north dakota storm

yes, that is snow blowing over an icy road. we saw lots of cars and trucks in the snowdrifts along the side of the interstate.

road closure

We're in Wyoming tonight. It's very cold and the wind is blowing the snow across the highway.

We just parked on a muddy hill just north of the interstate because they closed the roads heading east. That's the way we were going.

They have yellow lights that flash to tell you that the road is closed ahead. Then they have red lights at the last exit before the closure. These flash to tell you to exit the highway and turn around. So we did. Except that we didn't want to go all the way back to the last town we passed, so we pulled into this little muddy snowy hilly area. There was another truck here, facing the highway where he could see the red flashing lights. We thought that was a smart idea, so we parked near him.

Then another truck came.
Then four more.
Then all of a sudden there were about twenty of us. They all chose their own areas and made rows next to each other like it was a plan.

So now we're in the back of the truck, sitting on the bed. Sarah is cozy checking email. Zack is reading a book at the other end of the bed. They're playing footsies.

Trucks keep coming. They look like they're forming army regiments, all lined up. All waiting for those red lights to stop flashing and for the gates to open on the interstate, so we can drive all night to deliver our loads to warehouses all over the country and keep the stores stocked full of things people don't really need.

But people like to buy things to make themselves more comfortable. And that's not always bad, I guess. It just seems that sometimes they get caught up in all that comfort.. and end up comfort-ing their lives away.. forgetting why they're alive in the first place. Maybe they never knew.

I think I've been influenced a lot by Sarah and Zack. I never used to be so pensive. (That's my new favorite word: pensive....)

Anyway.. It's fun to watch the trucks come join our little make shift truck stop. There are about 40 trucks now. I wonder how long we'll be here......?

st. louis

we drove through st. louis, missouri one night and stopped to see the arch. it was freezing cold. we parked right on the bank of the mississippi river. zack skipped some rocks along the river's surface. then he wrote sarah a love note in the sand. they ate dinner at a casino that had all-you-can-eat crab legs in the buffet.