Saturday, March 1, 2008 ended beautifully. The afternoon weather in southern Colorado was in the 70's and the sun shone brightly. Doc and I had decided to do some yard work and the boys were basking in the warmth outside while playing in the dirt and getting it in their hair and clothes.
They were in heaven.
Sneezy woke me at dawn the next morning as usual and I heard the wind howling outside. It was nothing unusual to this area, but as I looked to the north, there was nothing but gray and white.
Doc left early for church and the boys and I were about 20 minutes behind him. Half an hour into our trip up north, we started seeing snowflakes.
"Look, boys! See the little, white snowflakes falling? It's starting to snow!" I said with contentment.
Twenty minutes after that, I could barely see through the windshield. I had to concentrate on the car in front of me so I wouldn't run into it.
Blowing snow + crappy windshield wipers = poor visibility.
Needless to say, I missed my exit.
"No, no, no!" I yell. The day had turned for me. I decided to drive to the next exit and turn around.
As I was exiting down the long ramp, the road was covered with still falling snow and became very slippery. Our van started fishtailing around and not being able to control the van, we skidded into the ditch. We ended up facing the way we had come still upright and, thankfully, not dead.
I eventually drove up and out of the ditch, but getting back onto the road I realized we had a flat tire. With a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I pull over to the side of the road.
You all are probably thinking at this point, "Oh, well, she can just pull out her trusty cell phone and get some help," or something like, "She really learned her lesson from the last accident that just happened a few months ago. She'll definitely have her cell phone with her." You might even be thinking that, "she wouldn't be stupid enough not to have it charged and ready in case of an emergency, right?"
Nope. We were stranded....with no cell phone.
Shaking all over, I turned on my hazard lights and got out of the van. The front left wheel was off the rim and the back left wheel was losing air rapidly. With a prayer in my heart, I turned around as a car passes by me and I wave my arm to get the attention of the driver. Thankfully, he slows down and pulls over.
Thinking back, I realized it probably wasn't too bright of me to wave down a total stranger.
Using the gentlemen's cell phone, I got in touch with a friend of ours who came to the rescue, loaded all of us into his car, and took us to his house where his wife was waiting with open arms.
Leaving the boys with her, I accompanied Rescue Guy to church to inform Doc of the situation.
"Here's the deal," I said with my stomach in my throat. "I ran off the road and we have two flat tires."
Doc's mouth fell open and he said, "Huh?"
I know. It's a lot to take in from just one sentence. Hurriedly explaining that Rescue Guy was out front ready to change one tire and fill the other with air, I left him to his pastoral duties.
Rescue Guy and I proceed to my van with his 14-year-old son and pile out into the freezing tundra. The wind was bitterly cold and snow was constantly blowing in our faces while we found the spare tire and the jack.
Rescue Guy was hard at work when Doc showed up. There we all stood watching Rescue Guy as he labored in the cold and wind.
When my toes felt like they were about to fall off, I did the woman-like thing and got into a warm car to sit and watch.
Hey, my philosophy is women give birth and men change tires in the freezing wind. Frankly, I'd rather give birth...without medication.
To make a long story short, after getting our van to Wal-Mart and having things dealt with there, Doc and I got out of Dodge with many thanks to Rescue Guy and his family for helping us out.
I took Doc's little car home while he drove the van since it was plainly obvious that I didn't know how to drive. With that sick feeling still with me, I envisioned Doc crouched over the banister with a loaded shotgun waiting for my head to appear around the front door.
There was no harm done, though, and the boys had the time of their lives after the scare of almost dying in a winter storm.
Earlier in the day, Doc had said, "We might as well just blow up the van and be done with it."
My thoughts exactly.
They were in heaven.
Sneezy woke me at dawn the next morning as usual and I heard the wind howling outside. It was nothing unusual to this area, but as I looked to the north, there was nothing but gray and white.
Doc left early for church and the boys and I were about 20 minutes behind him. Half an hour into our trip up north, we started seeing snowflakes.
"Look, boys! See the little, white snowflakes falling? It's starting to snow!" I said with contentment.
Twenty minutes after that, I could barely see through the windshield. I had to concentrate on the car in front of me so I wouldn't run into it.
Blowing snow + crappy windshield wipers = poor visibility.
Needless to say, I missed my exit.
"No, no, no!" I yell. The day had turned for me. I decided to drive to the next exit and turn around.
As I was exiting down the long ramp, the road was covered with still falling snow and became very slippery. Our van started fishtailing around and not being able to control the van, we skidded into the ditch. We ended up facing the way we had come still upright and, thankfully, not dead.
I eventually drove up and out of the ditch, but getting back onto the road I realized we had a flat tire. With a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I pull over to the side of the road.
You all are probably thinking at this point, "Oh, well, she can just pull out her trusty cell phone and get some help," or something like, "She really learned her lesson from the last accident that just happened a few months ago. She'll definitely have her cell phone with her." You might even be thinking that, "she wouldn't be stupid enough not to have it charged and ready in case of an emergency, right?"
Nope. We were stranded....with no cell phone.
Shaking all over, I turned on my hazard lights and got out of the van. The front left wheel was off the rim and the back left wheel was losing air rapidly. With a prayer in my heart, I turned around as a car passes by me and I wave my arm to get the attention of the driver. Thankfully, he slows down and pulls over.
Thinking back, I realized it probably wasn't too bright of me to wave down a total stranger.
Using the gentlemen's cell phone, I got in touch with a friend of ours who came to the rescue, loaded all of us into his car, and took us to his house where his wife was waiting with open arms.
Leaving the boys with her, I accompanied Rescue Guy to church to inform Doc of the situation.
"Here's the deal," I said with my stomach in my throat. "I ran off the road and we have two flat tires."
Doc's mouth fell open and he said, "Huh?"
I know. It's a lot to take in from just one sentence. Hurriedly explaining that Rescue Guy was out front ready to change one tire and fill the other with air, I left him to his pastoral duties.
Rescue Guy and I proceed to my van with his 14-year-old son and pile out into the freezing tundra. The wind was bitterly cold and snow was constantly blowing in our faces while we found the spare tire and the jack.
Rescue Guy was hard at work when Doc showed up. There we all stood watching Rescue Guy as he labored in the cold and wind.
When my toes felt like they were about to fall off, I did the woman-like thing and got into a warm car to sit and watch.
Hey, my philosophy is women give birth and men change tires in the freezing wind. Frankly, I'd rather give birth...without medication.
To make a long story short, after getting our van to Wal-Mart and having things dealt with there, Doc and I got out of Dodge with many thanks to Rescue Guy and his family for helping us out.
I took Doc's little car home while he drove the van since it was plainly obvious that I didn't know how to drive. With that sick feeling still with me, I envisioned Doc crouched over the banister with a loaded shotgun waiting for my head to appear around the front door.
There was no harm done, though, and the boys had the time of their lives after the scare of almost dying in a winter storm.
Earlier in the day, Doc had said, "We might as well just blow up the van and be done with it."
My thoughts exactly.
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