Snow Days: A Journey To and Fro
May Snowstorm: Mom’s Backyard
This week I had dual caregiver duty in that I had to go to Denver to take care of some things for my eldest daughter and then return home to continue caregiving for Andy. The plan was to leave after I finished cleaning our Airbnb and make it over the mountain before dark. I was to spend a day in Denver taking care of business and return home the following day.
It was a solid game plan until mother nature decided Colorado needed a snowstorm. The winter weather advisors started rolling out Monday morning, with warnings of heavy wet snow, and high winds slated to start late Monday and continue through Wednesday for Denver and the mountain corridor. Palisade was in the clear so no fear of crop damage this time. However, this was exactly when I would be traveling over the mountain!
Luckily the drive over wasn’t a problem, and I succeeded at making it there before nightfall. The rain started that evening and continued nonstop throughout the day. Given that the Colorado river is extremely low this year due to lack of snow fall and rain, no one was complaining about the moisture. It is the beginning of May and Denver already has major water restrictions in place and those of us on the Western Slope with crops could possibly run out of water before we reach the end of growing season. So, although untimely this rain and eventual snowfall is truly a gift. The rain changed to snow around rush hour, just as I was leaving to meet friends for dinner.
As with many spring snowstorms, this was a heavy wet snow which as welcomed as it is or was, it also means there is a level of danger in that the weight of the snow often snaps tree branches, brings down power lines and floods streets when it melts. Luckily the tree I parked under at the restaurant did not yield to the snow and instead kept my car relatively free of snow. Once home (as in my mom’s house) it was a completely different story and by morning my car had about a foot of snow covering it; and as expected there were branches down all along her street with power lines bending low. It was time for me to skedaddle!
My original plan was to get up early and head out, that way I’d arrive home at a reasonable time and still be able to get the multitude of things I had to do at home done. However, I opted to revise this plan and held off leaving for a few hours so the snowplows could work their magic on the highways. This proved to be an excellent strategy!
It is crazy how incredibly different the weather is in Denver compared to Palisade and the Western Slope. Using my weather App as my guide, I headed out. It was still snowing when I left my mom’s house. The snow was wet and heavy, but the flakes were smaller and the plows had been through. The slush was manageable and the visibility as I headed out of town and up the mountain wasn’t too bad.
That said, once up the mountain, going down was still scary as you also had your fellow drivers to consider and if they didn’t know how to drive in these wet conditions or were overzealous in their speed, they could prove to be a bigger danger than the snow! Another thing I was conscious of was the possibility of black ice, Andy and I discovered this the first or second year we lived in Colorado when our free Christmas tree, a gift from a friend, turned out to be a $2,000 Christmas tree because we hit black ice, returning from their property. The roads were wet but that didn’t mean it was ice; from my experience the black ice was usually under a layer of compacted snow. So, whenever I saw texture and snow patches I shifted lanes, thus avoiding potential black ice. There were not many cars on the road, mostly trucks, so this proved to be a good strategy.
My next concern was Vail pass which is the highest point in the drive and is usually were most accidents occur; and when they do, the pass is shut down and you are forced to take a detour that adds at least one – two hours to your drive and takes you through back roads that although beautiful are usually not plowed! Luck was again with me and by the time I hit the pass, there was blue sky! Of course, that changed completely when I descended into Vail itself. It wasn’t white out conditions, but it was snowing consistently. But our trusty Colorado snowplows again saved the day and the roads were clear. In fact, shortly after Vail, the roads became dry as the surrounding area had less snow covering it. For a while it was blue skies with intermittent clouds.
Glenwood Canyon got a little messy with a rain snow mix but once out of the canyon it stopped. From there on it was smooth sailing and I was back to the calm, clear weather I’ve come to associate with the Western Slope. By the time I reached Palisade it was all blue sky.
The dramatic changes in weather from one side of the mountain to the other never ceases to amaze me! While living in Denver, I didn’t realize how different it was from other parts of the state and not necessarily in a good way. I feel truly blessed to be living on this side of the mountain and appreciate our weather on the Western Slope. Who needs Florida when you have Palisade, Colorado!
