OTR - Julesburg, CO to Council Bluffs & Home!

 All the parking spots were full when we pulled into the rest area.  Butch picked a place out of the way.  I was thankful it was close to the restrooms.  It was well after midnight, by the time we went to bed.

We woke to snow, maybe 3" on the ground & windblown, leaving a drift below the passenger side door.  It was late morning when Butch took Nika out for a walk.  They were gone quite a while, Nika loves snow.  

Big Red, Trailer full of pinto beans in tow~

The shades of white, lent a stark outlook to the day.  By the time Butch & Nika returned, I had the cab organized for the day.  With the snow continuing to come down, the roads would be interesting.

Colorful Colorado!

Driver's heading west, were talking of chaining up.  I looked at the weather east, then texted Kathy, who was kind enough to agree to pick me up in Council Bluffs.  She confirmed no snow in Glenwood & it wasn't due to come in until late, if at all.

Smoked pork chop, potatoes & carrots!

We had enough time I decided to fix a meal for Butch.  I'd given up deciding whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner!  I'd just bought a new little hot air fryer on Amazon.  Just cooking for one, it was so quick & easy.  I brought it along & it worked perfectly to brown the pork chop. We used the microwave for the potatoes & carrots, but if we'd had more time, I'd have browned them too.

Rider in the storm~

We pulled out right on time at 1:30 p.m.  

1:36 p.m. Icy surface~

We were cruising right along; the tricky part was being passed by other tractor/trailers.  The snow off the edges of the road would fly up & cause a white out in front of us.  Thankfully, it didn't last long.  

As you can see from the few minutes between the photos, the storm intensified.  Butch stopped at a Love's to fuel near North Platte & we were back on the road.  Eventually, we ran out of the storm & by nightfall, the sky was almost completely clear.  

1:42 p.m. Intersection of I-80~

We pulled into Sapp Brother's in Council Bluffs, about 9:30 p.m.  Kathy was waiting & helped us get all my things transferred to her car.  My husband gave me a final goodbye hug before climbing back into Red's cab & heading to Love's for a shower & rest break.  He'd be back on the road in ten-hours with Joliet, IL as his destination.  

Kathy's car was so full, Nika sat on my lap & stared at Kathy the entire drive home!  When we arrived, she was so excited to be home!  She exploded across the backyard when I turned her out.  Kathy helped me carry everything in & I had a piece of her pumpkin cake!  Thankful for good friends, after Kathy left, I couldn't wait for a shower & fell into bed...  

I'm super thankful I had the opportunity to experience a few days of the challenges my husband faces - every day & night with this occupation.  He's always been the best at anything he tackles & OTR driving is no exception.