WINTER AND SPRING AT NOMAD’S REST

Picture an 18 wheeler on the freeway in a wind storm, being buffeted all over the highway.  That is me carrying a large backpack full of supplies and groceries, uphill, on snowshoes, with wind whipped snow in my face trying to make headway in a gale.  Just like that 18 wheeler, I am pushed back and forth until one gust spins me around and blows me over.  I was like a turtle stuck on its back!  I couldn’t roll over because of the soft deep snow and I had lost my pole.  My dog was dancing around me and I finally grabbed her and rolled over, found my pole and with much effort pulled myself upright, untangled my snow shoes and faced back into the wind.  That was a long walk home that day.

The first few years we lived here we had no tractor to plow the road so every time there was snow predicted we parked our vehicles out on the county road 2 miles from the house.  The county road didn’t always get plowed either as we were at the far tip of the county with only 3 families living out here.  We weren’t a priority.  Of course, even if it doesn’t snow many inches, the wind blows the snow into drifts which packs the roads in like cement.  There have been many times when we got out just fine in the mornings only to be stuck in drifts in the afternoon when we came back. One winter, the road out to the highway was packed in with drifts for months and we had to go the long way to town which took over an hour.  We didn’t go out much!!

Where I carried supplies in the backpack, Sky liked to pull a sled. One day, the sled got away from him and took off down the hill.  We were yelling for the sled to stay on the road, which it did for about 3 curves as the snow banks kept it in but it had picked up so much speed that at the next turn in flew off the top of the bank, down a steep hill and crashed into the trees.  Groceries went flying and milk is flying through the air from the burst boxes.  The worst part is that we had to slog through the deep snow down the hill, collect all the pieces, then haul everything back up that steep hill through the deep snow!!  If one thinks that snowshoes keep you on TOP of the snow think again.  They only keep you from sinking all the way to the bottom!!!  It is exhausting breaking trial in snow shoes especially up hill!!  Picture our steep driveway that I posted in last week’s blog.  🙂

Another time, I had to go out to a dog show and it was snowing and blowing like crazy and my car was parked out on the county road.  I put all my gear in a backpack, dressed for the weather, put coats on the 3 dogs and headed out.  Thank goodness I knew where I was going as I couldn’t see a thing with the snow blowing in my eyes, it was a complete whiteout.  I just followed my previous tracks in the snow and trudged on.  The dogs looked at me like I was crazy and the 2 girls raced ahead to where they could see the car parked and stood in the protection of the vehicle until I got there.  My sweet boy RJ stayed with me as he is always my protector.  Of course he tried hiding behind me so he didn’t have the snow blowing in his face!!  That was a long trip out.

Actually, winters are easy compared to Spring!  One still needs snowshoes but now the snow is sticky and balls up under the snowshoes and gets higher and higher as you walk.  You have to keep stopping to knock off the big snowballs under your feet.  It takes twice as long and twice as much work to go back and forth.  THEN, when you get to the road it is all mud.  Sometimes you have to put on chains to get through it and if you think it isn’t much fun putting chains on in below 0 weather in the snow, think how much fun it is to be lying on your back in the mud trying to attach chains!

The mud slings you all over the road but you have to keep moving or it is all over, much like quicksand!  Of course your car is always plastered with dirt and clods and then dries into cement so your car doesn’t run right and makes awful noises where the mud has interfered with it working properly.  We have had it build up so badly that you can’t even turn the wheel and need a sledge hammer to knock it off.    In Springtime, it is best to leave in the early morning when the road is still frozen and come back really late or stay overnight and come back early again.  Living here takes a lot of planning, no spur of the moment trips in the winter or spring!

Until next time be fearless in driving those snowy, muddy roads or walking that extra mile in the elements, it is an adventure!!