Friday, March 19, 2010

Day Two of the Moving Adventure

I have photos of the convoy of vehicles which comprise our Wyoming to Kentucky move, but didn't get the camera in to the motel room--I didn't get the toothpaste in either, to J's distress.
We left Lander, WY a bit after noon on Thursday, stopped at the truckstop in Riverton for the first proper meal of the day and lumbered onto the highway an hour later just as light snow began to fall.
We enjoyed several days of deceptively spring-like weather which on Wednesday began to change omminously at about dusk.  A tiny sliver of moon came out, like a slice of muskmelon balanced on a vast dark platter. By morning dirty clouds hung over the mountains and the foothills had a new coating of snow.
As we finished loading the various vehicles the wind from the northwest cut sharply and trudging through the mud from the cabin to the motor home [endless trips with my hand full of oddments] I sometimes felt cold drops of rain on my face.
The last item of furniture to be removed from the cabin was the bed.  While our son and son-in-law stood waiting in the outer room, J and I attempted to take down the bed.  The cats, distressed by the uproar of emptying the main room had, sensibly in their thinking, taken refuge under the bed and several darted out in fright as we lifted off the mattress. Mrs. Beasley and my darling Teasel inserted themselves up inside the box spring.  Mrs. B. howled as J stood the spring on end, but seeing her hiding place was threatened, she dropped to the floor and scurried to a corner.
Teasel wedged herself between the coils of the springs, held on for dear life and made dreadful utterances.  I managed to extract her and pop her into a cat carrier.
I transferred all the cat carriers to the motor home without any upsets, mopped the cabin floors for the last time and shut myself in the motor home with my charges.
I have an almost superstitious determination not to take last longing looks at a place I am leaving.  I don't do goodbyes very well, a failing shared by nearly everyone in our family. So, as we rumbled away from familiar territory I concentrated on soothing the cats.
J and I slept very comfortably in the motor home last night and the cats, liberated from the little bedroom to the larger territory of the motor home behaved very nicely.
Pebbles the Horse has thus far taken the trip well.  She has had several spritely walk abouts as well as feeds of hay, grain and water.
Today has been horrendous traveling--through a blizzard of heavy wet snow with the usual gusting cross winds of Nebraska slamming us relentlessly. The men plowed on doggedly, long after I wished we could admit that it was time to stop and take refuge from the storm.  I have to say that we couldn't have better or more skillful drivers than these three [J. our son Howard, and J's twin brother's older son.] 
In the interest of hot baths and a bit more space to spread ourselves, we have taken a motel room tonight, next door to Howard and his cousin. The cats have the whole of the motor home bedroom and tiny bathroom to themselves with a clean litter box and food and water topped up.
We crossed the Nebraska/Iowa border just before stopping for the night.  J. spoke to someone who had come from the easterly route that will be our direction tomorrow--it sounds like we may finally be out of the blizzard and into a mere rain by mid-day.

8 comments:

  1. So good to hear from you! i have an internet friend from Iowa and she says their weather is not looking good this weekend...hope you can get through with no additional snowstorms and winds! I would have been quite alarmed to be in those high profile vehicles with a blizzard blowing...but i do know you and the cats are in good hands. Other than the cats-in-the- box spring incident, it sounds like they're travelling well so far. And nice that you could leave them comfy in the motor home instead of trying to shlep them into a motel room and then try to round them up the next morning! Good travels on the rest of your trip.

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  2. Sounds a bit like hell on wheels, but at least the cats seem happy with their travelling and have freedom to roam the mobile home at night. I hope that you "just" have rain today and have left the snow and the cross-winds behind you. Safe journey.

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  3. Hullo MM,

    Being from a country where you are nevr further than 70 miles from the sea, a house move of the distance you are taking on is collosal and one I don't envy you in the least.

    I wish you sunny days and clear roads. I hope you settle into the new place smoothly.

    take care....Al.

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  4. Gosh, you must have felt like the early Pioneer Settlers, battling through the storm, with your animals and belongings, on your way to your new home.

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  5. How wonderful to read this all as you experience this . I am glad, except for the snow storm, that things are going as smoothly as one could expect with your menagerie on board. So glad they are coping.

    As I read your post my mind traveled back in time to when journeys like this would have been carried out on a wagon ... I am so glad you have a motor home xx
    PS ...Hope the rain is not too bad

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  6. You are brave and intrepid! Hope all goes well for the rest of the journey.

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  7. Huge 'GOOD LUCK FOR THE MOVE' wishes coming across the oceans to you!!
    hope you (and all the cats!) are soon settled and happy in your new home!!!


    Leanne x

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  8. What an experience! You've so many stories to tell. Sounds a bit like when we moved me cross-country with Jim after the wedding...minus the cats that is. My daughter lives in Iowa and says it is snowing AGAIN! Hope the rest of the journey is safe and uneventful...

    Blessings,
    Dianne

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