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Feb062008

Let it snow

Filed under Uncategorized by andrew wolfe at 11:10 am

More, please.

I don’t remember the blizzard of ‘78. I’m sure I would, but I didn’t live in these parts at that time.

 

For me, the blizzard of ‘74 was the Big One. I was ten years old, and my memories turn out to be a bit sketchy. A bit of research tells me that it was only 19 inches (I would have said 24) and that it extended my Thanksgiving vacation (I thought it was Christmas). My family was caught out in it, heading back home to Michigan after visiting folks out East; after flogging their VW 4/12 through the blizzard for several white-knuckled hours (for them; my sister and I mostly slept), my folks got us to a little motel, somewhere in Pennsylvania I believe, where we holed up for a few nights. I remember passing along a road on the home stretch, with snow piled at least 10 feet high on either side (I think it was higher, actually, but I don’t want to tell tall tales). A smaller car lay belly up on top of the snow, with no skid marks to explain how it got there. I imagined it had just been pushed there by plows, though that seems unlikely… anyhow, I’m sure the blizzard was a hardship for many, but for me, it was just pure fun. I got snowshoes for Christmas that year (ash and gut Tubbs, which I still have, though seldom use).

A little research revealed why I don’t remember the Blizzard of ‘78. It dumped quite a bit in northern and western Michigan, but the storm started as rain around Detroit, and we only got about eight inches. That wouldn’t have been at all remarkable; Michigan winters were always cold, with an abundance of snow. Sledding and ’skitching’ were my favorite sports.

I still like snow, and all this recent rain makes me grouchy. What weather could be more unpleasant than a cold winter downpour? Just think how much snow we could have right now, if only it were just a bit colder… Winter rain is for merry old England. This is New England. Let it snow, the more the merrier. 

 

 

 

 

Viewing 2 Comments

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    We stayed at the Trails End Motel in Piquah, OH, actually, and we had to buy boots for both of you. I missed my TV debut--I'd recorded an interview for East Michigan Environmental Action Council that aired while we were at the motel. The snow started in PA, just east of Pittsburgh, and when traffic came to a crawl on the Ohio Turnpike, we headed off cross country. We spent hours and hours trying to find a road that would take us north. Extremely scary. One time I had to back up a long hill because when we got to a bridge at the bottom there were a couple of cars jacknifed across the road. One of our fellow stranded travelers in Piquah was a "spotter" for a trucking company. He would drive his semi out towards the interstates, get up on top of the cab with binoculars, and try to see where traffic was moving. I can't remember for sure, but I guess the "CB" radio craze hadn't yet hit, so people didn't have a way to communicate. The electricy was out all over that part of Ohio. Glad you were appropriately traumatized!

    Your faithful driver, Mom

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    ... and I agree with you regarding the cold winter downpour - Yuck!

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