Back from Utah last week; great visit with all the kids and grandkids. It was cold there; it had snowed just before we got there, so a couple inches on the ground. Then the skies cleared, so temps ranged from 10-30F. Brisk.

Trip home was between big storms. We made it to La Grande OR just after they closed I-84 over the Blue Mountains (summit is about 4100 feet). Icy roads and stupid drivers caused some crashes, so the road was closed just before we got there in the afternoon. Weather models looked snowy, and I really didn’t want to put chains on the car (I had them, though). The Highlander is 4WD, but I’d been driving for about 8 hours by the, so wasn’t really looking forward to a 2 hour trip to Pendleton (slower because of the weather) then 6 more hours home (with some snow forecast).

So Pam used her phone to find a nice hotel in La Grande, and we relaxed there. By the next morning, the weather was better, the road was open (with some minor packed snow and ice) across the Blue Mountains into Pendleton. Right outside (east) of Pendleton is a steep 6%/6 mile twisty downgrade, and that section had some really heavy fog (low clouds), so that was slow going. After that, the roads were damp, with some falling snow that didn’t stick in the Columbia Gorge (The Dalles to outside Portland), so minor slowdown. Damp roads the rest of the way home, so about an 8 hour drive. But we were glad to be home.

Since returning home, clear skies and cold weather; temps in 20-30’s. Heavy frost in the shady areas around the house; that melted if the sun hit it, but our shady front lawn area is still frosty. Today (Sunday) was Church day, with my first meeting at 7am, so liberal use of de-icer while the car warmed up. I hadn’t driven the car for a while, so there was a bit of frost on the inside of the car. And it is parked in a shady spot, so the water bottles left inside were mostly frozen. But the heater works good, so safe travels.

Today looks like a minor storm in the area; but doesn’t look like much rain at the house. Cold enough that there could be a few snowflakes, but the weather radar doesn’t show any moisture headed our direction.

Tired because of getting up early today; I think I’ll head to the den with a blanket and continue binge-watching NCIS. If I can stay awake.