Since we left Mesquite on Saturday we have been through extremes in the weather, from 30 degrees and higher in Mesquite [just perfect for a happy hour with friends] to blankets of snow with -11 degrees and lower in Butte [not so perfect].
As we neared Salt Lake City on Saturday the sand was blowing reducing visibility and on Sunday as we got closer to Monida Pass the snow was blowing, again reducing visibility.
We left Ogden early on Sunday hoping to beat the storm that was to hit Helena and further north. When we got to Dubois we checked with the services stations to make sure Monida Pass was open - the response was "yes, no trouble". Alas - weather changes fast. Within 30 minutes of leaving Dubois we were in the midst of a severe storm. We had to decide between turning around and driving more than 50 miles back to an RV park at Idaho Falls or struggle through the pass. Monida was dangerous and very scary, but we were committed and continued on to Butte. We keep reminding ourselves that when we left in December, we promised that if we ran into poor weather we would just "hole up" and wait it out. Next year for sure.
Butte is in terrible shape with tons of snow and very cold at -11 degrees. The good news first. Wait - there is no good news. Because we didn't expect the temperature to drop so suddenly, we didn't empty the black water, grey water or the fresh water. Of course they froze solid and we had to haul pails of hot water to get the sewer thawed and emptied. The rest was too frozen to work with so we will check for leaks later.
The next "good news" was that our furnace quit. We tried to buy a heater at WalMart [sold out] and then K-Mart [fake fireplace look for $100]. We finally had to borrow one from the Kamping Kabins at the KOA.
The last piece of "good" news is that this storm is expected to reappear tonight. We have no plans of leaving Butte tomorrow and as such may not be home until Wednesday. The Friday 501 is looking better and better.
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