I68 wilderness

I68 wilderness
Originally uploaded by timmenzies.

After southern Utah, my favorite drive in the USA is I68 going east at sunset in the fall.

Its a very lonely part of the world- top of some steep ridges. Late at night its just you and 1000 deer eager to be hamburger.

And in the winter, I68 is a treacherous son of a bitch. The worst blizzard I've ever drive through was on I68- crawling forward at 5 mph, unsure if I was driving across or down the road.

I68 it gets pretty crappy at times. The section through Cumberland, Maryland is infamous as the most substandard part of any interstate, anywhere (narrow lanes and very limited line-of-sight, a 40 mph speed limit, most exits are posted at 15 mph).

But even when scary, its beautiful. One winter's day I saw a funny gray cloud around the ridge ahead. It turned out to be an odd kind of frost- a 1" condom of ice around every tree, stick, and shrub. Branches were broken off everywhere and some trees where bent horizontal under the weight. Most spectacular.