Wind, Wind, Wind

The day began well, a clean truck, donuts for breakfast and off down the road I went.  I picked up a 20 mile and hour wind out of the southwest just west of Topeka (about 60 miles from home).  The wind just got stronger as I went.  My lunch, usually eaten at a rest area picnic table, was moved to inside the truck at the rest area.  At Hays I don't know how high the wind was but it nearly blew my bluetooth headset out of my ear!  Just before I reached Oakley I heard that the interstate was CLOSED at Goodland due to sustained winds of 40 miles an hour and gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.  By the time I reached Colby, my destination of the day, the interstate was closed here.  Kansas is always windy and the highway is often closed for high winds out here where there is nothing to stop it.  I've never driven in any winds this high and I guess my pick up is a rather "high-profile" vehicle because it took two hands on the wheel to stay on the road at times.  Visibility was low in places from all the dust being blown about as well.  Between the dust and fighting to stay on the highway I didn't get to observe all the small details I like to report.  You can see my report of geography etc here.  It is fall this time so things are shades of yellow, rust and brown.  I had hoped to see fields of sunflowers, I did put unfortunately I'm too late to see the blooms just the seed heads drying on the stalk.

I did make a couple of stops, here:

Where I bought some yummy apple butter!  I also stopped at a quilt shop for a driving break but I didn't buy anything :(

After unloading at the hotel (my small suitcase blew off the cart twice! Thank goodness for the lovely housekeeping ladies who helped me with the door) I went to Montana Mike's steakhouse for dinner-my waiter's name was Colby.  Colby in Colby, pour guy!

As I'm sitting here in the Motel 6 the wind continues to blow, it whistles around the door and rattles the exhaust fan in the bath.  The forecast says it will stop later and that tomorrow it will be windy but not nearly as bad we shall see.  If I can't go any further tomorrow I'll enjoy Colby and think of another trip when a car broke down outside Russell and we discovered Hays!