Today Marty and I decided that we would walk along one of the emergency evacuation routes out of the city.  We planned to walk for around 12 kilometers as it was supposed to be a beautiful spring day with temperatures around 24º C (75º F).   The walk started well though the route wasn’t overly exciting.  Normally we avoid main roads when walking around the city but during a disaster it seems that walking along large main roads is advisable.  It’s also the place where most of the support stations can be found.  I have never looked for these before but restaurants and convenience stores that are going to serve as support stations during a disaster have a sign on their door:

After we had been walking for about forty minutes the weather started to change.  We could see odd looking clouds in the distance and the wind picked up.  We ended up walking into a yellow dust storm.  I had never seen one before and I don’t want to see another one.   The temperature dropped by about 10º C and we spent the next hour or so eating dust and trying to prevent our eyes from streaming.  Our pleasant spring stroll became a battle against the elements and we did not manage to walk the 12km. We gave up at about 8km and decided to get the train back home.

Once we got off the train it started to rain.  We were both filthy when we got home.  Sunscreen and dust don’t seem to be a good combination and I had black streaks running down  my face.  I think we are going to spend the evening hiding inside the apartment.