Snowed In, but actually over!

Well, yesterday started off great! Joe and I woke up, showered and drove together to work. Outside, it was just snowing little pelts of snow, nothing big, right? Well, I dropped him off at work and drove to the hospital. Just a nothe normal day in the lives of Erin and Joe. At about 9 AM I looked out side, and wow, it was snowing and I mean snowing. Lunch rolled around and the entire time I sat eating and attended a meeting, it kept snowing, about an inch an hour! I talked to Joe and he said there was a Winter Advisory for us again. Now it was up to 6-8 inches with over an Inch an hour falling. Great! Just what I wanted to do when I got home was shovel. oh well, right, things happen. So at about 3:30 Joe called and said he was going to get a ride home with a co-worker to start the "clean-up" at home. I thought, ok, why not, leave your WIFE to drive home by herself in a hell-of-a-snow storm. Great idea.

At 4:00, I talked to my co-worker and said I needed to leave. The Blaknik bridge was closed because of an accident and the Oliver bridge in West Duluth was closed because of a jackknifed truck, which only left one other bridge home. So, I left to brave the snow and the idiot drivers. As I left the parking ramp, I thought "Ok, I can do this, just take your time and you'll get there." I got down to 3rd Street and sat there for about 20 minutes. It took me and all of the other million of cars on there to move 1 block in 20 minutes! 20 MINUTES! Ok, I can handle this. The radio said there was a huge mess on Mesaba Ave, so I thought I'd head on down to Superior Street towards Lake Ave.

So I turned down 2nd Ave East, thinking it might move a little faster. Well, it took me about 40 minutes to travel TWO BLOCKS! I finally made it down to the Casino on Superior Street, although I was still behind four cars. NO ONE WAS MOVING!! EVERYONE WAS AT A STAND STILL!! And some idiot, lameass b--ch cut me off and starting yelling at me! I had never felt so claustraphobic in my entire life. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything! My heart was pounding like crazy, and I just couldn't slow it down. I called Joe and he told me, "Don't bother heading to the bridge, they are all closed now. Just park the car and go get a hotel room." I just about died and started crying. How do you get home now when there is no other way across to the other side. "I give up! I need a cigarette or something, maybe a drink too" I said. The great man that Joe is just asat on the other end trying to calm me down. I don't know what I would do without him.

Well, I took matters into my own hands at this point. Since no one was able to turn RIGHT onto Superior, Street and no one was moving that direction at all, I decided to go down the wrong way of the ave and I turned LEFT! It was so wonderful to move! I went and entire block in three minutes verses four blocks in 1 HOUR! It felt awesome! As I was driving down Superior Streat, heading out East, I passed so many cars just sitting there, no moving at all. No one was going anywhere as I had been previously. I made it to Fitgers, thinking I could just go in, grab a bite to eat and then wait out the storm. BUt then i realized they were taking the plows off the roads at 5:30 p.m. so they woudn't go over their 12-hour shifts per law and the DTA buses were coming off the roads at 6p.m. So obviously, nothing was going to be cleaned or moving for awhile.

With my nifty old cell phone I called Best Western Edgewater and got myself a room cuase I knew I wasn't going to be going anywhere. I finally made it to the hotel at 5:50 pm. after leaving the hospital at 4:15. Serioursly, it shouldn't take you that long to go about eight blocks, especially in Duluth! Once I got to my room, I took my good-ole drink tickets up the the bar level and got me a drink! Actually three and a little tipsie as well! There were about six of us who all had the same idea, not to drive and just stay where while we could. Let me tell ya, its not 10 in the morning almost and I just got home. Granted now things aren't all that bad but last night just was horrible. Hopefully this won't happen again, but if it does I sure know which direction I need to go to avoid all the stupid drivers.