I have driven to Salt Lake City several times with no issues. Yes, even in winter. My luck finally ran out. I-80 was closed in the western part of Nebraska last evening so I stopped for the night earlier than planned. This morning truckers told me I-80 was closed in parts of Wyoming. They were then traveling I-76 to Denver and then west on I-70. I have taken this route before and felt guilty passing signs that indicated the road to the place where my oldest son is living. Silly me forgot that he was traveling back to Minnesota to visit his daughter and grandson. He was actually at the Denver airport that was near to where I was traveling. By the way, his plane is delayed.

Shortly after 3:00 east of Denver there was a traffic backup. I could see lots of smoke in the distance. Apparently there was an accident. Traffic was not moving and there was no exit nearby. I figured it was a pretty serious crash. I later heard that traffic a mile or so back was made to exit but I was with the cars that had nowhere to go. I saw some drive down into the ditch, through the snow, and up the other side. I am not that brave or dumb.  2 hours later, snow plows cleared a path so our few blocks of cars and trucks could cross to eastbound 76. I exited and came west on Highway 2. I do have a good sense of direction and took that to an exit that got me back on 76. 76 turns into 70 and I was headed to Grand Junction for the night.

I stopped to have some dinner in Golden, got gas, and began my westward trek. It seemed pretty dark in front of my car even though I had just washed the headlights. The light switch was definitely on. I got off 70 at an exit and looked at the headlights. Yep, no headlights. The fog lights worked. Called AAA but it is Sunday night and repair places weren’t open.

Thus, I am staying in Golden tonight and will drive to a dealership in the daylight. When I stopped at the hotel, the woman at the front desk told me their computer system was down. I laughed and told her it fit with my day. I am now safely in the hotel room, armed with water and chocolate.

Now for the punchline. The fire was from a semi that was carrying a load of beer. I like beer. Maybe not today. It was good to hear that there were no injuries.

This link tells about the beer:
http://www.9news.com/story/traffic/2015/01/04/semi-truck-fire-commerce-city/21265627/

This link neglects to mention the beer but has some scary pictures.
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/01/04/semi-fire-forces-i-76-to-close-near-commerce-city/

© 2015, Paula Stuart-Warren. All rights reserved.

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