Wednesday 7th December – The Outstanding Kindness of Strangers

This is a long one. Grab a cup of coffee and a comfy chair, I promise it’ll be worth it.

I’m starting this entry in retrospect. Last night when I left Strabucks, my car was covered in three hours worth of snow so first step to getting going was wiping the windows and windscreen of the powder. As I was doing this, I noticed a plastic bag attached to my driver’s door handle. “What the hell? Who is hanging shit on my car?” was my first reaction. With gloved hands, I awkwardly opened the bag and saw that there was a note inside (pictured below).

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Understanding it was from an admirer, I closed the bag and put it in the van, to be looked at after I’d made camp. If it wasn’t for the snow, I would have driven off with the bag hanging there since the driver’s door still doesn’t work, so I never go to that side of the car. At least the extreme cold is good for something!

I ended up back at the same spot as last night since it seemed to work. I had a little trouble turning the car around to get into the spot, having to drive a bit further to find flat ground so my wheels didn’t spin in the snow. Eventually parked, I inspected the bag.

The note was attached to a book, “Desert Solitaire” by Edward Abbey because she’s seen “Into the Wild” through the window. Inside the pages of the book was a $1 bill, two beer vouchers for breweries in Boulder and a postcard. Not only that, Kaylee had also gifted me with a warm pair of socks, some Starbucks coffee satchels (I’ll keep these for when I have guests!), a Clif bar, a wooden carving of a large dog (I think?), and a decent pair of ski goggles. All from a complete stranger who happened to admire the van.

Wow.

I mean wow.

This completely blew my mind, I was in a frenzy! I flipped the note back and forth, searched every page for contact details, something more than “Kaylee” so that I could get in touch and thank her for the generosity and meet this amazing person! Unfortunately, I turned nothing up, not even the receipt in the shopping bag gave anything away. I had to tell someone! I managed to get hold of Jon, who was busy at work, but he indulged me five minutes to tell him about this incredible experience. He was just as awed as I, surprised and encouraged by such a random act of kindness by a complete stranger. I needed that phone call to calm me down out of my state of bewilderment. With no contact details, I will endeavour to “pay it forward” so I can give someone else the same feeling I had.

It didn’t feel right to put my gifts away amongst my things so I put them all back in the bag and stowed them before I made dinner and snuggled up in bed to watch an episode of “North America”, a nature series by Discovery Channel (courtesy of Anthony, thank you!). Before bed, I turned the fridge off, not that it was consuming any power anyway, but the gauge read -7oC, clearly it is functioning perfectly well without power!

As the temperature dropped to -24oC overnight, I remained warm under the covers in the van, so much so that I had stripped all my clothes off by morning. I woke early, probably because of the cold and the incremental travel of my top mattress towards the back of the car since I was on a slight slope.

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I was busting to go to the bathroom, but when I exited stage left, the guy whose yard I was parked in front of was shovelling his driveway so became clearly aware that I’d been camped just outside his front yard. Morning! Bathroom thoughts aside, the first step of the morning was to get the car out of the snow and on the road. Confident, I started the car to get it warmed up while I wiped the windows free of snow. Damn, it was thick, but just powder so it slid right off. I devised a plan to reverse out of the parking spot, rolling down the hill onto the ploughed street where there would be grip. This was great except I didn’t have enough room to swing, so my back tyre ended up sitting on the kerb and that was as far as I could move it. I couldn’t move the car up the hill so I was stuck.

As I got out of the car to assess my predicament, a very kind gentleman (bloody attractive too) jumped out of his truck to give me a push. With his manpower pushing on the back doors and me on the “gas”, we managed to move the car forward about a meter. That was as far as it was going. I thanked my gentleman and sent him on his way, assuring him I had snow chains that would get me out of this. He wished me happy travels. If he hadn’t helped, I’m not sure how I would have engineered my way out, especially when the neighbour with the shovel stood watching while all this was going on. Clearly he wasn’t willing to lend a hand.

So, chains. I wasn’t upset, angry or pissed off, just accepting that this was what was necessary to move on. I dug the chains out from the jack compartment (which involved the moving around of many goods within the van) and had a quick glance at the instructions to make sure I remembered how to put them on because I know I got it wrong the first time I tried about a year ago. Down in the snow on my Thai mat, it is a fiddly job and one that is NOT possible to do with gloves on. Did I mention it was -24oC? This would have been impossible with the exhaust hot, which wasn’t the case so I was grateful for that at least.

Chains on, I then spent a good ten minutes clearing some tracks in the snow for the wheels. Gonna do something? Do it properly. I desperately wanted to ask to borrow my neighbour’s shovel but I don’t think he’d have abliged, my boots did the job well enough.

Back in the car, I pressed gently on the accelerator and felt blessed traction underneath me. I was away. It had probably taken around an hour and I still hadn’t gone to the bathroom! My bodily needs had been suppressed by more urgent matters. It was good to learn I have that superpower.

At Safeway, I used the bathroom, which was quiet enough for me to wash my face and hair in the sink. Even this was an ordeal since my shampoo and facewash were frozen solid. After a few rounds holding the bottles under the hairdryer and fishing some of the lotion out with my keys, I was away! Bloody hell this cold weather business is difficult!

I wandered the Safeway for a bit, just for the warmth and to let my hair dry properly before getting back out into the weather. Strangely enough, it didn’t actually feel that cold, probably because of minimal wind. It was just warm enough to make breakfast in the kitchen, instead of the living room floor It was nice to cook standing up, but I definitely retreated to the comfy chair to eat my oats.

