The Great Continental Divide

So I had a great weekend! My friend and I decided to get a weekend away from the house, kids and drudgery and go shopping in Missoula. We were also celebrating her birthday and trying to distract me from being so homesick since I was missing my nephew's wedding this weekend. So it was just us girls. We got to go out to eat and enjoy restaurants we don't have here. We got to shop for as long as we wanted without worrying about exasperated husbands and unruly kids. We are both moms of boys, so it was nice to do girly stuff without the reticule of the y chromosomes in our lives!

I drove since my van is much more economical than her SUV. I knew we were expecting a little bit of snow over the weekend, but holy crap did I underestimate this storm system! Going wasn’t' so bad because the rain and snow was light. We arrived in Missoula in record time and proceeded to really enjoy our time away. When I talked to Craig that night he was worried about my return trip and wanted me to take extra care. Since he's not a worrier or paranoid at all, this got my attention. He told me that Great Falls had about 2-4 inches of snowfall since we left. Hmmm. Missoula was about 40 degrees with no snow. The day was partly cloudy and actually pleasant considering this is Montana. So we left Missoula at about 3 PM and we were watching for the weather.

The first half of the trip was awesome, no snow, no rain and partly cloudy. Being surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains and rolling Missouri River was glorious. Then we started to see the on coming cars. They were caked in a slushy, snowy sheen of ice and snow. As we drove on we started to see some flurries, but still it was nice. And then we began to climb the pass of the Great Continental Divide. Can you say, "Scared out of my ever-lovin' mind?!?!" Holy crap! As the elevation climbed the snow got thicker, the road was packed with white. Still we climbed and climbed. The flurries got huge the road got slippery. Onward we went. As you look around your view is of massive pine trees frosted with snow, the gradure of the Rockes, the beauty of it all is breathtaking. However when I looked at the guard rail it was covered with snow that was scraped by the snow plows and beyond the guard rail is a white abyss!

We finally reach the summit and my palms are sweaty, my breathing is shallow. I am relieved at this point because I feel like I've reached the finish line, and then it dawns on me...what goes up, must come down!!! Ho-lyyyyy SHIIITTTTT!!!!!!!! Now I'm going down hill, sharply! The road is curvy, packed with snow and slick. My body is in a complete state of full blown panic attack! I think the pain in my stomach might just do me in. I'm certain that I'll hyperventilate and we'll go careening down the mountain. All I can envision is the headlines: "Military Wives Plummet to Their Death on the Great Divide!" I don't think I've ever been quite this scared. I'm almost frightened to the point of being immobile. Just when I think I can take no more, we're at the bottom of the pass!

I am so grateful that I'm incapable of any speech other than, "Thank You God!" The rest of the trip was full of snow, but certainly not as harrowing as the trek from on high! We then journeyed to the store to pick up some vittles for our families and on home we went, as if nothing much had transpired. But by the time I dropped Michelle home and made it back to my house, I was nothing but a puddle of goo!

The best thing in the whole world is to have an adventure like that and then to walk into the door to three little beasties jumping for joy, "You're home! You're home! Mom we missed you so much!" I was gone for a grand total of 34 hours and this is my homecoming! Am I lucky or what?

Later that night, after the kids went to sleep and my guy and I are snuggling, I express to him my total and utter terror of the day. I told him how deeply grateful I am that I made it down the pass alive and how good it feels to be home. He said that he was thankful that I was home too. He said that he had some prayers of thanksgiving that day. He looked around at our boys and the happy, warm home that we've built here and he gave God his thanks. He said, "We've got such a great life!" I agree.