Preparedness couple’s key as winter cut into trip plan
By Kathy Hanks, The Hutchinson News, Kan. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
For 13 hours Friday and Saturday, Hutchinson residents
While the backed-up traffic caught them by surprise, they had prepared for the possibility of winter weather before leaving
As crazy as it seemed at the time, along with tropical shirts, shorts and sandals, they threw in three blankets, gloves, hats and heavy winter coats, thinking they would never need them. But the Boy Scout leader knew one must always be prepared.
They allowed plenty of time to drive the 10 hours to Ann's brother in
They left Hutchinson at
"Driving south, crossing the
Continuing south, they began to see more and more snow. But it was when they got into
"Before we knew it, we were on a sheet of ice,"
When he stopped to fill the gas tank, he told Ann the ways things looked he was going to try to keep the tank half full.
At
Long day -- and night
Tractor-trailers were everywhere, and motorists were getting out of their cars and walking around to learn more about what might have happened. Northbound traffic also soon halted. As far as they could see in either direction were parked cars and semis.
They learned a semitruck had overturned about two miles down the road and there were several other traffic accidents being cleared.
There was nothing to do but sit and wait. Thankfully, they had a full tank of gas -- and warm clothes and blankets. They'd listen to the radio and run the engine to keep warm for a while, and then turn off the car to save gas. Sometimes they dozed. When they got cold, they started the engine.
"Every now and then I would get out and stretch,"
Nobody was going anywhere. There were three hills for the semis to climb and they couldn't make it with the icy road conditions. Vehicles would be cleared and then others would jackknife or stall and continue the traffic backup.
About
Then, about
Which way?
A
"I told them, 'The
They were among 80 guests at the shelter, including others headed to
By early morning they were told the road south was open, but they would have to go extra slowly and navigate around the semis. It would be like driving in a parking lot for miles.
"The problem was that after the road opened the ice had frozen solid and the semis could not get enough traction to get up the hill,"
They were told that getting to
After 13 hours in one vehicle seeing cars, trucks and semis turned over and in the ditches, they decided instead to head home. They pulled into Hutchinson about the time the Carnival Triumph would be cruising out of the
On Monday they looked at their watches and realized they would have just been arriving in Cozumel.
It would have been their 14th cruise, so the couple knew what they were missing. But it's OK: They're safe at home and looking forward to another cruise out of
The moral of the story, said
___
(c)2013 The Hutchinson News (Hutchinson, Kan.)
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