We made it to Virginia/DC just in time for a record breaking event!
This snow storm.
January 26, 2011 was apparently one of the worst storms to hit the DC area in MANY years - at least according to the locals.
I'll admit that when I heard there was going to be a big snow storm I wasn't worried at all - after all I was raised in Canada, learned to drive in the snow and then lived in Utah where we get our fair share there.
So with all of my confidence and it being Gage's birthday, I took all the kids, plus the James' kids, into DC to the American Natural History Museum (more on that later).
Ryan met us there for lunch and told me, you need to get home, they are telling everyone to get out of the city early.
So I figured we would leave about 3:00, after all we only had 14 miles from the heart of DC to home. So we left on our merry way at 3:00.
Little did I know ...
Notice there are only cars leaving the city, none coming in.
It was absolutely beautiful.If you were not driving in it!
We were stuck in traffic - amazing traffic, horrible traffic.
We were stuck in traffic - amazing traffic, horrible traffic.It took us 2+ hours to make it home - just 14 miles.
The kids were stir crazy in the car.
My knuckles were clenched around the steering wheel.
I felt like yelling at the people - they abandoned their cars all over the freeway and opted to walk home! They stopped directly in front of me to get out of their cars and wipe their wind shields.
I was astonished at the craziness of it all.
But to their credit - the snow is VERY different here.
It is SOOOO WET and HEAVY.
We made it home, and I called Ryan to tell him to leave his car in DC and take the Metro. That was also behind, but at least he avoided major traffic. As the night wore on it only got worse. Some people were stuck with the same commute but for 5 hours. Others for 12!! UGH!
The next morning as we drove - very carefully - around the neighborhoods it was crazy. Cars all over in the ditches, semi's overturned, trees and branches and power lines down everywhere.
It was our first big DC storm and we had only been here 4 days.
Oh the fun we are going to have!!
P.S. will a snow blower even work with such heavy snow? I didn't see one person using one, but a whole lot of shovelling was going on!
2 comments:
Don't bother buying a snow blower, in the 10 years we lived there we never had need for one. The HUGE snowstorms are very few and far between. Miss you! Will have to send pics of what you are missing.
Oh good times!! But hey, those are some beautiful pictures!! And what a great welcoming party.
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