Medicine Hat to Los Barriles - Nov. 30, 2010

We left Medicine Hat on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 7:12 a..in the dark and in -22 degrees weather. Blowing snow and winds started at Coaldale along with a bit of black ice before Coutts. We crossed the border at 10:30 a.m.and enjoyed sunny skies and dry roads all the way to Helena. We were all happy to get out for a stretch at the crossing.

We left Butte at 3:45 p.m. after a quick stop for a walk and supper for Vida. Strong winds and -7 degrees C. At 6:20 p.m., we made our way through the Monida pass minus 10-12 degrees. High wind, blowing snow and icy ruts made for challenging driving. Weather and roads cleared up at mile 176.

There were big, thick snow drifts at Idaho Falls with low overhead cloud and -8 degrees.Too much snow to consider camping and decided to head to Pocatello in case we got snowed in overnight! We stayed overnight at the Pocatello Best Western. For $80, we had a decent room, access to the grounds for Vida, a big secure parking lot for our truck and RV and free internet and free all-you-can-eat breakfast. We had a very good sleep.