This is an early-morning photo taken in Grants Pass, Oregon at the start of the second day of a five-day drive to Phoenix.

The first day had been a dreary 400-mile drive in rain. The weather forecast for this area said there would be snow mixed with rain in the afternoon, but the snow arrived early and with vigor. The snow turned to slush quickly. Driving with rain tires was no sweat as long as I was easy on the accelerator. By the time I left town a few hours later, the roads were basically free of snow. This was the worst condition I encountered on the trip.

This weather caused me to forsake the I-5 route into California. Instead, I took US 199 to the coast and stayed close to the coast all the way to San Luis Obispo.