A winter wonderland
Getting home from Laramie turned out to be quite an adventure — and a lengthy one at that for the crack Deseret News team (me, myself and I, as well as columnist Brad Rock, sports writer Jody Genessy and photographer August Miller) that traveled to Wyoming for Saturday’s game.
As the designated driver (a.k.a., the guy who put the rental car on his credit card), I had the joy of being behind the wheel for a pair of 2 1/2-hour delays on I-80 while heading back to Utah. We left Laramie around 6 p.m. and were making good time until the weather turned nasty. Snow and strong winds proved to be quite an obstacle. Several vehicles crashed on the icy roads and caused closures throughout the night.
Our first delay came at a wide spot on the road called “Point of Rock,” approximately 25 miles outside of Rock Springs. Our friends at the Chrony tipped us off about an extensive delay down the road and suggested we pull over at the last gas station before a multi-car incident and cool our heels until the road reopened. Good idea. However, the station closed at 9 p.m. — minutes before our arrival.
Fortunately, the local watering hole next door was still open and swelled to capacity with the addition of several truck drivers waiting out the storm. The DesNews team stuck out like sore thumbs — eating pizza and drinking sodas in a corner while petting a dog we later learned was a pit bull under the watchful eye of several tough-looking bar patrons with shaved heads, tats and denim vests.
After being told the road had reopened, we loaded up and soon found ourselves in a traffic jam on I-80. Nearly three hours later, we made our way past the traffic carnage and into Rock Springs.
A brief stop at the gas station was followed by a planned journey to nearby Green River. A few minutes later, we were stopped again — for 2 1/2 hours while crews cleared wreckage down the road.
We eventually crept our way to Green River, where a blizzard was raging. All three motels in town were filled with stranded travelers. The DesNews team then sought refuge in a 24-hour cafe. After sampling the water, I made a call to the Little America hotel about 25 miles away and was delighted to learn they had rooms available.
The trip took nearly an hour as we weaved across the icy interstate. We checked in around 6 a.m.
After catching a few winks and eating breakfast, an uneventful drive to Utah followed. We wound up getting home about 20 hours or so after we left Laramie.
It wasn’t exactly a pioneer trek, but it sure felt like one.