Baby, It's Cold In Wyoming!

The 2016 rodeo season is quickly approaching and our New Year's Resolution is to improve on horsepower for the upcoming season.  Our second family, The Martin's (from Evanston, WY), offered Ace an opportunity that we are truly grateful for.  AC Martin's great horse, Ripple, is going to get to spend the winter with us and just may be the New Year's Resolution that we are seeking.  However, we must first rescue Ripple from the Wyoming cold, in order to get him to his first South Texas winter.  Herein lies the story of our voyage...

On Tuesday, December the 15th, I left work at noon and headed home to pack our bags for our Wyoming trip.  We threw in some ski gear, in case we got a wild hair to go skiing on our way home.  Plenty of clothes and extra blankets were packed, because we knew that inclement weather would be inevitable.  Our living quarters trailer is undergoing a little construction, to get it ready for our summer rodeo travels, so we loaded down Tod’s stock trailer for the journey.  We are taking a young horse of ours, Frosty, to the Martin’s for the kids to ride.  Around 5 pm, we finally got on Highway 183 and headed north.

Ace’s parents were on their way home from the NFR in Vegas, where Slone Saddles has a booth at the Sands Expo Center every year during the finals.  As they were on their way home and we were on our way out of town, our paths crossed perfectly to meet for dinner at Los Cucos in Seguin, TX.  We had a quick visit and dinner and kept on our path.  Since we got a bit of a late start, we decided to at least get past San Antonio for the night.  Ace’s aunt and uncle, Julie and Jason McCartney, live in Boerne and made their home ours for the night.  After a full night’s sleep, we would continue on our excursion.  

On the sixteenth of December, we ordered breakfast tacos at Mague’s in Boerne and got on the road.  Our route brought us to Sweetwater, TX at lunchtime.  We pulled the rig into Miss Allen’s family style restaurant to fill our appetites.  I had never been to a family style restaurant before and didn’t know what to expect.  We sat down at a table with four strangers.  Fried chicken, squash, potatoes, collard greens, and many other side dishes were brought to the table.  We passed around the food, filled our plates, and made conversation with our lunch companions.  Usually Ace makes me drive after lunch, but I guess he was still in the driving mood and repositioned himself behind the wheel.  About an hour after lunch, we stopped to let Frosty out to stretch his legs at an arena in Post, TX.  Ace and I ran the bleachers at the arena  to stretch our legs and get our hearts pumping.  Frosty and I had a quick grooming and bonding session before we got back on the road. 

We drove several more hours and had been debating on where our travels would end for the night.  During the summer rodeo run, we are usually always in a time crunch trying to make it from one rodeo to the next.  Since we aren’t really pressed for time during this trip, we decided we wouldn’t make our travels more stressful than they needed to be.   We stopped in Dumas, TX and got a $5 Little Cesar’s pizza for dinner and saw the first accumulations of snow along the ditches.  

Lamar, CO would be our destination for the night, since we knew where the arena was and could turn out Frosty for the night.  While Ace drove, I researched cheap motels in Lamar and made a reservation at the Blue Spruce.  We were skeptical about booking a $55 room for the night, but agreed that it was just a place to get some rest so that we didn’t grow to weary.  Ace got us to Oklahoma and I took the last shift to Lamar, CO.  We arrived at the arena, put a blanket on Frosty, and got him situated for the night before heading to the Blue Spruce to situate ourselves.  

We were greeted at the Blue Spruce motel by the sweetest little old lady.  On Thursday morning, we woke up to a fresh coat of snow on the ground.  After checking out of the motel, we went to pick up Frosty from the arena.   How fitting his name is for this chilly trip!  Luckily, we brought two horse blankets for our trip, so we put a warm, dry blanket on Frosty before loading him in the trailer.

We got a quick breakfast at Daylight Donuts and kept on our way.  We ordered sausage rolls, doughnuts, and two large coffees.  The sausage rolls were not the conventional sausage rolls were are used to in Texas.  Ace took one bite and told me that I couldn’t have one – they were THAT GOOD!  It was two sausage links and cheese – wrapped in dough – and fried!  Needless to say, I will try recreating these bad boys as soon as we get home!  

We set the GPS on our phones and figured that we could make it to Evanston by nightfall.  We checked the radar and the road conditions and thought we were in the clear for any winter weather.  Shortly after we got on I-80 Westbound, we stopped to fuel up and got back on the interstate.  Ace recently shot a deer with his bow, so we were loaded down with dried sausage and buck sticks to snack on.  We figured we shouldn’t stop for lunch and just kept moving.  

