The day started really early. I got up at 4:40 to make sure that I had plenty of time to get ready and be at the call center. From the looks of the road I told Karma that she would be staying home. I took her car as the fan in mine is not working (making defrost impossible).
First sign that I should have stayed home was the fact that it took me 7 minutes just to get out of the driveway but my stubbornness took over.
I was driving down the back road I normally take it didn't look too bad then I saw there was a plow going down that road. It turned off on an access road and I went to go down the road as normal. As soon as I did the car slowed down and a voice in the back of my head told me, "You will never make it this way." I decided to follow the plow back to Pine St.
It took me 2 runs to get up onto 193rd from Pine (sign #3 that I should have headed back home). I continued down 193rd and saw several cars stalled and abandoned but I was too focused on getting around them and getting to work. I finally made it up on the highway and there was a space to drive only wider than Karma's car. When I got off at the 161st exit I didn't stop for fear that I wouldn't get started again.
As I got into the parking lot at the call center there were people trying to plow it but it was a futile attempt as the snow would blow back in with 10-20 minutes.
See all these signs telling me it was not safe and yet I still decided to stay.
There were only like 8 people in the center that I could see. Why they didn't close it before it really opened is beyond me. Not sure who makes the decision on that but they apparently don't care if someone dies or gets hurt.
They finally decided at 10:30 to close the center. The plows were working in the parking lot to clear a path out for us. I helped some people get unstuck.
I decided the best path home was to get up on the highway. So I get by the Oklahoma Welcome Center and got stuck there. A couple of guys came by and helped to scoop me out and I was on my way again.
Just on the other side of the 161st St bridge I got stuck again. Keep in mind I didn't have a shovel with me, I only had the ice scraper and I had forgotten my deerskin gloves at home so moving the snow and ice from under the car was quite a chore.
After cleaning out from under the car and rocking it back and forth I was able to get away from the intersection but I couldn't get up on the highway as there was a jack-knifed semi and 3 SUVs blocking the way. There was a semi completely blocking Admiral so my exits south and east were completely gone, I would either have to go north or west. North had not been plowed so West on 44 seemed the only viable option.
As I was coming up to the turn off onto westbound 44 at 161st I noticed there was a snow plow behind me. I waved him past and was trying to get into the path behind him. I got stuck again. Luckily a couple of people from the call center were there and one had a snow shovel. They helped me to get pushed out and up on the highway I went.
The blizzard conditions kept the snow blowing across the road, I was having trouble seeing where I could go. When I got to the 44/244 split it was decision time again. 44 looked at least partially plowed, 244 looked like it hadn't been touched. I decide 44 was the best path but none of the exits seemed to be plowed, no way to get off the road. I stopped on the highway a couple of times to get some bearings.
Finally I saw that the ramp at 41st seemed fairly clear. I made it up it only to see that to turn left across the bridge was going to be impossible. I just kept seeming to make decisions that were taking me farther and farther away from home. There were people walking in the road. When I got down to Yale I decided it was the best place to turn around. So I was now heading back in the right direction but I still had to get back on 44 to head back home and the ramp looked to be blocked. When driving down it I saw a way through and was able to get back onto 44.
At one point I started to follow a pickup driving down the highway but they got off at 11th St. I was doing really well on 44 but after I crested the top of the hill past 161st St the snow was blowing in a whiteout condition. I lost track of the road and ended up in a snowdrift to the left of the path. There wasn't much traffic on the road then and a pickup driver asked if I had anywhere to hook onto to tow me out. He got me a tow rope and was able to get me out. I was able to make it to the bottom of the hill right by the 193rd St exit. There were semis backed up as far as the eye could see. There were reports that the old Hard Rock Casino roof had collapsed.
So close yet so far away...
I walked down to the QT and grabbed some gloves a couple of hot dogs and a purple NOS (loves me the purple) for lunch.
By the time that I got back to the car there was a OHP car stuck not more than 100 yards behind where I was. He indicated he didn't know when any help would be there.
I took a trip back down to the QT and stayed there to stay warm. The more I thought about being stuck there on the highway, the more and more pissed I became. If only I could get the car off the road then I could walk home or at least to the casino and get a room.
I made several calls and messaged a lot of friends to let them know how I was doing. One of them is Jeff who doesn't live too far away. He told me he could bring down a shovel and help me to get out. I decided to take him up on the offer.
Him and his son walked down with a shovel and a gas can. We got to work. Between me, Jeff and his son and an older truck driver we were able to finally get me into the snow plow trail that happened after I had gotten stuck.
I decided to risk making it home as I live right behind a firehouse and they would have paved those roads for the emergency vehicles. I was able to make it home but the driveway was one huge snowdrift. I tried to pull the car under the tree but didn't get very far under the tree but at least I could come inside if I needed to. It took another half an hour to get the car pulled up enough to make sure it was not in the road. I know there are some ruts in the yard now but I can fill them in in the spring.
So a trip that usually only takes me 10 minutes only took 8 and a half (not including the last half hour to move the car up more).
My lower pant's legs were completely snow covered and were stiff, they could have stood on there own. As I finally got each leg over the foot they fell to the floor with a thud.
Then after finally making it home I had to fix a shower that wouldn't stop running. All and all I would like to start over February and do some things different but we don't have a time machine. :(
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