After the disappointment from the news of road conditions, I opted to take a nap in the back of the truck. I brought Rebecca in with me so she could get use to the idea of sleeping there.
I fell into a heavy sleep. The shell was warm and comfy, and I essentially melted into the mattress. I slept for almost four hours.
When I woke up, I checked the road conditions again and it seemed the trouble had passed. I was on the road by 4:00 PM.
Rebecca seemed to know we were going for a long drive and settled down quickly. Every now and then something would peak her interest leading her to inhale deeply at the open vents to try to figure out what we were passing.
We made our first stop around 8:00 PM. There was a nice gas station and a pretty new looking Walmart with an inviting parking lot. But I decided I wanted to get a little further along.
Heading into Manitoba, even in the dark, I could see fresh snow on the ground. Some remained on the road with well carved tire tracks. In other places were long swaths of black ice.
It was getting late and darker. I slowed down. Before I left Saskatchewan, I had my Summer tires put on. My Winter tires have a deeper tread and are made of a softer rubber that doesn’t freeze as easily. They really grip the road. With Winter tires and 4×4, winter-driving feels much safer. On my Summer tires though, driving on snow and black ice, even with four wheel drive is perilous.
A couple of Father Mike’s and a Handel’s Messiah later we arrived at a Truck stop on the outskirts of Portage La Prairie. It was late, and the truck stop looked full, but I found some parking. Rebecca, anxious to get out and stretch her legs quickly changed her mind as the wind whipped up a combination of recent snow and dust upon us.
We climbed in the back of the truck to slumber. The temp was around -4C, and Rebecca required no coaxing to join me under the blanket.
Beyond Clarity 