Shortly after we went through Laramie, WY, we entered into some weather conditions that neither of us were quite prepared for.   Snow had recently fallen and we were greeted with an uproar of wind. 

The caution signs were alerting us that there was a wreck ahead and to be prepared to stop.  We were stuck on I-80 for about 4 hours and had barely covered any ground.  When we were moving, we were either idling or going less than 5 mph.  State Troopers and tow trucks had driven ahead of us, so we knew there was something terrible up ahead.  Ace was tired and we were both so thirsty, so once the traffic on the interstate came to a halt Ace decided it was time for me to drive.  He ran to our Yeti in the bed of the truck to get some bottled water and I hopped into the driver seat.  We decided that we would try to make it to Rawlins, WY and would stay the night there.  With the way traffic was moving, we weren’t even sure we would make it to Rawlins by daylight on Friday.

I kept idling along the interstate and we FaceTime called our families to let them know what kind of weather we were in.  Once we made it to all the flashing lights, the cops were making everyone exit and head back towards Laramie.  The exit ramp and access roads were home to many 18 wheelers that night.  After exiting, we saw the flashing lights notifying us that I-80 was shutdown.  There were many cars piled up and tangled due to the slick roadways.  We were thankful that we weren't involved and prayerful for the individuals that were.  

Laramie was the opposite direction of our destination and we really didn’t want to drive anymore in the windy, snowy conditions.  It wasn’t actually snowing on us, but the snow that had recently fallen was being lifted by the wind creating blizzard-like conditions. 

A state trooper parked on the exit ramp was directing traffic back to Laramie.  We told him that we were going to try to park, since we didn’t want to travel in the opposite direction.  We drove about half a mile down the road and found a place to turn around.  The lot that we turned around in was a yard for the Wyoming Department of Transportation in Arlington.  After getting the rig turned around, we decided to park alongside one of their buildings.  It blocked the wind from the rig and we figured it was our safest spot for the night.  There were a few houses across the street and workers were constantly coming into the yard to get more fuel for the snowplows.   

Our truck had been giving us notifications that there was water in the fuel, which was very concerning to us.  Being from South Texas, we didn't know about winterizing our fuel and it almost cost us.  We had a pretty full tank and our reserve fuel tank was full.  Since the fuel was gelling, we were praying that the truck would stay running all night to keep us warm.  Frosty was given extra hay and a bucket full of snow, since our water tank was frozen.    

It was basically a horse slushy!

Thankfully, we packed extra blankets and pillows because our hotel for the night would be Whitey Ford.  I got situated in the passenger seat and Ace laid out in the backseat.  The state trooper that we met earlier at the exit ramp approached our truck to make sure that we would be okay for the night.  We assured him we would be okay, and thanked him for checking on us. 

I say that we woke up on Friday morning, but I’m not even sure that either of us got any sleep.  The wind was blasting snow across the parking lot and rocked the truck all night.  Ace moved to the front seat and let me stretch out in the back for a bit.  Despite I-80 still being closed to traffic, Ace made an executive decision and decided that we needed to get the truck moving.  We drove about 15 miles down WY-13 to Rock River.  We skipped lunch and didn't have an opportunity at dinner the night before, so we were both famished and couldn’t eat another buck stick!  We found a little café, the Longhorn Restaurant, and needed a good meal after the night we just had.  

Talk about an ice-cold Pepsi!  (The image above is not the Longhorn Restaurant... I just thought it made a cool picture!)

We ordered coffee and our meals and were thankful for making it a little way down the road.  But mostly thankful for fresh, hot coffee to soothe our frozen bodies and exhausted minds!   

I got up to use the restroom when a man at a table near the door said, “I’m glad to see that you guys made it this far...”  Low and behold – it was the friendly state trooper from the night before!  He gave us permission to drive on a closed road from Rock River to Medicine Bow and told us that if we could make it to I-80 from there, that the interstate was drivable from that point to Evanston.  Thank you, Trooper Aaron Kirlin!  You were our angel the night before and got us on our way to Evanston!

When we made it to Medicine Bow, we stopped to get Winterizer for the fuel.  We drove past a road closure sign, but knew that Trooper Kirlin had our backs.  The roads were icy, but we felt comfortable since we were one of the only vehicles on the road.  Along the roadside, we saw several huge herds of antelope and elk.  Normally, this is such a beautiful site to Ace but the snowcapped hills made this a magical site even for myself. 

Isn't this a majestic site?  This image has absolutely no editing - it is amazing simply as it was to the naked eye!

After a few hours of driving on I-80, in very good conditions compared to the night before, we finally made it to our destination.  The Martin Ranch entrance never looked so good to weary eyes!   

