Friday, December 28, 2012

Whiteout

It's official. It's winter in Maine. We got the first Nor'easter of the season yesterday. Blizzard conditions for awhile dropped about 10 inches in the back yard. I had a doctor's appointment at 11:30, so I headed out into the storm. At the end of the driveway, I looked left and right and all I could see were seas of whiteness. I pulled out and headed to the long road to the main drag. I thought I'd know a lot more about the driving conditions once I reached Route 25. The roads were snow-covered all the way in, but the visibility was fine, even in the driving snow. It reminded me of a weekend in high school, when Kendall asked Tom and I if we wanted to head down to his brother's apartment in Arlington, MA and see if we might find some mischief in Boston the next day. By the time we reached Arlington on Friday evening, it had already started snowing lightly, and you probably know the rest of the story. Well, a huge blizzard hit New England that weekend, and we NEVER left the apartment until Sunday afternoon when we set out to dig out the car. It was a very LONG weekend. Heading back on the Maine Turnpike that sunny afternoon, we got caught in an amazing 'whiteout'. Strong wind was picking up snow and driving across the highway. It was so bad that we had to stop the car right in the middle of the Turnpike. We had no idea where we were. Lucky for us, no cars were closely following us, and the freak occurrence lasted for just 20 seconds or so. It was very scary and left a lasting memory. Bottom line, it was one of those 'lost weekends'. And just for the record, I never saw any of the girls Kendall promised would be all over the place. What a friend!

20 comments:

  1. I think Kendall gave you a snow job.

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  2. Whiteouts are indeed scary. I've been in a few including one on I-96 in Michigan when I was driving home by myself on Christmas Day. Yikes.

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  3. I've heard about your storm on the news, sounds great to us in the sun, but I'm sure not so great for you living through it! Have a great new year!

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  4. Is that snow? Oh, boy...I like snow but I have none!!!

    Wishing you and yours a prosperous and very Happy New Year, full of joy, health and God’s Blessings!
    BShell

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  5. I've heard about the storm but I can't imagine what it's like. Brrrr... Cool composition!

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  6. I got a shiver just reading this story! Brrrr...

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  7. I'm jealous again. Not that I'd want to drive in it.

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  8. What a great memory, even if no girls were involved :)

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  9. Sounds scary! About Portlandia, that's the name of the statue in the photo. Portlandia is based on a figure in Portland's city seal of a woman, dressed in classical clothes, who welcomes traders into the port of the city.

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  10. I had a similar experience on a road in NC, a 'rainout' if you will, the wipers couldn't clear the windshield and I'd never been on the road before... it was scary! Glad you're okay...

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  11. Hooray for winter! It is sparkling here with a few more inches. Great whiteout story.

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  12. glad you made it to the doc and back you intrepid traveler.

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  13. Lost weekend, but think of it: You're still alive!

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  14. The above sounds like something my parents would have said! "Think of it, son..."

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