For a large stretch of that, we were going about 40 mph. It was very odd, there would be stretches where there would be clear roads and then you could drive a mile or less and they would be covered with snow and ice.
We saw about 16 or more cars that went off the road. One car we came up to was on its side. Suddenly a man popped his head out of the drivers window and was waving his hands. I pulled over, told mom to call 911 and I ran over to him. He was yelling "help, please help, we've got kids in here". Some how about three or four of us were able to put the car back on all four wheels.
All four of them, (the man, his wife, 9 month old, and a 5 year old) were fine. As we were driving, I kept telling mom we'd be home around 2 am. That was wishful thinking. We got about 26 miles outside of Sioux City and mom said maybe we should stop for the night. It was getting dark and the roads were wet. With the temperature dropping we were worried about ice and having something happen in the dark.
We called dad and Sean and they agreed we should stop and stay the night and not take a chance on something happening. So, we should be home on Sunday, two days later than we originally planned.
Funny things that happened today:
- Mom needed to use an ATM. We found a bank and went to the drive thru, no ATM. Mom tells me to pull up to the widow and ask if there is a place with an ATM. I ask, the girl looks at me like I'm nuts. She inquires if I need a special one. When I say no, she tells me to pull through the drive thru and there is one on the other side of the parking lot.
- Not long after we stopped to help the family, we stopped to hit the bathroom and grab a snack. My feet were cold because my socks were wet. I asked the guy at the register if they by chance sold socks. He looked at me like I had three heads. I took that as "no".
- When we were headed to the motel, (going the wrong direction) I was on the phone with dad who was telling me the names of some of the restaurants close to where we would be staying. He was saying them so fast, mom was asking if she was going the right way and I was trying to tell mom the names of the restaurants and answer her question at the same time. Dad said "Hu Hot", I thought he said "Hoo Ha" and mom thought I said "Hu Hause". In the end, we ate at Applebee's.
I know there were a couple more, but I'm pooped. Mom is quietly "purring" and I'm sure I will be soon as well.
We still have a couple hours in the car ahead of us. It is snowing slightly here tonight. It is also snowing in Omaha.
Let's all pray the weather is good to us and we can be in our beds tomorrow night.
BTW, the title of tonight's blog was provided mom who made the comment "this is a special kind of hell" when we were trying to find a place to eat, saw someone get stuck in the snow and suddenly realized just how much snow there was on the ground now and thought about just how much might fall tonight.
For what it's worth, this hell is beautiful. (if you can get past the smell of the slaughter house but that's another story)
