Back in Ohio

Now I wish I had taken some photos, but this morning the six inches of snow didn't look so pretty to me. I left New York on Tuesday in advance of the snow, heading toward Ohio.  All was well, and I was patting myself on the back for being so smart by driving rather than sitting at LaGuardia. But then about 90 minutes away from my hotel for the night, it started to snow.

I was in the moutains of Pennsylvania (cue dramatic music), it was dark, and I mean dark. Never realized the Pennsylvania Turnpike has no lights. It was foggy and snowing. Then there were the usual massive trucks that won't slow down ever. The driving wasn't bad; it was the visibility and trying to keep my windshield clean. Luckily the rental car place had the washer fluid full but I was really trying to use it sparingly because I didn't want to run out.

Got to my hotel and was told the snow was supposed to stop with about 3 inches of accumulation. Fair enough, I thought.. Except it snowed all night and was still snowing when I woke up.

I studied the en route weather, but no one was leaving the hotel. There was supposed to be a break in the snow around 10 am and then it was going to start again. I knew I was driving into better weather, but it was still scary.

Got dressed, and was making a plan as to how to clean off my car with no brush. When I got to the lobby, I asked if someone could help me and they got this great maintenance man and he was like my guardian angel/personal valet. He cleaned off my car, put my suitcase in, started the car, warmed it, the whole bit. I gave him $20 and he was pleased with that.

Took off like a herd of turtles, as my mother used to say, and got on the turnpike. Like the previous night, the problem was not skidding or sliding -- it was visibility. Every time a truck passed (as they did) slush and mud got thrown up on my windshield, and I knew the wiper fluid was even lower.

So eventually I bought a gallon of the stuff, got gas (for the car that is), got something to eat and kept going through flurries, blizzard, nothing, flurries, sunshine, showers, blizzard, nothing... it was weird. Got to my Ohio hotel about 530 and will go to work tomorrow.