We made it to our destination of Paris, Texas and made the drop in time for our scheduled December 22nd drop! It was now time to do our 34 hour reset. So, we traveled to Sulphur Springs, Texas where we laid over at a truck stop. On Wednesday, December 23rd, we were able to get to the registry, take in a matinee movie, Avatar – excellent movie - do laundry and go shopping. All in the middle of tornado warnings, thunder, lightning and pouring rain – that was wild. The thunder rumbled through the WalMart we were in. We were told that it hailed when we were in the movie theater.
We received our next load assignment for pickup at noon on the 24th at Conway in Dallas, Texas. Our destination: Salt Lake City, Utah. This is where the real fun (NOT) began. It was a full-fledged blizzard in Dallas, Texas. Can you believe it? We couldn’t and we were in it. We were really in it. Our trek in the snow out of Dallas wasn’t too bad. Once we moved to the other side of Dallas it got real nasty. We were traveling US 287 and things turned into a nightmare. The combination of the storm’s severity and drivers, who “definitely” were not experienced snow drivers, caused mass chaos, many drove as if the roads were dry and they’ve driven in snow all their lives. BIG mistake!!! There were cars, trucks, RVs; you name it, off the road everywhere!!! It was like a scene from a movie. When we could, we were traveling at speeds of 5 mph if that and we were dodging vehicles the whole time. Several times we were at a stand-still for hours on end. We would creep along for ¼ to ½ mi and then sit for hours. Travel ¼ to ½ mi and sit for hours... and so on. You get the picture, right?
At one point, there was another CR England truck stuck in the middle of the highway going uphill. Richard, as did other vehicles, attempted to go around the truck on the right side. BIG mistake!!! That’s it, we were stuck for sure! The other England driver (Steve) came over to us and together we pooled our resources to get us both out of the situation we were in. Because our truck was half to the side of Steve’s truck and half behind his truck, we decided to free our truck first. Now mind you, we were in a blizzard on the open highway. It was extremely cold, windy, and snowing. We each agreed that putting chains on the truck was our best course of action – I know, better late than never, right? This was a sight for sore eyes. Neither of us had ever put chains on a semi let alone in a blizzard. The three of us were bundled up in our winter gear, between two semis fighting for what seem like our lives at this point. Obstacle number one, we couldn’t get the outside compartment unlocked that houses the chains and miscellaneous tools, gear, etc. Well, thank You God – WE HAVE A MICROWAVE! YES! I heated up water in a bowl, we poured it on the lock and we were able to get it open. We had to do the same with Steve’s truck to get his chains out. So, we got the chains out and made a very good attempt at getting them on. We tried for about 1 ½ hours which in the blizzard seemed like four hours. Each time we tried to move the truck to get the chains to roll on the tire it would just spin in place and send the chains flying off or wrapped around the axel. FRUSTRATING! I sent out a prayer request via text to several people and I know God sent His Holy Angels to be with us. Even during the frustration there was a sense that we were going to make it out of this mess.
Now that the chain idea didn’t work we had to go to plan B. Steve came out of his truck with one of those, mini-mini-mini dustpans. You know! The kind that has the flat brush that snaps inside the dustpan! The kind you buy at the dollar store! (get the picture? - lol) This was improvising to the tenth degree. I said, WOW Steve, great idea. I jumped up in the truck and got our mini-mini-mini dustpan and the two of us went to town removing the snow from behind the wheels. Again, you need to get a good visual on this; Steve and I were on all fours shoveling about a foot of snow out from under the a 73’ semi with mini-min-mini dustpans!!! Where are the camcorders when there are sights like this going on?
After Steve and I diligently removed as much snow as possible, Richard tried to move the truck but no-go. I suggested that the trailer brakes were frozen and sure enough they were. Poor Richard was under the truck for about a half hour knocking the brakes until they released. Then he got in the truck and rocked that truck, and rocked it, and rocked it some more until finally it rolled free. AMEN! Thank You Lord.
Now, it was time to help Steve. His was much easier because by this time, the traffic that was behind us had made it by. Steve and Richard placed chains under Steve’s drives and Steve was able to rock his truck until he freed it. We guided him back down the highway until he had enough of a head start to make the incline. We followed behind him up the hill making the crest where everyone who passed us was at a stand-still and there we stayed for HOURS. I felt bad for people who were in cars that didn’t have the luxuries we have being in the truck; large diesel tanks, heat, microwave, food, water, etc. It was so bad that people stayed in their vehicles because it was too cold and dangerous to get out unless absolutely necessary. We made some Beef Stew, bread & butter to pass along to Steve who was still in front of us. He certainly appreciated having a warm meal after the ordeal we went through.
Eventually we were able to inch along and come to another stand-still for HOURS. It was five o’clock in the morning before Richard was able to pull over in a safe location to get some sleep. When I woke, I could not believe my eyes. It was literally a HUGE parking lot of cars, trucks, semis, RVs, etc every which way you can imagine. There was no semblance to the parking. It was chaos, wherever you land, you park it and sleep. It was a sight that I could never depict enough to come close to the reality of the situation. All this makes me think of the devastation people suffer to a much greater degree with hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. I keep thanking God for the protection He gave us through it all, and for the comfort and luxuries of our truck.
So, now it is Christmas and all of these people who were scheduled to be with loved ones the day before were scrambling to get to their destinations. The problem, the highway was still a mess with vehicles literally everywhere half on and half off the road. It was an obstacle course the whole time and morning didn’t offer a much brighter situation. To make matters a bit more interesting, I woke with the worst migraine of my life. I felt like my head was going to explode. I walked from the truck to the building to go to the bathroom. The pain was so excruciating that I vomited several times. I was in bed ALL day. I was finally able to get up about 7:00 pm and still had a severe headache. OUCH!!! I missed Christmas Day and Richard had to persevere through the rest of the storm situation by himself as he worried about me because of how sick I was. It took us a day and a half to get out of Texas. I waved goodbye as we crossed the border into New Mexico! Goodbye Texas – won’t be back for awhile I pray.
So, what was the problem on the highway? We still don’t know the “all” of it. We read online that there was a severe accident that involved four semis along with several auto accidents. Unfortunately, one of the auto accidents took a life. Sad times! The road conditions were so severe that the state was not prepared to handle it. So, hours went by before cars that were blocking the roadway were removed and even more hours before they could get emergency vehicles in to clear the roads. Even the emergency vehicles were going off the road. It was just crazy and sure makes me appreciate the efforts of our DPW and others in Massachusetts who work endless hours clearing the roads and do a great job at it.
Now, we are still trying to get this load to Salt Lake City, Utah. It is Saturday, December 26, 2009, @ 22:12 hours. We are on I-80 in Wyoming with two more hours of driving before we have to pull over and reset for 10 hours. We just passed a sign that said, Continental Divide. It is so dark out here that we will not be able to see it. So, this is where I’m going to stop for now. Goodnight all! Blessings upon each of you! Love Tricia & Richard
