the Lunch Box heads west up I-90 under sunny skies. The snow-clad Absaroka Mountains pierce the blue sky to the south, the Crazy Mountains do the same to the north.
It’s a beautiful day for a drive but what you don’t see is that the wind has picked up. Driving the Lunch Box in high winds is not pleasant as the boxy shape is buffeted from side to side. At least the road is dry, if it were snow packed and icy I would have to stop and wait out the wind. Even so, streams of powdery snow waft across the pavement.
West of Livingston looms the first of the great passes through the Rocky Mountains, Bozeman Pass. Again, the road is dry so the climb is safe and provides dramatic views to the west.
Once through the town of Bozeman our path now turns south towards West Yellowstone and beyond into Idaho. This is probably going to be the most difficult stretch of road. It’s a narrow two-lane highway that hugs the Gallatin River through the mountains and out onto the flat plateau around West Yellowstone. The pictures show that the pavement is dry but reality is that a 30-mile stretch is snow-packed and icy. Slow going but really not too bad!
The low temperature in West Yellowstone was 35 degrees BELOW zero the night before I drive through. West Yellowstone is clothed in a heavy cloak of snow only halfway through winter.
I stop at the local McDonald’s for a cup of coffee and the Lunch Box is dwarfed by the pile of snow bordering the parking lot. (That’s a two story hotel in the back left!)
The road southwest out of West Yellowstone crosses the second major pass through the mountains onto the plains of Idaho. Though there is heavy snow all around, the highway is in good condition as we cross Targhee Pass, which is a relatively gentle path through the snow.
The wide open spaces of Idaho are perfect for snowmobiling, a major winter tourist activity in the region.
A rise in the highway allows me to see the snowmobile paths created by the machines as they glide through the snow.
Turnouts are packed with the trucks, trailers and snowmobiles.
The daggers of the Grand Teton Mountains reach into the sky to the east.
I reach the interstate (I-15) at Idaho Falls and give a sigh of relief. The worst should be past as I will be on I-15 all the way down through Utah to Las Vegas. But relief was a bit premature. Another major storm is moving in and I have to dash south to get through the last remaining set of mountains between Pocatello and Salt Lake City. Unfortunately I didn’t quite make it. As I leave Pocatello the canyon is shrouded in gray and snow begins to fall.
Fortunately I just caught the leading edge of the storm and after about 50 miles the snow lifts and the valley of the Great Salt Lake begins to unfold before me.
The Wasatch Mountains rise to the east as skies lighten and further on the central Salt Lake City skyline frames the view.
Once out of the Salt Lake City-Provo metroplex, the interstate threads through the rest of Utah, an arid land of sharp mountain ranges and broad valleys. The massive snow storm that I just missed by a couple of days has left a landscape is shrouded in white for nearly 50 miles.
The southwest corner of Utah is often warmer and dryer than the rest of the state but to get there one has to descend quickly through a jumbled landscape of mountains and valleys before emerging into the more open area around the town of St. George.
The last stretch of road before reaching the deserts around Las Vegas passes through a narrow canyon along the Virgin River. As I enter the canyon, a traffic message above is a remnant of the impact of the recent snows on passing drivers.
Finally we emerge from the Virgin River Canyon and flow onto the Mojave Desert around Mesquite.
About an hour later the spires of Las Vegas rise above the desert floor.
I pause in Las Vegas for a day to flush the anti-freeze out of the plumbing system, run some bleach through all the pipes to sterilize, and then fill the tanks with fresh water before heading out into the desert. The weather has warmed into the low 60’s with temps above freezing forecasted for lows so it’s safe. Let the adventure begin!
Next up: Hell
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