I had a good trip back to Kansas to visit my family over Christmas and New Years. We left Columbus knowing that bad weather would be moving into the area before we made it there. They had been calling for up to 12 inches of snow and 40+ mile an hour winds on the day before Christmas Eve. I had tried to take off work a day early but something happened and I could not take off.
We got out of the house about noon on the 23rd and in good weather conditions would make it to my wife's parents house at 3:30 in the morning Christmas Eve. The whole way I was considering what I would do if I hit the storm. That high of winds with snow could drift you in quickly and the motels would fill up quick if they shut down the interstate. I decided I would turn around and try to get back out of it I ran into it.
About half way through Missouri we hit torrential downpours and raindrops that sounded like they were denting the car. There was even lightning that lit up the whole sky line. The temperatures were holding at 52 so I knew we were going to get close to home before we hit the bad weather.
As we crossed Kansas City the temperature dropped from 52 on one side to 38 on the other. We drove through thick fog and I was wondering when we would be getting into the snow. I kept driving and about 15 miles from our destination we finally hit blowing snow. It was covering the roads fast. The last 15 miles we were busting snowdrifts to make it in to her parents house. Got there just in time at 3:30 in the morning.
I slept for a few hours and got up about 10:00 to head in to my Grandmothers. We started down the road 6 hours after we had just came in and not even a quarter of the mile into the drive hit a snowdrift that seemed to lift and slide the van across the top until we lost momentum and it settled part way down into a 4 foot deep snowdrift. We were high centered and mega stuck.
I walked back and got a shovel and started digging. After quite a while and making pretty good ground my wife called her dad to come pull us out with his new Chevy 1500. I was kinda relieved but even with his monster 4 wheel drive he still barely got us pulled from the drifts.
I started backing the rest of the way to the house and backed into another drift in front of the driveway. I was able to rock out of it and decided to hit it harder to try to get into the driveway and out of the road. I hit it the second time with quite a bit of speed. It caught one tire and rifled the front of the van in 180 degrees facing us in opposite direction but partially in the ditch.
Her dad was shaking his head and starting to get in the pickup to come pull us out again. I wasn't having that so I told my wife to get in and gun it and I would push. I gave it my He-Man and out we went. We decided to try another direction that might be a little more clear to get to town.
There were some decent sized snowdrifts that way as well but nothing the mimi van couldn't handle. Besides the busted bumper we got and the inside wheel well cover getting torn up as we busted through a good one. I guess the van is just meant to be busted up. A coyote, a deer, a groundhog, somebody keying the heck out of it and now a snowdrift. I'm not turning this one into insurance, it is getting a little embarrassing calling them all the time.
I guess I have to call them about a chip in the windshield that happened later in the trip. I will mention that later in the post.
The highways were sorta clear with a ton of snow blowing across them. We had a good time at Grandma's the next couple of days. I stayed up late with my uncle Christmas Eve night drinking some beers and reminiscing.
The day after Christmas we had my wifes family Christmas party then we headed to my parents for the next week.
The weather there was nice and my dad and I were out quite a bit firing off rounds out of guns. I had brought home a side by side 12 guage for him and he had just gotten a glock 40 cal. They got their workout as we target practiced and shot blue rock. I also scoped in my .22 rifle to where it would center a target at 50 yards.
I was hoping to do some pheasant hunting but didn't want to pay 72.00 for 2 days of hunting at the end of the year. I also didn't want to chance getting caught without a liscence. I've never been checked but the time I risk it is the time I would.
We opened up presents at Mom and Dad's. I got a nice Kansas State Wallet, and a Bass Pro Shops Crankin Stick 7'M with a Rick Clunn Signature Series Low-Profile Baitcast Reel. It is definately the nicest rod and reel setup I have ever gotten. I can't wait to try it out on the water.
On the way back to Ohio I wasn't even an hour from my parents when I came upon a car doing 30 MPH on a 55 MPH road. I started to pass and saw a hand sling something out the window and crack! I look where it hit and the windshield is starred. I finished passing them and got furious. I wanted to do something but I had my 2 boys in the car and started thinking that if they would do something like that what else would they do? I kept driving and they sped up and got right on my bumper.
This lasted about 20 minutes until a car started coming up from behind them. They slowed way down again. I saw the car start to pass them in the rear view and wondered if they would do the same thing. I started to go over a hill but saw the car that was passing swerve off in front of them and both were heading toward the ditch. It wasn't that fast as both cars were going slow.
I kept going as I thought the one car had swerved to cut the car behind off and figured they would be fighting by the time I got turned around. I made it a little ways down the road and see a police car flying the opposit direction to where that all took place. Then I saw an ambulance and another police car. I wonder if somebody got shot or if whatever the car threw had went through the windshield and caused both to wreck.
I drove the rest of the 20 hours wondering what happened and what could have happened if I would have lost my cool and tried to stop the car myself. I also wondered why this crazy crap always happens to me.
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