My feet cold, I put on Kaylee’s pair of warm socks over the ones I already had on, ever more grateful for her kindness. I drove out of the carpark back to the national park, not for any hiking today (too cold, boots are wet and legs a bit sore) but to drive along the roads that were open. At the gate, a very friendly ranger asked about my travels and when I said I was off to Germany soon he started speaking German! He tought me how to say “I have no idea” in Deutsch, but I’ve already forgotten what it was so I’m no better off. He was happy to see the chains on my tyres and sent me on my way.

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Like yesterday, the morning was clear, but by the time I drove out of the park at lunch, the clouds had come over and shrouded the mountains and the valley in snow again. In the window I had, I managed to drive pretty high for some great views over the meadow I’d hiked through and the snow-capped peaks of the rockies. Longs Peak (the tallest at over 14,000 feet) was elusive remaining hidden by the snow cloud.

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As I exited the park, I couldn’t feel my feet so I retreated to a Maccas where I just browsed my phone and checked my emails until my toes came back to me. I filled up with petrol, then made my way down the mountain alongside the national park. Having driven up the mountain in the sunshine, I expected to drive a few miles down and be greeted by similarly clear weather. Nope. The snow had reached everywhere.

About three-quarters the way down, I started hearing high frequency “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”. Chains. The roads were ploughed, but I kept the chains on because 1, they are such a pain in the arse to get on and off and 2, I figured I was safer with them on for braking. I pulled over and got out to inspect. One of the chain links had snapped. I stood for a minute considering my options. I could take the chains off, cut the broken link off or get it out of the way somehow. I went for option 3. The most readily accessible tool I had was electrical tape so I wrapped the snapped piece of wire around another piece out of the way and taped away, very generously. Again, no gloves, minus-something freakin’ cold.

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Spot the defect!

Satisfied, I continued on, discovered there was a slightly less intense “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” noise when I drove above 30 mph. I wasn’t ready to get back out of the car so I just drove slowly. There was no one else around me so no matter. Eventually I caved and got out to take the chains off. I would have to take my chances on the ploughed roads, I didn’t want to muck around with these chains. As I was taking them off I realised the source of the noise as a clip that had come undone, but I was already half way through taking them off so I committed to it. I packed them back up in the bag, hoping against all hopes that I wouldn’t have to get them out again in the near future.

Chain problems aside, the drive down the mountain was gorgeous, especially the few little towns that sat off the highway. I couldn’t imagine living full time in such a fiercely white landscape, but it sure looked pretty.

When I made it to Lyons, the ploughed but slushy roads made me nervous. The information center was shut so I searched for the library so I could sit somewhere warm. After doing a few u-turns thanks to misleading signs, I found the tiny library along the main street. Grateful, I parked, careful to avoid deep snow and went inside, happy to feel some warmth. I asked the librarians if they could advise a good spot in the area to soak up some warmth since the visitor’s centre was closed. A man that had been talking to the librarian listed a bunch of suggestions.

When he asked where I was from in Australia, I responded with Queensland per normal, then he asked, “Mackay?” I ogled. I say I’m from Queensland because hardly anyone here knows Brisbane, let alone the place I was born! I said as much to him and the librarian just smiled and said, “I love this town”. My new friend had a girlfriend from Mackay and lived in Australia on and off for seven years. When I asked directions to a pizza place he’d recommended, he walked me out onto the street to point it out and also showed me some of the other options I might like. He introduced himself as Sunny Smith and invited me to visit his art studio just around the corner. Such a nice man. That is three kind acts from strangers in less than a day!

At Pizza Bar 66, I ordered a meatball sandwich with cheese and broccoli soup. They had great music playing and the waiter/barman was a complete gentleman. If you ever find yourself in Lyons with a few hours to kill, this place is the bomb. I set myself up at a window table, got my laptop out and watched the last of the F1 coverage over my yummy hot meal. Worth every cent, I was done playing cheap in this weather. F1 finished, I moved on to research of warmer places. After today’s experience, I now know that I do not want to spend 1-2 months in the golden states of Utah, Colorado and Arizona in the freezing cold. It would mean missing out on too much climbing, riding and hiking, so I needed somewhere to spend January and February before heading back to this area.

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I considered Central America but decided it was too hard because of the numerous dangerous regions that exist there, it would be too hard to keep track of them. In the end, I settled on Florida. Once back from Germany, I can hot-foot it across the country to the south-eastern tip and maybe even take up surfing! From there, I can skirt west along the coast and keep my shorts on until I make it back to the golden states. Of course, subject to change, but I don’t mind a bit of backtracking if it means I get to feel my hands and feet 100% of the time and not have to worry about getting stuck somewhere in a pile of white. It made me feel better knowing I had a way to escape the extreme weather.

It was nearing 4pm and daylight was dimming. Not wanting to drive anywhere in the dark, I ventured back out into the cold and unfortunately couldn’t find Sunny Smith’s art studio so I drove out of town. While there were a few free camp options in national forest nearby, I wasn’t going to venture onto un-ploughed roads, so I drove into the Longmont Walmart carpark. There were other caravans and campers in sight which gave me confidence.

It was too early for dinner, so I wandered the main street, talking to Dad, then to Mum about the escapades of the day, much to their (and my) delight. I was the only one walking on the street, but it was manageable. Every fifteen minutes or so, I would just duck into a shop and wander till I warmed up again then head back out.

My last stop was Panda Express where I had dinner for $7 (again, worth it) which filled me right up. I managed to camp there until about 8:30 when I retreated to the van. I’m not looking at the forecast tonight, I will take whatever comes!

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Actual Astro tracks.He he he 🙂

One Comment

  1. adechiaro says:

    You’re welcome for the videos, glad to hear they are helpful! 🙂

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