BJ Nemeth's Blog

Day 10: Ogden, Utah

PHOTOS: (1) Rhapsody sees her shadow in the snow on Groundhog Day, (2) Hickory House Ribs for breakfast, (3) Leaving Colorado, (4) Rhapsody pokes her head out the broken window, and (5) Rhapsody bundled up in the comforter to protect from the cold.

I've already driven thru an ice storm and slept in my car in subzero temperatures -- twice. But Day 10 was the toughest day so far, and there are still 70 days to go.

The day started promising, as a very-cold-but-very-sunny day in Aspen. It's a gorgeous little town, and even has a BBQ restaurant that serves ribs for breakfast. (I wasn't hungry enough to justify the cost, so I got a ham-egg-and-cheese sandwich -- delicious!)

Rhapsody and I spent nearly two hours in Aspen before heading back to the interstate so we could drive to Utah.

We hadn't been in Utah long when I heard a loud "Bang!" as the driver's-side window shattered next to my ear. The safety glass held together in a single piece, but it was vibrating wildly in the wind. (After a minute or so, I rolled down the window so it wouldn't break apart and send glass shards into the car.)

With no cars or trucks in front of me to potentially kick up a rock, my first instinct was that someone shot a gun at the car. I'm proud that I never swerved, but tightly clenched the steering wheel and floored the gas pedal to separate us from any potential danger.

My car got up to about 97 mph, and I kept it there for a few minutes until I knew that nobody could be following us. I then continued on until the next town so I could stop and check the damage. The window fell apart inside the door and couldn't roll up, but I thought things through and realized there was no bullet hole or impact point -- nobody was shooting at us. My guess is that it was caused by extreme temperature variations from the past few days.

It was 22^ F, and with no window it was going to be a chilly drive. I put on all of my winter gear, and wrapped up Rhapsody in the comforter in the back seat. We only had to make it to Donna Lawton's house in Ogden, Utah, and she was already making an appointment for me to get my window fixed.

The drive wasn't pleasant for me, but Rhapsody seemed very comfortable. We made it to Ogden in one piece, where Donna and her family set us up in a guest room (where I took a long-overdue shower) and fed us an excellent pot roast. (Rhapsody got some too.)

With a nice warm bed waiting, this will be the first night of the trip that we get to sleep before midnight, and I could certainly use the rest. Goodnight!