Vernon and I drove over the mountain last Tuesday for a special purchase. Every once in a while, I couldn’t resist taking a photo through the window. While it was “warmer” by far on top of the mountain… 3 degrees at home, 23 on top… I still didn’t feel like rolling down the window to photograph.
The wind was blowing hard enough to dislodge the snow on the branches, creating tornadoes of powdered snow.
The dry powdery snow we often receive here in Wyoming is easily moved by wind, in which we also have an abundance. The result is blizzards that create “whiteout conditions”. With no visual clues, the blowing foggy blanket of snow particles make driving impossible. In less windy conditions, it creates “ground blizzards”… a blast of wind that moves snow only at ground level.
It can drift in roads in minutes, turn to black ice, or freeze previous packed snow. Ground blizzards should not be taken lightly as many pioneers found out in the past. Luckily, on our trip, bad conditions lasted only a few short miles on top of Powder River Pass (elevation 9,666’). Knowing your road conditions is a vital part of Wyoming winter travel. For the curious, go to wyoroad.info and add the option of cameras… you’ll see road conditions in real time all over the state.
That same area can be quite spectacular on your way home…
Love the sunset photo.
Better snow than the fires we have here in the Los Angeles area. Now it’s raining and those poor people have to worry about mud slides!
Eventhough winter conditions can be dangerous, the snow does enhance
all the scenery, IMO. Very nice photos of your trip.
What you don’t have in WY is “lake effect” snowfall which can be massive off of the end of Lake Erie. The forecasters are amazingly accurate, so we
are kept vigilant.