Reminisce | Reality Daydream

Today’s weather conditions are allowing me to recount a day last winter that’s been permanently etched into my mind. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to repost my story from that day! Oh the horror.

Snowy Saga: Chapter 1
I’ve given myself a good solid day to reflect on the following events, fully recover, and try and find the words to explain the horror.

Allow me to start from the beginning…

Each year, when the first snowfall enters the forecast, everyone starts freaking out and acting like it’s going to be a big one. And it never is. People driving around like psychotic idiots. Grocery stores are packed, and usually their liquor section is out of stock… people preparing to be snowed in. You all know what I’m talking about. You may be one of them. But most of the time, there isn’t even any precipitation when it’s all said and done. All that hype for nothing. And I’m usually left disappointed. I very much look forward to the first snowfall. I love all things winter.

My alarm goes off, it’s 3:30am. A half hour earlier than I normally wake up. Thought I’d give myself some extra time to drive to work, you know, in case I got stuck behind an idiot going 12 miles an hour, death-grip on the steering wheel and eyes peeled. But as I began to drag myself out of bed… When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. And to my utter disbelief, there was a snowy winter wonderland!!! With VERY high winds! I was stoked. About the snow part.

But because of the high winds, and because we don’t have television, I called my work and asked how bad the roads really were (swallowing my pride of course). They told me that they really needed me to come in to work, and that the roads shouldn’t be that bad (they didn’t mention to me that the roads were CLOSED, and had a towing ban). And so, against my husbands forbiddings, and because I have a strong loyalty toward my elderly residents in the nursing home, I ventured out into the dark turbulence.

Friends, the English language doesn’t contain the words I need to explain the things I saw and felt. I’ve driven through some pretty terrible snowy and icy weather. Even had to stay overnight in an elementary school gym in Kansas because they closed I-70 (I would have kept going if they hadn’t closed it). And I drove through mountain passes in Montana in blizzard conditions, by myself, in the middle of the night, in a 24 foot truck, without cell phone service. But this, this was beyond anything I had ever imagined. The wind was blowing the snow at 50+ mph, causing a complete white-out. Literally 0% visibility. Two minutes after I had left our driveway, I knew I had done the wrong thing. I knew I wouldn’t be making it to work. But there was nothing I could do. I could tell the snow was deep. I couldn’t stop to turn around, because I didn’t exactly know if I was on the road or in the ditch, and I knew if I came to a stop, I wouldn’t be able to start moving again for lack of momentum. I had no choice but to persist. So when the wind would pause to take a breath, I could see enough to know how HUGE the drifts were that I was blasting through. When I would collide with my friend, the drift, snow would explode sending a blast of powder over my windshield. Making my visibility even more 0%. My Jeep is a bulldozer. I love it. But with 0% visibility, it wouldn’t matter if I was driving a military grade tank, I’d still be screwed. And so I continued.

For 7 miles…

…Until my Jeep and I came to a full and complete stop. There was no getting out of this one. It was pitch black, below 0, and it felt like my vehicle was completely submerged in snow. I felt like I had been buried in an avalanche. I hadn’t seen a single other vehicle during my hour-long, 7-mile drive.

A rush of panic filled my veins. I WAS THE IDIOT.

I was very alone. Not sure if I was in the road or ditch. But from the slight tilt of my vehicle, I knew I was not on the straight and narrow.

Snap, I might as well write a book. This is a very long blog posting. Ya’ll can catch the sequel one of these days. 🙂

Click here for Chapter 2