The thing about driving around out West in the fall: You never know when you’re going to stumble across winter. I struck out from dry-as-a-bone Salt Lake City this morning to find myself an hour or so later in rainy eastern Idaho, which led to grey, winterish weather which shortly thereafter became full-on winter in the Tetons.

One hour later, across the Tetons, near Jackson, Wyoming, winter makes an early appearance. Even the folks in Jackson were perturbed. “It’s too early!” Kinda is.

Through it all, the Prius performed like a champ, particularly during that touch-and-go snowstorm action in Yellowstone this afternoon. Still can’t believe I never drove one of these before. I paid $170 for the week at Hertz in Las Vegas. Bargain city.