Ray and I are in West Texas, sitting in our big gray van with Cordelia and Sammie (our Corgi and Scottie) at a dead stop on Interstate 20 West about five miles before the split to Interstate 10. We have been sitting here for at least 20 minutes so far, as have 18 wheelers and cars on our side of the 4 lane divided highway.
Ray has already been out of the van, talking to a nearby trucker who said that traffic is backed up for 30 miles due to a big accident up ahead. The trucker said ice on a bridge was the culprit. We have seen several gravel trucks go by on the shoulder of the road with Texas Department of Transportation written on the side. We have also seen several people out of their cars, walking off to find a spot to pee. There are not many trees out here in this shrubby terrain, so finding some privacy is somewhat of a challenge.
We have the engine off. It is getting a bit cold in here, though, luckily, we have several heavy coats and a sleeping bag if need be. We also have water, some apples and cheese and a little chicken salad. We might have paced our food consumption a bit if we had known we were going to get stuck out here for a while.
Ray is now sound asleep sitting behind the wheel. We have been up since 4:30 and on the road since 5 am. We had to start early to slip through the Dallas-Fort Worth traffic before rush hour. We decided to go the southern route back to CA to avoid ice and snow. Apparently, we needed to do a little more research before setting out…
There is light snow falling and it is cold. It was 27 degrees when we went through Midland and it feels colder now though I can’t get enough bars on my phone to check the temperature in Van Horn, Texas, the nearest town.
I have never sat this long at a complete stand still on an Interstate. The good news – traffic is now moving on the other side of the road going north. Maybe we are next!
The dogs and Ray continue to sleep. I suppose I will close and rest until we start moving. There’s not much else to do.
I will report when we have something new to report. Ah…we are now moving at 5 miles per hour. Maybe it is indeed our time to roll!
We have stopped again, but now we’re hopeful. We made it at least 1/2 mile up the road and another gravel truck just passed. Surely, it won’t be long now. I hope not, at least.
(We have made it to Wilcox, AZ after a long day of driving. Happy to be here, warm and safe.)
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