Day 2: Cardston AB to Provo UT

Monday, April 27, 2009

The goal today is Provo, Utah, which is a pretty good drive (probably 11-12 hours), but there really isn’t much I want to see in between, and besides I have an appointment tomorrow in Provo.

I woke up in the morning to a surprise – I thought I had driven out of the snow, but it had caught up to me during the night. I went outside to find 4 inches of heavy wet snow that promises to make the roads miserable. I was going to take the backroads south from Cardston and cut through Cut Bank, Montana to the I-15, but with the roads in the shape they were (and likely unplowed) I decided it was best to head north before going south and thus stay on the main roads, which would add an hour to my trip. Listening to the radio, I discovered that there was much more snow to come – they were forecasting 12-18 inches of snow on the plains of Montana, and 3 feet of snow in the mountains, and had a winter storm warning in effect until next Thursday! Heading south, the snow finally ran out just after Conrad, I got a little rain near Jefferson Falls, and finally a little sunny sky at Helena. One of the funny things about this trip too was as I drove south, even as it got later in the day, the temperature kept rising; when I left Cardston, it was just under zero, and by the time I got to Provo, it was 14C. After a long day’s drive, I finally made it to Provo just before midnight.

This is what I woke up to...

The road conditions near Raymond AB

The little cafe where I ate lunch in Dillon MT

There are some gorgeous views along the I-15. This one is somewhere in Idaho.

Leave Cardston AB – 9:55am – 219,867km
Milk River (water and Ginger Ale $6.46)
Coutts (American border) – 11:40am – 219,867km
Conrad MT (lunch US$6.75) – 12:30 to 1pm – 219,963km
Great Falls (gas $29.51) – 1:55pm – 220,057km
Dillon (gas $27.25, prepaid cell phone $39.98) – 4:42 to 5:37pm – 220,408km
Roberts ID (supper $9.20) – 7 to 7:45pm – 220,613km
McCammon (gas $27.41) – 9pm – 220,755km
Arrive Provo UT – 11:23pm – 221,045km

Today – CAD$6.46, US$140.10 – 11:25 hours – 1178km
Total – CAD$222.90 – 16:40 hours – 1712km

To Quebec and Adventure!
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