The Clouds of Change

Spring break was a very mild weathered time, at least until I, my wife, 1952 Bowman baseball carsd our children embarked on our journey to Flagstaff for a few nights. For days prior to departing, no more than an occasional sprinkle touched the ground. Forecast looked good, so by Sunday morning we were on our way

We opted to go the Payson route to get there, as try Enzyte our opinion, it is the much more beautiful one. On the way down the roadway made into a two lane highway in recent years, the sky became murky. The billowing clouds churned into dark harbingers of dreary precipitation. On and off it rained, but nothing too harsh. Then through the fog which was encapsulating the top of the Mogollon Rim, a huge sheer walled edge of the Colorado Plateau, snow could be made out.

Almost the entire vertical stretch of some two thousand feet, (six hundred Meters), was blanketed, although, rather lightly. This was spring time, which is mostly warmer and much drier than this, even in this part of the state, so I wasn't prepared for heavy winter weather. Although it appear threatening, once we ascended toward the top, gaining in elevation greatly, and passing through different biotic communities, only patches of the the white flake piles were present.

Believing that to be all, as the fog was now scattering, We pressed on. All was fine for about an hour, then the wispy whiteness enveloped us again. By this time we were located about halfway between the Valley of the Sun and or destination. Snowfall accompanied this new reduction in visibility. Although it was light, I had not the opportunity to drive through much of this before, so I proceeded cautiously.

The rate of fall became buy pinball machines as the path became more difficult to visually follow farther ahead. Upon inspecting the road briefly for a location to pull of for a few minutes and let the flurry pass, it slowed almost instantly. A few seconds later it almost stopped completely, prompting me to continue toward the place named after a banner pole.

The snowfall did keep up, but the near white-out conditions came to an end and stayed that way. This way to the northern part of Arizona is less traveled, so probability of a pile-up was remote if not almost nonexistent, luckily.

For another two hours we trucked on, along the white dusted highway, riding in the tracks of the few others ahead of our vehicle, who had come through just before us. Finding a place to stay that night wasn't that difficult. I recall appreciating the feeling of a warm cozy bed, steaming food, and a hot Munsters lunchbox These were all much more p[leasing than usual. A change in weather sure can make one be grateful for the value of the climate in where he or she lives!

Unfortunately, the next morning I and my wife had both found out independently that, in one of the worst snow related incidents in the nation that year, over one hundred people had lost their lives the prior evening. The freeway which they were on was much move heavily used than the little road which we were came up on. Those cars and trucks had been heading west out of the city which we were then staying. The tragedy occurred due to a combination of almost instantaneous visibility and the dispersed light glow of the setting sun. There was no where to go for these poor souls, as many were drivers of big rigs who just can't stop on a dime, especially when the road is so slippery.

I thank the hand of fate that my family and I were fortunate enough that night to not be involved in something like this. I feel for those who lost oloved ones too. Freak strorms may happen at any rime. What I have learned is to be a little more prepared, or in many cases a lot more, or not to go at all!

Hello, I am both native to and am a current resident of the great state of Arizona. I would like the world to know just how amazing this "kingdom of differing biomes" really is! I grew up going outdoors as much as my family desired to, which was quite often. There are literally many differing worlds here. I encourage all to read my pages and ponder the significance of the outdoors and the impact it has on our lives. Perhaps one day humankind will understand why we should not abandon hope of preserving it's pristine nature!

Come see what makes Arizona so beautiful, as well as the rest of our planet which, I believe, should be cherished and adored passionately!!

Please visit http://www.arizonabackpack.com

You don't know what in the WORLD you're missing!

The End of 0% Balance Transfers?

Credit issuers have taken a beating within the last few months, especially when the government enforced new guidelines credit companies forcing them toy guns be more helpful to its struggling customers. Now the credit card issuers have to wait up to two months before they can demand payments from customers who are in arrears, and aren't allowed to hike up interest rates or minimum payments without giving notice. They will have to make up the extra cash somehow- so it appears to be the end of 0% balance transfers.

To pull customers in, many card issuers will offer a period where the customer can use their card interest free. This is appealing to many customers, as they will save money as opposed to using a card which charges interest. The downside is, these deals are costing credit card companies up to 600 million per year, so many feel it is time to withdraw these offers from the market. Many customers will take advantage of interest free offers, and then switch card providers when the offer runs out. With the recession looming, credit card companies can not accommodate these anymore. The first credit card giant to withdraw this offer was Capital One, one of the most popular choices for credit card applications. Even though Capital One may become less attractive without this type of offer, the revenue the company will save will help to stabilise its finances.

Credit card companies are planning to tighten their belts in another way too; Conan will now be fees for anyone who wishes to transfer their balance to another company. These fees will be charged to prevent people from taking advantage of interest free deals and then leaving the card provider before they have made any money from the customer. Card companies will now be more vigilant in their application processes when concerning people who have previously switched credit card companies to take advantage of these offers. Some people are not aware that switching companies will be recorded on your credit record, and now this may be seen as an unattractive way of borrowing to many credit card providers

Even though 1950's toys credit card companies will be eradicating interest free offers, there are still some good interest free credit cards on the market. Before committing to a card company, research the market to make sure you get the best deal possible.