Snow Falling on Cedar Crest

We got home from Las Vegas about 1:00 am, Wednesday, 12/27. There was quite a bit of snow in our driveway remaining from the pre-Christmas snow -- our tail of the storm that shut down Denver. Then, about Thursday noon it started snowing again and didn't stop until Saturday pm, at which point we had nearly two feet of snow in the driveway. Thursday night I had planned to go to book club, but a UPS driver who came by in late afternoon advised against it, so I stayed home. We had food enough and other necessities so we just snuggled in. Here are some pix of the accumulated snow.

Sat. afternoon I decided to try the snow blower I had bought from our friends, the Youngs, about two years ago when they moved to Texas. Hadn't used it since, though. Well, it wouldn't start. So, I shoveled snow a while, trying to make a track through our driveway, which is uphill.

(Here's a night picture out the living room window, illuminated by moonlight.)

Continued shoveling, occasionally, on Sunday and Monday, no hurry -- we weren't leaving town until Friday -- and got one track down to gravel. Figured I should be able to put the Explorer in 4wd and back out. Well, it wouldn't go into 4wd. Just requires a button-push on the dash, but it wouldn't shift. Without 4wd it was hard going with much tire-spinning, but after more shoveling and repeated tries, I finally backed up the drive and into our plowed road. Drove up to the gate and got a couple of old newspapers.

Returning home, I decided I should back down the driveway so I could drive out frontwards. Somehow, though, through inept driving, I got off the track and ended up with the rear wheels straddling a RR tie that borders the driveway. @@*&&##@ (Oh, darn!) Only way out now would be a tow truck.

It being New Year's Day, I didn't even try to get a tow truck, but on Tuesday I called AAA. Sorry, they said. Our tow services say they can't get to your place. Try tomorrow. I doubted that claim, but I did know that I-40 remained closed from Albuquerque east, including the road to Cedar Crest.

By this time we were getting a little low on some supplies. Considered calling National Guard and asking them to drop a bale of TP. However, our neighbors across the street were going for groceries and they offered to pick some up for us. Thanks, Anna.

Same AAA story on Wed. morning, so I decided to call a local, non-AAA-affiliated tow service. Finally, a good decision. "Sure, we'll be out in an hour," they said. They were and expertly pulled the Explorer out of its predicament. We went to town on a few errands and somewhere along the line, in a parking lot, thought, Let's try the 4wd. It worked! Apparently requires a lot of warming up, because on subsequent tries cold, or slightly warm, it still won't work.

And that's how 2006 ended and 2007 began. Next up: a family trip to NC for Mike's and Jason's birthdays.

New Year's Resolutions: Get 4wd and snow blower fixed before the next storm of the century.

Cheers,

Rob and Susie