DON'T MESS WITH MOTHER NATURE

Mother Nature has been a constant companion with us since we left Roseburg, OR. Just when we thought we had left her at the last exit in Wyoming, we find her again waiting to be picked up as we got into Missouri. We couldn't avoid her. They were talking about her on the radio, and when we tuned into the weather channel on TV. I guess I should have fixed an extra helping for dinner, because it looked like she was here to stay.

As you can tell from the photo, TWC was all agog with this latest ice storm. They had reporters in Oklahoma telling us of the devastation left in it's wake, and then in Missouri, right in Kansas City, where we were, with hourly reports on how much ice was forming on the trees. We glanced out our windows and could see the rain start to come down, and little icicles forming on the side mirrors. As we snuggled into our beds for the night, we didn't know what we should expect and wondered what we would see when we awoke.

I was the first to poke my head out from behind our curtain, just like Punxsutawney Phil on ground hogs day, to ponder what was around us. The ground was wet, there was ice on the mirrors, but otherwise it appeared quite normal.

We tuned into a local TV station to hear that the majority of the storm was hitting northwest of us, and that the roads seemed to be clear of any ice build up. It wasn't until we stopped for our first rest break, near Mineola, MO that we could see up close just what an ice storm can do.

Everywhere you looked was at least a half inch coating of ice. On the chain link fence, the sign poles, the eaves with the addition of icicles hanging down, but more amazing was the tree limbs. Each little branch, or new shoot was completely encased in ice. It was really quite beautiful.

But I have to say, dealing with all the oversize restrictions, and Mother Nature has been a double whammy. We are thrilled to be able to turn the corner later today and start heading more on a southern direction. Unfortunately, from the weather reports, it looks like Mother Nature will continue to accompany us all the way to Florida. Which reminds me, I better pick up some additional supplies, looks like I'll have an extra mouth to feed for awhile.