Second Attempt

When it comes to arriving at our first Summer destination, we have to try again. You see, we were on the road bright and early (for us, anyway) yesterday and left our comfortable overnight spot in Sidney, Nebraska, headed for Fort Collins, Colorado. The plan was for an easy 150-mile day and an arrival around noon.

That was the plan, anyway.

All was well as we headed west. We were counting down the mile markers as we got closer to the Nebraska-Wyoming line. You see, we're not big fans of Nebraska. Never have been. It took us nearly three years to pass through the Cornhusker state on our fulltime RVing journey. There's a reason for that. Now, our two nights this week in Lincoln made for a fine stop. The state capitol is interesting, and we enjoyed a tasty dinner with friends Steve and Cathy, who were passing through their old hometown. And, that's about the nicest thing we have to say about Nebraska. We couldn't cross the state line soon enough.

The day's forecast called for a Wind Advisory in the western edge of our least favorite state. And, we learned long ago not to travel in those. The advisory went into effect at noon, so we were on track to pass through the area long before that.

About 10 miles west of our starting point, the breeze started to kick up. Our moose handles quite well in the wind. And, it did just that for the next 20 miles or so. Then, the breezes became gusts. The gusts became hefty sustained winds. Soon the hefty winds were accompanied by moose-battering gusts. All of this was hitting us broadside.

Blowing dust blocked out the blazing sun. In a dim brown haze, visibility became sketchy. The moose rocked and rolled. The wind pounded on his streetside slide until it literally roared. Paul checked his mirror. Our big ass slide topper was flapping in the gale force wind.

Shit.

With that, Paul piloted a maneuver that involved pulling off the highway long enough for the topper to retract. Then, he'd ease back on to the interstate and move along at a slow speed until the topper unfurled again. He then made another move to the shoulder. Meanwhile, I was checking my iExit app for an exit - any exit! Here in godforsaken western Nebraska the exits are few and far between. But, one with no services to offer came upon us about three miles down the road. We pulled off on the side of the ramp and sussed things out.

The wind had to have been blowing at 50 mph! We ate a bunch of flying sand as we checked things out. A local stopped and asked if we needed help. We assured him we were fine and he went on his way. We quickly determined there was nothing we could do. We needed to find a safe and level spot to park. If it we could park the moose pointing east, he could block the incessant wind while we took a closer look. According to iExit, there was a rest area about a mile back to the east. We had been so focused on the wind and flying topper that we hadn't noticed. So, we headed across the highway and back east on the interstate. Within a minute we saw the rest area. Within two we saw that it was closed.

Pisser.

With 10 miles to the next exit in the direction from whence we came, we held our breath as Paul wrestled the wind and maneuvered through the flying dust. Once again, we heard the familiar roar. This time, our curbside slide topper was flying! Both of these toppers are equipped with anti-furl devices. But, this wind was simply too much. With worries that our two curbside awnings would be the next to go, I kept my eye on them both and said a prayer to the patron saint of calm seas.

With one topper flying, we pulled off at the exit and parked near two motorhomes that were waiting out the storm. We recognized both from our park in Sidney. They were having the same kind of day we were! The two men in the group had unhitched a toad and scouted for a campground. Within minutes, they returned and we hatched a plan with our new friends. There was a campground a couple of miles away. The good news was we didn't have to get back on the interstate to get there.

We were the tail end of a motorhome parade that passed through downtown Kimball, Nebraska. It must have been quite a sight. Of course, it was too darn windy for anyone to be out! We made our way to a former KOA on the east side of town. There was plenty of room at this place where the park owner says he usually only gets one RV in a day. Yesterday, he hit blowing paydirt! By mid-afternoon, there were six or eight rigs in the place.

The wind howled all afternoon. We weren't where we had planned to be. But, we were safe. We are so grateful for the help of our fellow motorhomers for helping us find our way in the windstorm.

By evening, we were able to put up our ladder and suss out the slide topper. It's a bit tattered, but otherwise fine. We were lucky, indeed.

This morning, the winds are calm here in western Nebraska. But, they won't be for long. This afternoon's forecast is calling for more wind, thunderstorms and hail.

No worries. We'll be on the road by 8 am. It looks like smooth sailing to Fort Collins this morning. Wish us luck on our second attempt.