Sunday, 23 December 2007
Today is the big day for our expected 3 hours drive over Stevens Pass to Leavenworth. Weather repots indicated it had been snowing along the route and storms were expected this pm so we decided to skip breakfast and hit the road as soon as possible. After a fruitless search for snow chains we were under way by 10:00, stopping only for a quick Maccas. Despite plenty of evidence of snowploughs constantly clearing the road, it was snowing non stop and driving conditions deteriorated as we approached the summit. Many smaller vehicles were forced to pull over and stop but the big Chevy, which we were now driving full time in low range 4WD mode in first or second gear handled the conditions well. After we crossed the summit and started the 20 miles descent to Leavenworth conditions got worse. Much of the time the road surface was not visible under the snow which was up to 20cm deep. By now there very few vehicles on the road and all heavy transport had been banned, With some relief we arrived at our house, some 4 hours after departure. The snow was thick around the house up to waist depth. The children headed immediately for the snow on a plastic toboggan which they rode down the drive. After unpacking, the girls took the car into the village of Leavenworth to load up on supplies for our Christmas dinner. That evening Emma proved to be king of the kids when she unloaded her XBox and showed them how to play. The day finally ended on a few drinks with and after dinner and Emma and Rod trudging through the snow ro hit the outdoor heated spa.