Chapter 9

That left the three of us with a decision to make about when to move on or even if. If we moved on, where would then become a necessary subject for discussion. We all watched the news and the Weather Channel.

The Weather Channel was now predicting that we would have an early, cold winter over the entire nation starting no later than the middle of August. That was a month away but preparations needed to start and we needed to think about staying in Canada or trying to make it home. From what I could see, there were no magical answers and no choice would be easy.

A day later, we started out easterly to Medicine Hat. It was a bit southeast so we could get a feel for what to expect. Travel was good. We continued on the town of Swift Current. It was a little more north but much more east. We had driven for almost four hours.

Even though it was early, we stopped for the night in an RV park. We had a good meal and watched more television. I made it a point to keep the truck filled with gas and to talk to everyone who would talk with me about what they might know or think.

Misty noticed. “Taylor, you always talk to people but I sense you are making an extra effort now.”

“I’ve always enjoyed talking to people and finding out about them. It’s surprising what you can learn indirectly. Right now, someone may have a snippet of information that may save one or all of us later. I’m trying to learn and also make friends to the extent possible. We don’t know where we’ll wind up. I would like for us to be liked.”

Sharon had also been listening. Both women nodded at my words.

In the morning, we left for Winnipeg, Manitoba, a long drive. It got us further away from Yellowstone and its problems. It did leave us due north of Wisconsin so I knew it would get very cold in winter. However, I thought that getting east might be good for us if more eruptions occurred. I wanted to get away from sources of seismic activity. I told Misty who nodded in agreement. We would stop for a couple of days to better assess driving conditions in the part of the US south of us as well as climate.

Climate was swiftly resolved. This would be a very cold place in the winter. Also, I noted that the transition would be fast. That wasn’t good. The weather forecasters were very unsure whether we would have a warm winter or a cold winter because of Yellowstone. It was a new phenomenon that none of them could really predict. A few gave it their shots and reasoning but they were all hedging.

The ash cloud from Yellowstone was mostly traveling south and east. We were beyond it now. However, new eruptions or a different direction for the prevailing wind could change that abruptly.

I started looking at ways south. There was still empty land by comparison south of us. Traveling further east could become a problem as we would be in the rust belt and I-75. I knew that road but wasn’t sure about traveling it in times of potential civil unrest. I didn’t want to be in a riot.

We could drive due south almost to Omaha before looking at alternates to avoid the big cities. I talked this over with Misty and Sharon. They felt that heading south was an idea whose time had come.

We would plan for a two-day trip to get to Omaha. From there, we would have to do some more planning based upon what we found on the trip down.

We started out the next morning. The biggest hiccup we experienced was at the border though our passports were sufficient, barely. We were questioned about the lack of stamps from the Canadian border patrol upon our entry into Canada. I stayed polite but did question when that protocol began. We were told it had always been that way. We were handed our passports to go through. I said, “Officer, with all due respect, which is a lot, that is not true. I’ve crossed the border over the years into Canada and back and never had my passport stamped. This is new and when we went in a week ago, the Canadian border patrol had no idea of this necessity.”

We walked out to get in the truck. The man was red faced and followed me. Misty began videoing him with her phone. He said, “You can’t call me a liar!”

I turned and said, “What is it then, officer, when you falsely state something?”

He saw Misty standing fifteen feet away with her phone and realized that he was about to be a horrible example. “Just get out of here!”

“Yes, sir.”

We left. I didn’t breathe easily until we had been gone for about an hour.

We drove through eastern North Dakota and into eastern South Dakota peacefully. In Watertown, we stopped for the night at an RV park. We had gassed up before stopping. The clerk at the gas station described troubles going on with some local toughs down in Sioux Falls. He warned us to go around that area while the local police got things back under control.

Once at our site and hooked up, we listened to local newscasts for more information. That was when we heard two things that were worrisome. First was that the US-Canadian border was being closed by “mutual agreement.” The second was that the National Guard was being called to Sioux Falls to “maintain order.”

We all looked at each other. I said, “If they’re being called, order is a problem. It’s not a matter of maintaining it. They will be there to get things back under control.”

Sharon said, “Dad, I think we should rethink our route. Interstates may not be the best idea. We could miss Sioux Falls, Sioux City, and Omaha. It wouldn’t be out of the way, just different. I’ve become concerned about cities. Besides Sioux Falls isn’t that big. There’s going to be a lot of people between us and home.”

“That’s true, Sharon, and they don’t know us nor we them.”

I paused. “Ladies, I have two concerns that are new and bothersome. First, why is the border closed? Second, how are we going to stay out of trouble with this civil unrest?”

Misty sad, “Taylor, you believe that the border closing may be part of a greater systemic problem and tied in with the civil troubles we’re hearing about in the newscasts.”

“Yes, possibly, maybe. It’s a natural disaster but it’s affecting people well outside the problem zone. It’s all happened quickly. Those things worry me.”

Sharon said, “Let’s check Weather Channel. If we’re going to have winter in less than a month, perhaps signs of it are showing up now.”

Misty said, “I worry for Dave but he will have to take care of himself. We may have all we can handle taking care of us.”

We turned to the Weather Channel. The information wasn’t good. First, there were holes in the coverage and some of those holes were for areas not subject to ash and clouds. Second, there was little information coming from Canada though Canada didn’t generate much news anyway to the US. We talked it over. Misty would look for information on Canada, particularly weather-related. Sharon would map out routes. I would look at weather information in the areas probably impacted by Yellowstone’s eruptions.

It took a while and we let the TV yammer without listening. I heard that the Weather Channel was going to start a special on Yellowstone. I perked up my ears.

I knew Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was not responding. I wondered about Cody and Casper. Further away, I wondered about Cheyenne and Denver. The special about Yellowstone might have some gems of information in it. I figured on a lot of history that wouldn’t help but was willing to listen to filter out any diamonds that may have made it through. Even learning nothing might be informative.

Misty and Sharon saw my look and started listening also.

The beginning was what I had expected. There were allusions to current events and a good bit of history. It was pablum enhanced with many statements that took positions without any basis being given for those positions. It all seemed to be leading to justifying what had happened as being predicted. I wanted to know more about what was happening and hearing about any predictions for the future.

About half way through the program, we were treated to some information on current events. It appeared from the maps that the volcanic eruptions had created a real volcano around the hot springs area. What was more interesting was that there had been two eruptions further south which were growing their own volcanos. I also learned from looking at a map that was shown on screen that California was suffering from earthquakes and it was suggested that their situation would get worse. The commentators never mentioned California but that was what the maps were showing. The commentator paid more attention to the smoke coming from Mount St. Helens. That gave me pause since that eruption would be off the line shown previously.