A Texas/Arizona Road Trip 8.1

There was still a lot of fall  color in Flagstaff even after the year's first snowfall.

Truck was a tad cranky at the weather conditions the morning after the snowfall.  Her doors were frozen shut due to the 20 degree overnight low and the windshield wipers were frozen to the windshield.  I could get the doors open but it took over a half-hour of warm-up to unlock the wipers and there was still ice underneath.  I had not traveled with snow in mind so I just had a light jacket, loafers and lightweight socks on my feet, and no gloves.  I found my mom's handicap plaque in a pocket in the door of the truck and I was able to use that as a makeshift ice scraper and to help me get the snow off the windows and outside mirrors.  The roads were clear although the city streets, especially where my friend lives, were quite icy.  I lived in Flagstaff for seven years back in the 1970s but I had had little experience in driving under icy conditions since then.  So I got a late start leaving and it took me a while to slip and slide my way the few miles to the Interstate but the snowplows had been at work since long before dawn and the heavy truck traffic along I-40 had the roads cleared.  Within 30 miles the roads were clear and dry although I ran into more snow around the Gallup, New Mexico, area.  There were no other picture-taking stops on this leg of my return trip.