Lusk, WY

We had a very pleasant trip from Sioux City across Nebraska on US 20, which was essentially empty of traffic. The road was dry at first, then it started to very lightly snow, but that did not affect driving. That was pretty much the case until we got to far western Nebraska, about 3:30p.m. or so, and then it got snowier and the road surface was wet and the temp. around 30 degrees. It wasn't black ice yet but it was getting worse as we went along into Wyoming. By the time we got to Lusk, WY, which is about 22 miles from the Nebraska line, it was getting pretty iffy. It was much earlier than we normally stop - about 4:30 - but it could only get worse ahead. If the road had been dry we would certainly have gone on at least to Douglas, and maybe even Casper. But we decided to stop at the Town House Motel in Lusk, where we have stayed before. A good rate too - $54 inc. tax. But no breakfast. About average.

On the road, I read aloud from Elaine Pagels' Why Religion? for quite a stretch - a particularly harrowing section which included the death of her 6-year-old son, Mark, due to pulmonary hypertension, and then just a year later the totally unexpected death of her husband, Heinz, caused by a fall in Colorado when a trail collapsed and he fell over 1000 feet. This was hard reading, but she is very honest in relating these shocks and particularly honest in her description of how others responded to them. A virtual handbook of how not to respond!

We also listened to the remaining lectures in the presidential power series - dealing with the power to pardon, for example. It was a very interesting series, and very timely.

A bonus from our decision to stop - I discovered that the Tar Heels were just starting a game against Virginia Tech on ESPN. The two teams are evenly matched - ranked 10th and 11th nationally - but UNC just won by 21 points. Exactly the margin they lost by to Louisville just a couple of weeks ago!

Tomorrow is uncertain. When will the snow stop, how windy will it be, how much blowing snow, how bad will the roads be? We have to go over the mountains. We'll consult Wyoming DOT map before setting out. Hoping we can make it to Alpine by evening.

Wyoming DOT road cam at Casper, WY this evening