Not to hijack the thread, but please be careful if you have to drive anywhere in this stuff. This time of year you really need to follow the old Boy Scout motto and "BE PREPARED" for anything.
As most of you know, I do a LOT of driving between Denver and Wyoming. Several mountain passes and lots of lonely stretches of highway where theres no cell phone signal. I always carry lots of survival gear in the truck, and I make sure the wife has much of the same gear in her car. Fleece and wool blankets, flashlight, 1rst aid kit, a couple of MRE's, knife, shovel, oil antifreeze and windshield fluid for the car. In my truck I also carry a sleeping bag and pad, tools, axe, 3 flashlights, small tire pump, extra parka skarf and gloves, fuel, tow strap, jumper cables, fire starter kit, flares & flare gun, and a few other neccesities. We also carry water but I don't normally keep it in the truck.
I've been real lucky so far. In all the thousands of miles I've racked up, I've only tapped the 1rst aid kit twice for minor cuts when boating, and the tools and flashlights came in handy on a cold night up in Casper. The tow strap, shovel and flares helped me to pull a couple of stranded girls in their sports car out of a ditch one cold snowy day. Other than that, most of the gear remains unused, but just having it lends a level of confidence in my travels.
One other thing I make sure to do, is to keep an eye on the weather, both TV forecast and phone calls to the state's DOT. Did you know that in every state, a simple call to 511 will get you straight to that state's DOT for road closure and conditions. I can call while I'm on the road to find out if the next stretch of hyw is closed, slick or if chain laws are in effect.
My best to all! Stay safe and warm. I'll be hitting the road again tonight.
_________________ Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
WWA'ers I've met: Popeye, Ed Avery, Stephen Wolf, Rockfish, Rodedon
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