Montana Winter

It was midnight before the Trucker guided his rig into the Saltese Rest Area off Route 90, on the Idaho/Montana line.  One space remained on the hard snowpack that was the parking lot.  The day's miles were etched in his weary face.  

No quiet to be had, this night.  The thermometer stood at -2.  The engine would run all night to keep its fuel and its passengers warm.  Streetlights cast a yellow glow over the area, silent but for the the low rumbling growl of the eighteen wheeled dragons, exhaust billowing from their nostrils as they slept.

(Speaking of nostrils - those fine hairs inside one's nostrils freeze quickly in these temperatures, and crackle when one breathes.  And the Passenger learned it's best to keep one's mouth closed in such weather.  The cold is painful on sensitive teeth. ) 

  

Plows had done their work over the course of the winter months.  A good three feet of solid snow capped the building's roof.  More than that bordered the drive, in fact the building snuggled into snow up to its eaves, where the roof's cap took over.

The photos have a yellowish cast due to the streetlights.

Snow as high as the roof.

Trash cans dug out for accessibility.

The Trucker, patiently waiting.

Taken from the cab; the color change is from the headlights of another truck just pulling in to park.

At last, the Trucker's day is complete.  His truck grumbles contentedly under its breath, vibrating gently.  The bunk is warm.  Steps away is an equally warm building containing ample "facilities."

And tomorrow is another day.