Departing Nashville around 8am were anticipating a long trip; expecting to arrive sometime late that night in Stafford, VA. Normally a 12 hour trip we expected it to be more like 14 hours; allotting lots of stops and car breaks for Hailey. Oh, and did I mention, Jersey and Molly were along for the ride too! The trip through TN was rainy, but we made great time crossing into Virginia sometime around 1230pm (that's including a one hour loss in time due to a time zone change). Not long into the great state of Virginia, and right around the time we stopped for lunch, the rain became a bit more icy. A quick stop for lunch and then back onto the road and things got ugly .... icy conditions worsened, cars were skidding and crashing all around us .... I saw some pretty horrendous single vehicle crashes in the fields and ditches surrounding the highway. Ice quickly changed to snow which quickly began accumulating ... and although we have 4 wheel drive, not everyone else did! Thanks to the Garmin Navigation system and my cell phone I was able to locate a hotel in Marion TN that accepted pets and had rooms available. We stopped at the local grocery store (Marion has a population somewhere around 5,000 ... small town USA!) and stocked up, accepting that our trip was going to be a little longer than expected.
We enjoyed our stay in Marion ... got to see LOTS of snow, somewhere in the realm of 20 inches! We had a yummy Mexican dinner at the local eatery which thankfully was within walking distance of our hotel ... met some very friendly locals (And VA Tech Alum!) that insisted we take their phone numbers and call should be be stranded more than a day, the lady had a grandson Hailey's age and thought they would make good playmates should Hailey get a little cabin fever in the hotel room :) How sweet!!!
Sometime around 6am the next morning I was awakened by an excited Karl ... the snow had stopped and it seemed traffic was again moving up the highway (which we could see from our room window). We frantically repacked the car; now would be a good time to mention that prior to our unscheduled stop Karl's and my luggage was in a roof bag ... which was NOT weather proof! Needless to say our clothing was soaked and after taking it all in the hotel room the car was covered with snow and reattaching it was out of the question ... things got a little more "snug" in the car from then on!
We hit the road again about 730am, Dec 19th. Interstate 81 had one lane open in each direction, correction, one lane "plowed" ... and poorly at that. Traffic was moving but drivers were still idiots, cars were stranded all along the road from the previous days blizzard victims, and before long we caught back up to the snowfall. We made a last second decision to take a cut through into North Carolina in hopes that their roads would be clearer. The cut through, however, involved crossing some mountains that had seen significant snowfall the night before. It was a little terrifying, and I almost witnessed vehicle sliding under a tractor trailer because the driver was too impatient and insisted on passing the truck in his two wheel drive car (IDIOTS I tell you ...) I'm pretty certain he had to have his car seat professionally cleaned! Eventually we made it through and our gambling paid off ... the roads in NC were clear (and we later learned that the route through VA we had opted not to take had shut down!!)
We made good time through NC and finally entered back into Virginia by early afternoon. I was constantly checking weatherbug with my phone internet and the coast seemed to be clearing far enough in front of us that we felt confident we'd make Stafford in time for a late dinner! Silly, silly, silly ... what were we thinking!!
No sooner had we cleared Richmond than the snow/ice began again. Road conditions were slick and idiots were out in full force! We opted to jump in the slow lane and just make slow progress, staying away from the foolish people who continued to fly down the highway (many of whom I saw in trees & ditches several miles later!) Somewhere around Caroline County (30 miles from our destination) traffic came to a grinding halt ... and did .... not .... move .... literally for hours! Thank GOD we had stopped in Richmond for gas because we definitely saw people stranded who had run out of gas along the way! The next exit was 3 miles up and it took us 2 hours to get to it! We finally made it to the exit around 645pm ... Everyone was exiting the highway, which by this point was a blanket of snow, and going to one of two trucks stops just off the highway (come to find out later I95 had shut down ... the largest highway up and down the East coast!! Shut down?!). I called every hotel in the area ... but alas there was "no room at the inn"! We pulled into a truck stop and accepted our likely fate ... a night in the car! We met lots of friendly "strandees" like ourselves, had clean bathrooms, hot food and plenty of room for Hailey to run, so it could have been a lot worse!
Sometime around 945pm Karl decided, after being briefed by some truckers, that he was going to make a go of Route 1. I was a little skeptical ... more fearful of other drivers and their abilities than that of my husband. After some coaxing I agreed and we pulled out of the truck stop. The roads were blanketed with snow, but thanks to our Kia Sportage and its 4 wheel drive we had good traction. We plugged along an almost deserted road for about an hour, seeing an occasional truck or SUV passing by. We saw several cars abandoned ... lots of pretty snow covered little homes with Christmas lights out ... and all in all it was quite serene!
Once we had made it about half way there we (or as Karl would tell it ... "I") made the decision to try I95 again ... we cut across, took the on ramp and quickly knew it was a huge mistake! The road was covered in hard packed snow, there were a surprising amount of cars and trucks attempting to navigate the unmarked lanes, and doing so at speeds far faster than they should be! A terrifying mile later we exited again and decided to continue to plod along on Route 1 at a comfortable 25 miles per hour! 2 hours and 30 miles later we arrived!!!!
So what did we learn from this adventure?! CHECK THE WEATHER BEFORE DEPARTING!! Always pack an overnight bag when going on a long road trip ... it would have saved us a lot of unnecessary unpacking to get clothes for our unscheduled stop! Garmin navigation systems & cell phones with internet access are invaluable!!! And Facebook is a great way to get information from friends located all across the country ... I was able to post messages about where I was and where I was heading and get up to date info from people living in those areas regarding travel conditions and weather :) How awesome is this century!!! Just imagine what is to come in the next!!! Anyhow, here are some photo memories from our adventure!
Walking to dinner in Marion .... three tired little campers ... and bribery to make Hailey behave on day two in the car!!
Here we go again .... snowy conditions retrun as we reach Northern Virginia...
Finally ... we are able to enjoy the white stuff!!!
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