As soon as we arrived, Ace unloaded Frosty and got him situated in the barn.  I headed straight for a hot shower.   Ace went to the indoor arena and roped with the Martin kids.  After my shower, I put on some heavy winter clothes and headed outside with Oaklynn and Kash to play in the snow.  Oaklynn is a quick one and left a cute selfie on my phone while I was getting geared up to go outside.  

Silly girl!

Montana, Range, and Ridge took us rabbit hunting later that evening.  While we were driving around the ranch, we saw many rabbits and quite a few deer.  The wildlife in Wyoming is absolutely astonishing!  Once the clock hit 9:00 pm, Ace and I decided it was way past our bedtime and called it a night. 

On Saturday morning, everyone woke up and we all found ourselves gathered around the fireplace.

Sitting by the fire and looking out the windows at the snow was one of the most peaceful moments.  We truly needed a moment like this after being stranded in the snowstorm.  While glancing out the window, it reminded me of a bible verse that was fitting for the moment.  Ecclesiastes 3:1, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens..."  As we were stranded in the storm, we were wishing that the weather were different.  But on this frosty, Saturday morning, we had never seen a site so mesmerizing. 

Ace went with Justin Martin and the kids into town for a quick morning errand.  When they returned, I hopped in the truck and we drove around looking at elk.  One of Ace’s all-time favorite things to do is look at game camera pictures that he captures.  This time, we got to see the elk from close up and got some awesome pictures of our own – in real-time!

           

We headed back to the house and it was soon time for morning chores.  The cattle and horses needed to be fed.  Ace and I put on heavier winter attire and tagged along to get it on the action.  As Justin called it, “doing dude ranch stuff!”   

We rode on the trailer full of hay and dashed through the snowy pasture.  

Ace quickly ran out of breath while he was pitchforking hay off the trailer to feed the cows…… He claims it was the elevation change, which I can’t debate because the elevation gets to me too! 

While getting the second load of hay, Ridge and Mecarti decided that we should have a snowball fight and play tag.  So, that is what we did!

I had on rain boots, which are not insulated.  We don’t have much need for insulation down in South Texas.  Needless to say, I thought I was going to lose my toes.  I had to chicken out and sit in the truck to let them thaw out! 

After feeding the cattle, Ace and I headed into town for a little maintenance on Whitey Ford.  We had a few alerts that were still popping up since we didn't know much about fuel additives that were necessary in winter conditions (water in fuel and reduced engine power – but really no need to worry, right?). 

After we picked the truck up, we stopped at Bear River Greenway on the way into town.  The pond was frozen and they had the snow cleared for a skating rink.  We figured this may be our first and only time for a while to skate on an actual outdoor frozen pond – so we stepped onto the pond with our boots on!  The ice was beautiful, but extremely slick!  

After our short skating escapade, we headed back to the Martin Ranch and packed up our belongings.  We had been looking at the weather forecast and decided that we had to get some traveling behind us on Saturday, because snow was expected on Sunday morning.  Before we left, Ace joined Justin and the Martin kids for a quick roping session in the indoor arena.   Have I mentioned how awesome it is to have an indoor arena during the winter months?!   Range saddled up Frosty and both Ace and Range did a little roping on him.   

We left Frosty at the ranch and got Ripple ready to head down to South Texas with us.  After loading everything, we said our goodbyes.  It was a quick trip, but any amount of time spent with the Martin Family is always a good time!  We are always grateful for their hospitality, but mostly grateful for their friendship and the opportunity that they have placed in our trailer.

Ripple belongs to Justin and Lindie’s oldest son, AC, who is currently serving his Mission in the state of Washington.  AC, being the awesome guy that he is, had offered to let Ace ride Ripple for a little while.  We are extremely thankful for the opportunity!   

We got on the road around 6 pm and Laramie was our destination for the night because we knew the fairgrounds and knew they had a barn with stalls.  We arrived around midnight and got Ripple situated.  On our drive, we decided to splurge on a hotel for the night.  Using the Priceline app, we booked a room at the Holiday Inn and knew we were in for a great stay!   

We slept in late on Sunday and ordered room service for breakfast. 

We had the perfect breakfast date and had a relaxing morning before hitting the road homeward bound.   Driving conditions were good on Sunday and we made it to Amarillo, TX around midnight.  The Big Texan Motel was our home for the night and Ripple got to stay in the Horse Hotel. 

We are just a few hours from home and are so glad to be with our families for the Christmas Holidays! We are excited for 2016 and can't wait to witness the "Ripple Effect!"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!