Here is the story of my journey from the Bay Area of California all the way to River Falls, WI to pick up my sheep. Along for the ride was my sister Jennifer, who was equally lacking in experience with driving a big ass 4x4 truck or driving in snowy/icy road conditions, let alone with livestock on board. So here's the lowdown on the 1 truck, 2 girls, 5 days, 10 sheep, and 4,200 miles that were......
OPERATION SHEEP-O-RAMA
(click on any image for a larger view)
(click on any image for a larger view)
                    | This is the initial map I put together for the trip, with tentative stopping points along the way. Here is a shot of one of the many road signs along I-80 in Wyoming, all with equally ominous messages regarding the road conditions. This is a truck stop in Cheyenne, WY where I had intended to wash the windsheild of my truck, but when I tried to pick up the window squeegee, it wouldn't budge - it was frozen solid to the window washing solution which actually had a fluffy blue slurpee look. The same Wyoming truck stop where it was super freakin' bone-chilling COLD. My head was so numb that I swear my brain hurt. The windchill was so intense that despite my bundled up appearance, I felt like I was standing there completely naked. On the plus side....the front dashboard doubled as our ice chest for our food. It kept our yogurt very chilled and the bananas ended up being partially frozen! Here I am checking the oil in the parking lot of the Super 8 motel in Ames, Iowa, where some drunken frat boys had tried to hit on me and my sister the night before when we were checking in. The oil was a bit low so we added another quart. At last, we arrive in River Falls, Wisconsin and I finally get to meet my sheep. Here they are having one last meal before being loaded into my truck for the long journey to California. All 10 ewes are loaded up in the back of my truck, a tight fit for sure, but not too overcrowded. Plus we had the window between the camper shell and the cab of the truck to keep on eye on the girls. I believe that this photo speaks for itself. More commentary to come... |