thinking i was hotel-free for the rest of 2009 was too good to be true. i ran into snow 11 miles from the kentucky/tennessee border. this morning, weather.com showed me a big green blob over tn/nc/sc, even when i hit the future forecast button. now it looks like this:
thanks weather.com!
i drove through part of the blue blob in kentucky and am now in a green area,
but more mountains and blue blobbiness await!
it took me two hours to drive (if you want to call it that) about 50 miles from the start of the snow to the hotel. it took almost 5 hours to make what is typically a sub-3 hr drive. getting up to 20mph was exhilarating!
of course i was half-tempted to keep trucking along, but sunset was approaching, the temps were going to be dropping and it just did not seem like a wise idea since i still have a few more mountains to climb. i've heard that there's already a few inches of snow in the mountains of north carolina, and i'll admit i was a little nervous driving in the snow earlier. the lack of exits/civilization for 30 miles didn't help much. i just want to get home and i'm bored now in the hotel, but as josh put it -- better to be bored than dead.
at least the hie in clinton, tn is brand new and snazzy! i guess i can survive another night in not-my-bed. word on the street is this winter storm is supposed to last until sunday in some parts, yuck. tndot and ncdot - get on the ball here with the plowing and salting. this carolina girl needs to get home.
any runners in clinton, tn that want to get in a long run tomorrow?? :o)
Looks like you made a wise decision! Hopefully the plows get out and you make it home quickly!
ReplyDeleteIm looking at upwards of 14 inches of snow tomorrow in Jersey. Hoping I can miss most of it during my long run in the morning (going to wake up extra early). Not looking forward to it at all (it's going to be a mess).
ReplyDeleteExpectations of 10-12 inches where I live in NJ...and I HATE snow!! Hope you make it home soon...and safe :)
ReplyDeletehey, it's smart of you to stop - be really careful on the rest of your drive.
ReplyDeletemy brother lives out west and was in a brutal accident during a squall in NV last week. you never can be too careful, especially here in the south where most places are massively unprepared for snow storms. sorry to preach, it's been on my mind a lot! and if the weather is that bad, give yourself a day off from running! haha.
-beth
Wow, I'm kind of boggled: I know exactly where Clinton, TN is ;p And yeah, that is not an area where you want to be driving in miserable weather. Pretty country, but NOT driving in the snow.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels home Lindsay, be careful! Hope you find someone to run with tomorrow and stay warm girl!
ReplyDeleteThose highway photos look gray and gloomy. Maybe it will be better tomorrow. Just be safe and drive slow...well, if they're slow ahead of you...you'll have no choice.:)
ReplyDeleteVery Good decision on stopping. Better indoors and safe. I miss NC. Don't know why I am up here in PA. Your pics are making me miss home. I wish you a well rest and hopefully you will get to your destination soon. I'm sure you have seen the signs. "Bee Alert, Arrive Unhurt". I think we are getting around 12 inches in PA. Be Safe~!
ReplyDeleteNo more of that exhilarating 20mph stuff! Slow it down!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got off the roads. There is nothing worse than being in a snow induced traffic jam.
ReplyDeletenice blogging!!! I can picture you now.... one hand, white knuckled, grasping the steering wheel as you navigate through the ice and snow. The other hand operating your digital camera as you bravely capture the adventure for your loyal followers :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you decided to play it safe... on the bright side the HIEes have pretty decent continental breakfasts if I remember correctly.
Yup, we are getting some of that snow later today. You poor thing, I don't know how you do it. I feel so scattered when I am away from home and my own bed! Hope you already got home safely!
ReplyDeleteNuts! You're smart not to risk the drive. Stay warm and I hope you aren't stuck for too long!
ReplyDeleteYuck. Stuff like this makes me super happy to be a Californian :) Drive safely and I hope you get home soon!
ReplyDeleteThat makes this girl sick to her stomach, being a claim handler for an insurance carrier, thinking of all the wrecks that will be called in!
ReplyDeleteGood for you to stay put until the roads clear. Better safe, than sorry. A one night stay is much easier to deal with than a 5 night stay because you wrecked your car and it's not driveable!
Be safe!!
Hopefully you at least had a bag of M&M's with you in the car during the long winter drive! Good idea to get off and enjoy a nice warm hotel room though! No need to visit a trauma room!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck, hope you make it home and hope you get a great long nights sleep once there!
Happy Holidays!
Yikes! As a sunny Southern Californian I just broke out in a cold sweat looking at those pictures. I personally think it was a good call to spend a night at hie. After all, tomorrow then you'll be able to run nuclear power plant right?
ReplyDeleteI guess you're suffering through the storm we had last week. Hope you're able to get a move on tomorrow!
Yeah, it sounds like it's getting pretty bad (if not bad enough already) back East.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to go snowboarding last weekend, but the weather would have been really bad to drive up in the mountains. I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you're experiencing. I have to admit, it's pretty scary to drive in snow. Good luck on your drive home!
smart move girl, quite the storm and dumping of snow!!!! ... hope you've made it home by now ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you stopped! I knew of people that were stuck on the WV turnpike for 24 hours!
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds like you made the right decision.
ReplyDeleteClinton TN!!! You were in my backyard...literally...10 minutes from my house. I wish I had known that, you could have stayed here FREE or we could have ran "together"...although I'm ALOT slower & don't run as far, so not sure how that would have worked out...but still!!
ReplyDeleteif you have traffic issues coming back, let me know...well, let me know when you are headed back & I'll get you my contact info in case you need a place to camp out!
Goodluck driving through that weather! Hope you get home safely soon!
ReplyDeleteUgh sorry you got stuck in that mess. It took the BF and I an hour and a 1/2 on what should be about a 45 minutes drive. Sucky, but not nearly as bad as yours!
ReplyDeleteWow... I have nothing intelligent to say... just wow. I'm in TX now, so don't have to deal with all that. Enjoy your holidays!
ReplyDeletejosh was right. it's better to stop and be bored than dead on a mountain somewhere. literally. so sorry you had to go through that before the holidays. it sucks. but you weren't alone in it as your pictures show. and i hope you got your work to pay for that?
ReplyDelete