2 "Beauty Queens", 7 States, 72 Hours, 1 Crazy Adventure

Three years ago, Kelci Johnston was on her way home from work in New Mexico, when an unexpected blizzard picked up.  Kelci pulled off the road to call her roommate and let her know that she would be late coming home, as Kelci was taking it slow on the slick roads.  Only minutes after hanging up, however, back on the road, Kelci lost control of the vehicle, and her car rolled off a steep embankment.  In a ravine, off the side of an empty road in the middle of a snow storm, it was 45 minutes before another driver came along and found Kelci's car (considered a miracle, by many, that she saw Kelci's car at all).  Kelci still remembers being trapped upside down, glass around her face, blood pooling, and coming in and out of consciousness.

 Once at the hospital, Kelci had pieces of her scalp sutured back in place, broken bones set, her four missing front teeth replaced, and a brain injury treated.  She was told she may never walk again, and would certainly never run again (a devastating prognosis for a prior cross-country runner).

Three years later, Kelci is now a walking (and running!) miracle.  BUT, she still struggles with significant fear of driving in winter and dark, resulting in panic attacks when driving in certain conditions (reasonably so).  So, when Kelci and her younger sister, Abby, decided to move via Kelci’s car from Roswell, New Mexico (Kelci is the current Miss Roswell attending school in Hobbs) to Moses Lake, Washington.....in the middle of December.....it proved a slightly troubling matter for my dear friend.  But, always looking for an adventure (particularly when it involves travel!), and excited at the prospect of spending some amazing time with my dear friend (Kelci and I met when we were both contestants for Miss Moses Lake), I accepted her family's offer to buy me a one way ticket to Albuquerque so that I might drive with Kelci on the way back up.  And THUS BEGAN OUR GRAND ADVENTURE!!

…..OH! But to make things even more interesting…..Kelci has a fractured tibia and is currently on crutches.  :D

Day 1:

Kelci and Abby left southern New Mexico in the early afternoon on Day 1, and met me at the Albuquerque airport upon my arrival that evening.  As I climbed into the car, I instantly had my lap full of stuff.  The two sisters (Kelci – 22, and Abby – 17) had packed the entirety of their belongings into one small car, and had, as we all do, underestimated the space it would take up.  The car was so over-packed, that in the wall of stuff in the backseat and front passenger seat, when I slid in, I did not see Abby and asked “Was there a change in plans?  Did Abby fly home?”

We stopped for a quick dinner in Albuquerque to make some preliminary plans while eating, and then quickly proceeded onto Wal-Mart where we purchased straps to help us secureluggage to the top of the trunk.

Strapping luggage on top of the trunk, and shoving as much as we can inside!

High-Fiving our success!

Abby still VERY squished inside!  But it was going to have to work!!

After only a few hours of driving, we stopped for the night in Farmington, New Mexico.

 

Day 2:

We got what we thought was an early start, but somehow (I blame Kelci, hehehe!) got going in the wrong direction (south instead of north, go figure), and did not notice until about an hour in.  Once we were back on track, we stopped by the Four Corners National Monument, and proceeded to take pictures at every state border we passed!


Good-Bye New Mexico!!!

Arizona!

Laughing as Kelci insisted on making her own way to the Colorado State sign.



Colorado!

....Finally Kelci agreed to stay in the car while I jumped out.  Utah!!

At the Four Corners National Monument!!

Our goal had been to make it to Salt Lake City, Utah, but facing a mountain pass with an on-going blizzard, in the dark, we decided to stay the night at a small town just before the mountain pass.  We happily used the evening to swim in the hotel’s pool and sing Christmas carols a cappella at the top of our lungs.

Day 3:

We woke up to about 6 inches of snow on the ground outside our hotel window.  First thing that morning, I put my scarf, gloves, and (santa) hat on (Oops!  I forgot to pack a “real” hat), and headed out to show off my mad chaining-up skills.  The tires chained, we hit the pass nice and slow, and made it over with only a few minor panic attacks on the way.

 Perhaps my favorite part of the whole trip was the planned meeting up with my one of my best childhood friends, Liz Cook (Guy), in Salt Lake City.  Liz and I were incredibly close through middle school, when she moved to Alaska at the end of 8^th grade.  We have remained friends, since, via e-mail, but I have only seen her in person once since she moved.  Since I last saw her, nearly five years ago, Liz has nearly completed her Bachelor’s degree, has married a great guy, and is now 6 months pregnant with her first child!  It was an incredible opportunity to catch up with Liz, meet her husband, and spend the afternoon wandering through downtown Salt Lake City with the group of us.

Liz (on the L.) and I (on the R.) in the 8th grade.

Liz and I now.  Liz is still just as witty, intelligent and kind as I remember her!!

 

After leaving Salt Lake, we made it just to the base of yet another mountain pass with yet another snow storm, and decided to take on the wintery mountains in the morning.



All we got of the Idaho state sign as we were trying to beat the incoming blizzard!!



Note the "Changing Road Conditions Caution" road sign on the left.

 

 Day 4:

Two more Mountain Passes (including one called Deadman’s Pass…..reassuring, right?), another snow storm, and several stops for chaining and un-chaining later, we made it to the Washington border!  On the bright side, Abby was a PRO at helping me chain-up by our last time through….while Kelci and her broken leg stayed in the car to keep it warm for us ;-).

 

 

 

 

YEAAA!!!!  Almost home!!

 

 On our last leg home, we decided to stop in the Tri-Cities for some fun at the Kennewick, Washington mall.  With our matching holiday-themed outfits, we were sure to bring many smiles to those we passed!

  

We finally arrived in MOSES LAKE exactly 72 hours after we left Albuquerque.  HOORAY!!



 Best quotes of the trip: 1) When we hit the first sign of snow, Kelci started having a panic attack.  I was trying to keep Kelci calm, while also remain focused on the road – and it soon became quite the stressful ordeal.  About two hours in, Abby finally took her headphones off in the backseat, looked up and asked nonchalantly, “Oh!  Are the roads wet?!”

2) As we were checking into the hotel in southern Utah, the (rather flirtatious) guy at the front desk asked for my credit card and id.  Thumbing past my student id, I smiled and said “OH! You probably want a real id.”  He asks, “As opposed to a FAKE id?!”  Oops!!  Hahaha. 

3) Every time there was any crystalized precipitation falling from the sky, Kelci would go wide eyed and ask, “IS THAT SNOW?!?!”  My responses started with “No!  That’s God’s tears turning into hexagons!”…and moved onto “No, it’s angels’ dandruff!” and “No, there was an accident at a cotton factory nearby.”  :D  Hey, distracted laughter is a great key to relieving distress!!

Favorite names of places we passed: Starvation Road, Deadman’s Pass, and a town named Cuba – complete with an “Entering Cuba, Village Limit” sign.