When I was leaving Moberly last night I looked at the temperature and it was 41 degrees. This morning when I pulled into the loading dock the thermometer read 22 degrees, and it had warmed up considerably.
At one point while I was driving, it got down to 4 degrees. Boy am I glad I don't live here.....it is too cold for me. Nice enough to visit.....but wouldn't want to live here.....
I had my first brush with inclement weather last night. While I was heading north the temperature was dropping and the ground kept on getting wetter. When I got to Ottumwa, IA the highway was wet and it was 28 degrees. That got my attention. Wet roads and temperatures below freezing aren't ideal driving conditions. The further north I went the wetter the roads became. By the time I got to What Cheer, IA (yes there really is a quaint little town in Iowa named What Cheer. It was established in 1863) the ground and all the cars were snow covered. The roads were clear....just wet.... When I stopped on Highway 80 to fuel up,,,,the wetness in the parking lot wasn't just wet anymore....it was now frozen.....I even slid a little in the parking lot..... Then, as I kept on going further north, the roads got dryer and the snow went away.....it just kept on getting colder and colder....
Night driving observations.......a little light goes a long way when you get away from the major highways and towns....I was driving smaller highways last night. I would go for long stretches where the only lights you would see would be from the dusk to dawn lights near the farmers houses and barns. I t gets pretty dark out there as you go along. Then in the distance you will see an explosion of color. The colors are very close together. Then as you get closer it dawns on you what it is that you are looking at. You are about to go by a home where there is an abundance of Christmas spirit and Christmas lights. They will have every tree, bush and fence line covered with very bright little lights. It is beautiful. You can see them from quite a distance away. They show up so well because it is so dark and there aren't very many competing light sources. If you get a chance....take a ride in the country and take in the lights.....its worth the drive if you run into a home like the ones I saw last night.
Sunrise. As I was driving west this morning, I got to experience another sunrise. This time I got to experience it in my rear view mirrors. It was very interesting, watching the colors change behind me while still looking at a totally black sky in front of me. The colors reminded me of the drink called a Tequila Sunrise. A deep orange at the base of the horizon mixed with pinks and finally glowing yellow before fading into a pale blue that gave way to the darkness of the night sky. It was beautiful and strange at the same time. First I would be watching the road, staring into the tunnel of light cutting into the darkness, created by my headlights. Then I would check my mirrors on the left and the right to see the sunrise emerging behind me as I kept on trucking westward.........It is at times like these when I enjoy my new profession the most......OK....more night driving in an hour or so........talk to you later........Tom
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