We had planned on leaving Thursday after school for Calgary, but we discovered that the Trans Canada Highway was closed between Medicine Hat and Strathmore. It meant we had to tell some very disappointed children that they wouldn't be seeing Grandpa and Grandma Nation. The children weren't the only ones who were disappointed. So, we chose to head north instead of west, going up to Luke and Lindy's place for supper and the night to shorten the trip. Once we were all loaded up and everyone was in the vehicle, we drove to Moose Jaw and then up the #2 highway to Chamberlain.
About 10 minutes up the #2 highway we started wondering if it was such a good idea to be going anywhere. The snow was blowing, wind was howling, and the ice was polished. Oh yeah, it was glare ice. No fooling us! We slowed down considerably. Then the van spun out and slid back and forth a few times as we tried to correct it and we ended up facing the ditch with the front wheels dangling over the edge. We were in just far enough that I couldn't push it out. Fortunately, three vehicles pulled over and came to our aid. That was the most happy I have ever been to see a Dodge 1/2 ton. I hooked the tow rope to our rear axle and he pulled us out lickety-split. As we were doing all this, we watched as a semi-trailer blew past us and a holiday trailer slid in our direction because the wind was so strong and the ice so slick. Wild stuff.
We slowly and dejectedly headed to Moose Jaw after that ordeal, resigning ourselves to the fact that we likely wouldn't make it to the wedding. Oh, and we purchased our CAA membership as well. I had neglected to do that until this point. See a need, fill a need! It was our Christmas gift from my parents. Then we got the kids some McDonalds, got home, brought Micah and his equipment to the arena for hockey practice, and waited for things to clear up. Micah was pretty stoked that he could play hockey and the other two were happy with their kickin an fu-fies (Chicken McNuggets and french fries, according to Judah). We weren't sure how to tell them that we might not be able to go at all.
Hours later... I got up at 5 AM to check the road reports. "Icy and snow-covered sections. Blowing snow. Drifting snow. Poor visibility. Travel not advised." No better in either direction. They re-opened the highway from Bassano to Gleichen (HWY 1) for emergency travel only. At 7 AM we called Luke's again to see what they were planning. They said they were going to try it, and that the TV told them it was packed snow with slippery sections for the most part, and if it was bad they would turn back. At least they didn't say anything about zero visibility and drifting snow with gusting winds! We got everything and everyone back into the van and before 7:30 AM we were on the same road again.
We waved as we passed by the place we had slid and encountered the edge of the road. It was still icy, but we were cautious. Then again, we were cautious last time and look where it got us! The wind and snow weren't blowing nearly as badly, and the slippery section continued all the way to Chamberlain. We were glad we turned back the day before. When we passed through Chamberlain, we could see all the big rigs parked on the side of the road. No one had gone anywhere. Next as we drove to Saskatoon, we could see the numerous tracks and vehicles that had buried themselves in the ditches the day before. There were big trucks, little trucks, cars, SUVs, you name it, it had probably been in the ditch that night. Every little town along the way had multiple semi-trucks parked in or near them. I've driven through a lot of bad weather and nasty roads in my life. The day before is the first time I had ever turned around and gone home. Praise God that we did and that he kept us safe!
Once we were on highway 11, the roads were dry and bare and there was little wind. It was like that almost all the way to Grande Prairie with only a few slick places. We traveled in daylight the whole way. Of course, we were heading west with the sun, which helped. And the time change was in our favour. We only stopped 4 times. I don't know how the kids did it.
While we were up north, the weather decided to misbehave and rear its ugly head. The winds and snow picked up again and drifted up the gravel roads the day of Jo's wedding. That day my Dad stopped dead in a drift in his little John Deere tractor with a blade on the front of it. He had to wiggle and dig his way out of it he was so stuck. Someone went ahead of us with a 4x4 pick-up, and we literally sailed over and through snowdrifts, hoping they wouldn't slow us down too much because the sections after them were too icy to get any grip. At least I know the skid plate on my van works. If we had been in our old Sunfire, we would have stalled it from the amount of snow we ploughed through. (Jolene and Lynden, the wedding was great. It was a lot of fun to see everyone. Sorry we missed you, Eric & Jana, Chad & Chris, Dana & Sylvia, Brett & Drea. Another time. Back to the story.)
We decided that if the roads were that bad, we ought to leave later in the day on Sunday. We stayed for church, lunch, and were back on the road. The wind was huffing and puffing still, but enough snowploughs had been out that the driving lane was mostly clear. We stopped and saw friends in Spruce Grove (thanks Jon & Ang & boys!) and stayed the night in Sherwood Park. The hotel was clean and nice. Unfortunately the Internet didn't work there for us so we couldn't tell you what was going on. Oh, and the bathroom had this huge window into the room. The kids were amused. We watched the Food Network for a while and then nodded off.
The rest of the way, the wind blew us home. We remembered how much we hate the Battlefords, how to let sleeping children lie while driving through Saskatoon, and how to laugh at our own insanity for making such a trip. It was fun and exhausting. We bought pizzas in Moose Jaw and brought them home for supper and had a chance to unpack the van and sort the laundry before we crashed out on the couch. Last night I took Faith and the kids to another restaurant so we could get our shopping done and recover for the week (and so Faith could go to Bible Study). All in all, we're safe now, mostly recovered, and I'm so far behind in homework I'll need a month to catch up...
- Mark
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