South Dakota Whiteout

near Worthington, MN


blowing snow, South Dakota


wind turbines in blowing snow, spinning slowly


sheets of blowing snow crossing the interstate at right angles, South Dakota

The end of the day turns into a hellride, as an hour before sundown, the sun itself lost behind gray clouds and gray blowing snow, the road becomes covered with glare ice, sheet ice, black ice. You have to slow down or spin out, as many have done, emergency vehicles with blue and red spinners on top hovering near. It's made worse by the drivers too stupid to slow down, including big rig trucks who tailgate you, flashing their brights. Some days you can't help but fantasize vengeful justice for such dangerous folly.

Then I made it to a hotel in Mitchell, SD, had dinner, and retreated for the night. Cold, snow, wind, night. And so ends the first day of the current roadtrip.

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Postscript, the following morning:

I'm not expecting to do much poetry on this roadtrip. Although the surprise visitation of the muse is always welcome, of course. As I've commented recently, I'm more focused on music than poems lately, and for good reason. I'm going to be saving my poetry chops for writing song lyrics, for now, as part of an upcoming project which I'll save discussion for another time. Meanwhile, I need to pack the truck and hit the road already.