Since I did not have long before I would need to return to work I decided to press on across Arkansas and Oklahoma. My plan was to camp out in Western Oklahoma at Black Kettle National Grassland, but as I came through Oklahoma City I heard warning of severe weather, and the last thing I wanted to do was to sleep on the ground in the middle of Tornado Alley with severe weather predicted. By the time I reached Clinton OK the wind was so strong that it was a challenge to stay in one lane. I passed the area where I intended to camp and pressed on even though I was very tired. I figured that mu best bet would be to push on through the storm system and once on the other side I would find a place to camp. As I pulled into Amarillo the sky was looking very ominous and the wind was insane, so after a stop for fuel and coffee I was out of there pressing on to New Mexico.
This storm system is the same system that spawned tornados in Dallas!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTjR91JC850
After a very long day of driving in less than perfect weather I was just exhausted. So I pulled into a truck stop in Santa Rosa New Mexico for fuel and a nice nap about 11:00pm. Here, along the Mother Road, Route 66 I planned to rest up, and then turn south toward Carrizozo and then west Up into the mountains toward Magdalena where I would camp at one of my favorite sites. But as I was fueling up I felt a chilly wind and caught the scent of snow in the air! I was exhausted so I just laid the seat back a bit and passed out right in the parking lot.
Santa Rosa is one of those gems of the Southwest that is not inundated with tourists, yet it is one of the most beautiful geographical treasures in the country. Check out the link and see why!
http://www.srnm.org/
After about 2 hours I started to get pretty cold and I woke up. Sure enough, the snow was coming down. Thinking about safety and considering time constraints, I decided not to take secondary roads and continued west on I-40 toward Albq. I figured I could just take I-25 south from there. The weather report said snow heavy at times, so I figured it would be fine to head into the mountains by daylight. “Heavy at times” apparently can mean BLIZZARD!
Still dark outside, I set westward once again. About 20 minutes on the road the interstate was starting to get covered by this blowing snow which was falling down pretty good. By the time I hit Moriarty NM it was a white out! One thing about a Jeep is that although they go right through snow quite easily, the flat grill and basically flat glass will accumulate snow really fast! This means no lights and poor visibility within minutes in heavy snowfall. (Also, in heavy snow it can accumulate on the radiator hindering airflow , causing the vehicle to overheat.) So now I am driving through the Sandia Mountains east of Albq. NM in the dark in a white out, and no exit to pull off of the hwy! Years of living in Colorado teach you how to deal with this. (Slow and shut off your lights briefly so you can tell if anyone is directly behind you. Pull off the hwy and quickly clear the lights and flip the wipers. Then jump back in the seat and get up to 20mph and maintain until safe to exit or better visibility.)
Once I descended the Sandia Mountains into Albuquerque the snow was gone. After seeing just how hard it snowed in the mountains I was not going to even attempt to go to Magdalena. I decided to just super-slab it til morning. Again…plans change as the situation changes! Snowfall was not nearly as heavy west of Albq. Fuel up, and away we go!