You would have thought we crossed the International Date Line...

It was below zero when I went out to start Big Red this morning.  We pushed as far as we did yesterday so we could leave this morning after the sun came up.  I intentionally parked the truck facing southeast to get some solar warming this morning.  And it was sunny.  So damn cold, though, that I had to bring the rays of sunshine inside to thaw out so they could provide any bit of warmth.

Big Red is a champ.  She fired up immediately.  A bit noisy, but that may have had something to do with the fact that her fresh oil likely had the consistency of honey... on a cold day.  And this qualifies as a cold day.  I let the engine warm up for a few minutes before pulling the truck to the entrance of the hotel.  We loaded up, put little Izzy inside, and headed north.

Little Izzy was in her sweater.  I kept my stocking cap and gloves on.  Did I mention it was cold?  Izzy sat by me...

... until Joan got the fleece blanket (Izzy's favorite) out.  She quickly settled in...

Fortunately, there was less snow as we drove north.  The roads in town in Salina were nasty last night - I had expected the highway to the north to be more of the same.  It wasn't...

We had 4 lane road for the first 100 miles or so, then down to two lane.  A strong crosswind, but no snow!  And, did I mention the cold??

We had a small celebration in the truck when the temperature finally clawed its way above zero...

It was a small victory, but a step in the right direction.  At one point, the heat DOUBLED and made it up to 2º!!!  It didn't last long.  While checking weather, Joan said, "It is 42º at home - I bet you'd be happy to see 42º right now!"

Yep.

We made it safely in to Osmond, where the funeral will be.  Big Red is a champ.  Izzy is a great traveler.  Joan is a wonderful navigator.  I am cold and tired.  ;-)