Let it snow?

So when I was so excited about the snow happening in Roseburg, it was also happening all over the state. Especially the town in which I needed to fly out of to get home for Christmas - Portland. In my excitement, it never occurred to me that my best wish come true could become my worst nightmare. I never thought about it much until Sunday morning at church when a few people told me their kids couldn't make it in to Portland due to the airport being shut down because of the severe winter weather. I thought, that's too bad, but I don't leave until tomorrow, it will be fine.

I got online the next morning and my flight status was listed as delayed. Well that's ok, it will just give me more time to get there. After all, I had heard from several people that driving conditions were poor. I-84 was closed and chains were required for driving in Portland. No problem, I have chains and Minnesota driving experience. So I fearlessly head up north. I'm listening to Christmas music and having a great time and I decide to call my dad to see what the status of the flight is now.
Cancelled. Cancelled? CANCELLED!
AHHH! I am supposed to go home for Christmas! How could they cancel my flight? Well, I thought the worst would be I wouldn't get out for a couple days, but I would still make it by Christmas. So I call the airline to see what I should do next. She begins to tell me the soonest flight she can get me on is the 26th or 27th. What? No good. I have to get home for Christmas. It has been two years since I have been home and I am going home! She can't get me out sooner than the 26th. The airport has been shut down for 3 days and there are so many people waiting for flights and there is no guarantee that the airport will even open to get me out on the 26th.
I admit I begin to shed a few tears as the reality sinks in that I will not be home for Christmas.
But wait...
Oh I like but waits!
But wait, she thinks she can get me on a flight out from Seattle at 6:30 pm if I think I can make it up there. I say YES! What do I have to loose? I am already on vacation, if I don't make this flight I have at least 4 days to kill in Portland which is snowed over, so why not? I have chains, boots, gloves and a little insanity - I have all I need. So I continue north.
Things are going great, the Christmas music is playing again and I am confident again. I am going home for Christmas!
Until Salem. Oh, Salem. The snow started in Salem and Salem stopped. It appeared as though Salem and the 35 miles thereafter stopped trying to fight off winter. I knew it was bad when we slowed down to 3 miles an hour and people are fishtailing all over the place.

It took 2 hours to go 5 miles. No good. I begin to think that with over 200 miles to go I will not make my flight and I will not make it home for Christmas. I start to shed a few tears again. I am starting (just starting, I never seriously followed through with these thoughts) to not like snow any more. I go as far as I can and then I have to put the chains on my tires.


I am beginning to wonder if I will make it. How bad is it up ahead? How long will it be like this? I begin to do the math and calculate that it will take over 15 hours to get to Seattle. But what else do I have to do? If I go back to Roseburg, I have 4 days to kill so why not keep going? What do I have to lose? ("Except my life," some of you may be thinking - I had those thoughts too, but I try to stay positive) So we keep going.
I driven through many of snow covered roads, and I will say, this is one of the top 5 worst ones I have been on. When you don't keep up with plowing major roads when the snow accumulates from 6-18 inches, you run into problems. My poor Vibe was not meant for off-road driving. Even though I was on the road, it felt like "off-road" for sure!



My most proud moment was when I helped I-5 remember it was three lanes. At one point I was traveling behind a lady going slower than I wanted to. I saw another lane in the slow lane, but there were just two lanes moving. I knew there were three lanes. Yeah there was a bit of snow piled, but I decided to try. I took this picture of me alone in the center lane. Why not use it? It is there and I could go a bit faster!

Yay I am not longer going 3 mph but 10! A truck realized that he could follow me and did and soon enough I had a following down the not-so-traveled middle lane.
Well to make a long story not so long, I finally made it through Portland. I was told that if I could just make it through Portland, Washington would be much better. It was so true. I crossed the river into Washington and I saw an old friend - sand. The roads were dirty and snirty (MN word for snow and dirt) but mostly clear.

Within 20 miles I was going 70 again. Hopes for being home for Christmas much alive again!
There were a couple more highs and lows - rush hour traffic in Olympia and Tacoma, Gas light that went on, but no time to get gas and coasting in to a overpriced parking garage, but I made it to my gate on time - just to find that my flight was delayed - 2 hours. Then 2 1/2 hours. I started to get nervous because some flights were getting canceled. We finally board and sit there for 20 minutes. The captain gets on the PA and announces that we can't leave yet because the truck that empties the lavatories ran out of gas just behind our plane and we can't get out until they find gas for the truck. An HOUR later we finally taxi and take off.

I FINALLY arrive home around 3:30 am, ironically in the same storm that started this mess 4 days earlier out west dumping some more snow on Minnesota. Thankfully with a hundred times more snow plows, sand AND salt it is not a problem getting home!

So even though snow causes problems, I still say "let it snow" - just not on the days I want to fly out of Portland!