They Left the Light On!

It was a debate as to whether I should leave today or wait until tomorrow for better road conditions.  We had to cancel our trip to Billings, MT yesterday due to hazardous road conditions from snow, freezing rain and blowing winds. None of us really wanted to drive into snow nor over some of the passes between Billings and Broadus that were already snow compacted from previous snows. 

As it was the roads were snow compacted and icier than I really preferred but what made me really pause and wonder if I wanted to continue driving was meeting the snow plow only a mile or two out of Broadus.  After my 'adventure' with one on the way to Montana it was more than a little ironic that I would encounter a snow plow almost right away.  But fortunately this plow was going the opposite direction than I was so I wouldn't have to follow it worrying about a snow cloud engulfing me so I continued on my way.

I traveled slowly for a good 60 miles barely reaching 45 mph but I'm sure I was being a little overly cautious but it did allow me to pay closer attention to the scenery and wildlife as I went.  I spied several bald eagles and was able to stop quick enough to get a couple of pictures of one.  It isn't an awesome picture but one can see how bright and blue the skies were today.  Someday I'll capture that one picture of a bald eagle in the wild that will be breathtaking (at least for me)!

A great variety of wildlife were out enjoying the gorgeous day and I spied a herd of antelope amidst round hay bales in a field.  The bales are about 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide so the pronghorn antelope you can see are small creatures.

It is now getting late into the evening and actually past midnight as I sit next to the heater in my Motel 6 room in Mitchell, South Dakota.  It is below 0 degrees F with the wind chills and I am missing the more moderate temps of Montana already and, more importantly, my brother and his family.

I stayed at a Motel 6 in Wall, South Dakota on the way out to Montana & spied one coming back when I had begun to tire of the long drive between Montana and home.  Nothing all that special about the motel but I did find it quite ironic and a bit humorous that I was assigned room 104 without specifically requesting a specific room both times now.  Makes one wonder if the number 104 has some significance for me?  Guess I will just have to ponder this in my dreams.