I remember thinking, when I read that Pa survived a blizzard by tunneling under a bank into a snowdrift–many, many years ago–that the drift must have been mighty big.
I grew up in Wisconsin, and I’ve seen my share of big snows. But in an age where fleets of snowplows and salt-and-sand trucks strike out in the middle of big storms to keep roadways clear, and snow drifts are removed from corners after the snow has passed, I’d come to think that, perhaps, Laura’s generation simply saw more snow than ours.
Boy, howdy, was I wrong.
In Minnesota and Wisconsin, we had a Christmas storm last week. It began Wednesday afternoon with snow in Minnesota. The MoTP and I snuck out of Mankato ahead of the snow, heading to Wisconsin to stay with my family over the holiday. It snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed.
Then it rained.
Then it snowed.
By the time the sun came out, three days later, the ground in central Wisconsin glittered with a good four inches of frozen slush, topped by three inches of fresh snow. The MoTP and I carefully set out for home, assured that the highways, at any rate, were clear.
As we approached Mankato, we began to get an inkling that conditions were worse in Minnesota as we drove down Hwy 169 from the Twin Cities. Heaps of snow on both sides of the freeway were augmented by blowing and drifting over the roadway between pasture lands, where no trees could break the wind. We crept further south, and the roads began to show signs of significant snowfall, significant enough that snow plow drivers couldn’t get ahead of it. We had to slow down considerably as we angled off the main highway to come into Mankato from the “back,” where we could stop for a new, second shovel and a jug of pet-friendly ice melt. We had a hunch we’d need it.
As we turned down our street, we could see that the plows had hit our roads at least once, because they’d used the end of our driveway to pile a good four-to-five-foot drift of ice and dirty snow. We couldn’t even get into our driveway.
I measured the fresh fallen snow. Fourteen inches, not counting the frozen middle layer of ice from the rain.
We dug out the garage with the new shovel, grabbed the second one and went to work on the driveway and sidewalk. It took three hours to clear enough of that drift so we could get into the driveway. I went to work with my metal garden hoe and rake to cut up enough of that drift so the MoTP could shovel it out.
That, friends, is a drift that Pa could have tunneled into.
As we’re still digging out today–we got fresh snow yesterday–I was reminded to be grateful for a number of things I have that Laura didn’t, things like four-wheel drive, stainless steel shovels, city snow plows and salt trucks.
And a grocery store less than a mile away.
It’s not that we get less snow. It’s that we’ve got the modern technology and tools to deal with it.
Stay safe this winter, folks. And Happy New Year to all!
I must say thoughts of Laura and her adventures are never far from us. As we drove north through the Kansas Flint Hills in one of the worst blizzards we’ve seen in awhile, I thought of Pa and Almanzo and the hard winter. We set out to “rescue” our daughter and her family as they tried to drive from KCMO to our house in Wichita on Christmas Eve. They had been stuck in a ditch and then stuck in a parking lot along the highway. My gallant dear heart and I donned our winter gear and set out to drive the 100 miles to meet them halfway and guide them on home. Our normally 2 hour trip turned into a 4 hour jaunt in the dark and often in white-out conditions (it took Meghan 9 hours to make a 3.5 hour trip!)
I thought how easily it would’ve been to become lost on the open prairie and to freeze to death and marveled at the courage of Almanzo and Pa as they set out into the frozen prairie. My husbad remarked to me that our little journey reminded him of John-Boy setting out to find daddy on Christmas Eve in “The Homecoming”. We made it home in the wee hours of the morning, Santa delivered his packages and all was well.
Living in CA…I just do not have any experience to even compare to what you all have gone through this winter, and not even close to Laura’s experiences! We are rather spoiled here…but I try to imagine what life would have been like and the fear one might have had as young girl wondering if Pa would ever come home from a trip to town. I am thankful for some of our modern conveniences, but I’d love to at least have the know how to get through something like that should I ever be caught in it.
Blessings,
Sommer
Amy and Laura, my goodness! We’ve sure gotten snow here in Boston, and we’ve had to shovel it out, but it’s been nothing like you’re describing here. I hear the Dakotas had it even worse. Any BLH readers out there from the Dakotas?
No, we do get less snow. That is why this Christmas/New Year’s snowstorm and cold have been so stressful – we aren’t used to it any more! We’ve got a couple of feet here in north east Kansas. Nothing but bitter cold temperatures and more snow predicted for the next week. I can’t stop thinking about the Bad Winter and wondering if we are in one right now. But I do have to thank God for gas heat/gas fireplace, grocery stores and a well stocked pantry. We are ready for 3 more months of 3 day blizzards!