Sunday was a mellow day at Mom’s. I went for a walk in the morning, which was great. A front had moved in, and the wind was gusting to forty mph or more. I walked to the beach to see the waves, and the wind was strong enough that it made me stagger twice. That was quite a feeling. The waves were pretty big, and I loved the wildness of it all, although I could not stay long near the beach with the combination of the cold and the high winds.
It was the last week of the regular season in the NFL, so I tuned in the Bills game on my computer, and I puttered around the house, as I am wont to do. I don’t like to just sit and listen to games, so I like to do things while the game is on. So, I cleaned two bathrooms and the windshields in Mom’s car, and then I walked on Mom’s treadmill for over an hour. The Bills lost, but at least I had been productive.
Mer, Mom, and Marc went to the see the movie The Way. I was in a stay-at-home mood since the game was on, but I encouraged Mer to do as she liked. She said she enjoyed the movie. Mom and Marc then made a really nice dinner. The weather had been picking up, and more and more warnings of lake-effect snow were coming in over the television and online. There was a severe weather warning through Tuesday morning, but nothing was really going on yet in Bridgman. So, I made the decision to leave. We threw our things together and loaded up as quickly as we could. We called our friend Ellen in Hillsdale, and asked if we could come and spend the night. She graciously said yes, and so we made our quick goodbyes and headed out.
It was okay at first, heading south toward South Bend. There were two or three spots where the snow was heavy, but the bands were short in duration, and the roads were not too bad. We got east of South Bend, and I thought we were clear of the lake-effect snow, but I was very wrong. About thirty minutes east of South Bend, we hit some of the heaviest snow I have ever seen. It was near white-out conditions, and it was all I could do to see the taillights of the truck in front of me. I could usually make out the white line on the edge of the road because that was where one tire track was on the pavement. There were times I could not see even that. It was some of the most hazardous driving I have ever done. We finally cleared that band of snow after thirty minutes of white-knuckle driving, and we got on a northbound highway that was the shortest route to Ellen’s house.
What we did not know was that we had to get off that highway very quickly and use back roads all the way to Ellen’s. So, although we had driven out of the lake-effect snow, and we could now see, it had still snowed in eastern Michigan also. They had only gotten two inches or so, but since Michigan has a budget shortfall, they have decided to save money by not plowing often and by not using salt. As such, all of the roads to Hillsdale were packed snow and ice, which made for more tense driving. We did finally make it to Ellen’s, aided by eastern Michigan’s very straight roads, and by the nonexistent traffic we had the good fortune not to encounter. I was very happy to see Ellen’s.
Ellen graciously welcomed us, and I pretty much went right to bed – I was exhausted after the drive. Mer followed soon after. In the morning (Monday), I checked the weather, and there were warnings in Ohio for Lake Erie lake-effect snow, with it getting worse as the day went on. So, I made the decision to be very lame guests, and we left as soon as we were both awake. Ellen understood and sent us on our way with homemade scones.
The road south from Hillsdale to Ohio was terrible. It had not been plowed, and it was packed snow and ice. As soon as we hit the Ohio border, the road had been plowed and salted, although it was still messy at first. Once we hit the highway, all was well. We had smooth sailing to within about twenty miles of home, when we hit some light lake-effect snow, but it was not too bad. We made it home in good shape, and out kitties were all well. I hope it is a long long time before I see driving conditions like the ones we had passed though. I am deeply grateful that God can step in and save me from my own bad decisions, and that we made it home quite safe.
Still, it was a great weekend. It was fun to see Mom and Marc, to see new towns in western Michigan, and it was good, albeit brief, to see Ellen as well. I hope next time will be a bit smoother as regards travel.