Stayed overnight in Kayenta, where we saw temperatures drop well below freezing. Waking up in the morning we had to be really careful walking to breakfast because of all the black ice and frozen puddles. As things were getting underway, a pickup slide off the road into a ditch in front of the 7 2 11 convenience store. A few of the crew almost face planted too. Not good conditions for driving. Our precision driver, Linda killed it though with the all wheel control system getting us through the Ice. After checking models, we decided to head north to Telluride to try and catch snow in southwestern Colorado. An upper level continued to bring periods of mountain snow, and a valley rain/snow mix as it lifted out of the area. Winter Weather Watches, Winter Storm Warnings, and even an Avalanche Warning were issued for the area in anticipation of today's snowfall.
From Kayenta, we traveled northward and through the Four Corners, before stopping in Dolores to talk to locals about last night's/this morning's snowfall. According to today's Local Storm Reports, the area saw a good amount. To see these totals click through the versions of today's storm report here: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/product.php?site=gjt&produ ct=lsr&issuedby=GJT&format=CI&version=1&glossary=0
The locals encouraged us to drive through the mountain passes to catch today's snowfall. We took their advice and found light snow showers as we climbed to an elevation of about 10,300ft. This was a great success! After filming in the mountains, we decided to head to Telluride and finish Day 3 of our Ride The Storm Adventure.
Tomorrow we think we'll hang around the mountains. Even though a weak high pressure system builds into the area, a few high elevation snow showers may hang around some of the highest peaks of the area.
Until tomorrow,
Jess and Tim
