Snow? In July!

Snow? In July!

Suzanne Marsh

Being a professional seat cover for twenty two years I thought I had seen everything. All most everything that is; until we had a load going to sunny California. It was mid July in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. It was a beautiful sunny day, when we left Albuquerque, New Mexico to deliver a load in Ontario, California. My husband and I both had shorts on and the ac on. Little did we know how quickly the weather would change. Being from Buffalo, New York nothing should have surprised us. Good old Interstate 40, it was never my favorite interstate, and those dark clouds on the horizon did nothing to endear it to me. This was before the advent of the GPS, back in the day, truckers read maps and hoped for the best. The best left once we got into the mountains.

Storm clouds began to gather, the big rig was getting colder. Never one to be deterred my husband drove on into the black storm clouds; this did not bode well. I knew that type of cloud; we lived in Buffalo, New York...those looked like snow. My mind however was not willing to accept that possibility this was the middle of July! Snow simply did not happen this time of the year; end of the discussion. I kept staring warily out the passenger window.

"Honey, I know those are snow clouds, you know like the ones that gather over Lake Erie

just before it snows."

"Don't be silly, this is the middle July! Trust me it is not going to snow."

"Well, if it is not going to snow; why have you got the heat on?"

"I can tell you're cold."

"You're cold to."

That being said, I settled down, still watching those clouds suspiciously. Then the inevitable happened; it began to snow. Huge corn flake type flakes. Sparkling white snow. There I sat, in shorts,

a top and sneakers. This was insane, it could not be happening, after all snow did not occur in mid July. This was not happening to us. Snow, in July, I hoped I would awake from this nightmare and soon! The Arizona state boarder was almost one hundred miles away. I hoped that we would get out of the snow shortly...the bathroom was beckoning. I had no intention of getting out of the truck with shorts and no jacket...wasn't happening, not in this lifetime at any rate. The snow continued to fall, sticking to the trees, almost like a bizarre Currier and Ives painting. We continued up the mountain, we were loaded light. In snow that is not a wonderful thing. We slowed down to almost a crawl. Then another truck passed us; he was loaded heavy, around forty two thousand pounds, we had ten thousand. We followed the truck. This snow storm was crazy, no matter which way I looked at.

Murphy's Law: if anything can go wrong it will. There was a state trooper coming down the road on our side. I closed my eyes, clenched my teeth; embedding my fingernails in the arm rest. My heart was in my throat, as he pulled over into his own lane again. We were still on the mountain attempting to get out of the snow storm. I began complaining loudly about Interstate 40:

"Where are the snow plows?"

"I don't think they were planning on a winter storm in July."

"Yeah, well they need to get several of them up here. How much further to the Arizona

boarder."

"If we don't get stuck, another hour and half."

"Stuck?!!!!! Oh no, OH HELL NO."

"Nothing I can do about that. Remember that adage: SNOW GO SLOW, ICE NO DICE."

"This stuff is beginning to ice over, we may have to pull over before to much longer."

Things were simply not looking good here. Not only was the sky not clearing up, the snow was coming down harder. This was not a good thing; were we going into a blizzard? Oh no, not in the middle of July. We had one more mountain to cross, then we would be in Arizona, and hopefully warmth. Good old Murphy was not finished yet! The snow was easing however now I had a larger problem...I needed a bathroom.

"Can't you wait? We are almost in Arizona, you get out of the truck now, you'll be like

an icicle."

"Yes, and if we don't stop at the rest area...it won't be pretty."

"Why didn't you go before we left."

"I did, but that snow made me cold."

"You don't have a jacket, snow is sticking the ground. Be reasonable and wait a few more

miles."

The thought of getting out of the truck; running through the snow in shorts and sneakers, when put that way was not very appealing. Not appealing to anyone especially me, I don't like being cold. The thought of running in snow was not a good idea. If I slipped, that would no doubt hurt. Okay, I decided I would wait. I began to squirm in my seat. This was going to a long ride, no matter which way I looked at the situation. I hate snow! I hate being cold! My usual winter litany.

The snow was not subsiding, it was intensifying.

"Honey, we need to stop sooooooooon!!!!!"

My husband knew that sentence all to well. He pulled into the rest area at the top of the mountain. It might have been a beautiful scene, except for two problems: one it was snowing, two I was going to have to make a mad dash to the bathroom. What a sight I must have made: my husband's one pair of jeans wrapped around me. I made a run for it as soon as the truck stopped. I ran, slipping and sliding toward my destination. I can still see to this day a woman who watched my rather reckless run, she was fascinated:

"I always thought truckers had toilets in their rigs."

"No, most don't. Where would you get such an idea?"

"You hear things."

"Hear things?"

"Yes."

"Excuse me, but I really do need to go to the bathroom."

Why was I having a this conversation? I came in here to use the ladies room. The snow was melting from my hair, dripping down my back. My sneakers were dripping on the floor of the ladies room. I was half frozen. When I returned to the truck, my husband made a cup of hot cocoa, all was now well with my world.

We delivered in Ontario, California, the following morning; none the worse for wear. Sometimes when I am out on the road I really do expect to see Rod Sterling, as we journey through the United States!