Weather Wise

Wasn't something I was when I woke up
at 5am on Saturday and went out to shovel
the driveway and clear the car of the packed
on icy mix so my son and I could get to work.
As is usual in our town, the side streets were
a mess.
Main Street had been plowed, but even so
it was snow covered, and I knew it would be a
20mph crawl to Flemington.
Wasn't so bad for the first 40minutes, I've
been driving for 35 years and know the drill.
Adventure began when we got to Rt.32, which
is a narrow single lane running south bordering
the canal along with the Delaware river beside it.
It was closed, and a man in a big plow truck was
stationed at it's entrance to steer us to a alternate
route.
His directions were to go up Rt.611 to the light,
did I know where that was?
Sure. Knowing the road I would turn onto there
had a long hill going in and huge steep one coming
out, the last dumping us back down along the river,
I asked if the road was in good shape.
"Yeah, I just plowed that".
So that's the way we went.
The road was in horrible condition and I wondered
what light he had been talking about..
Within 5 minutes my heart was nearing my throat,
and in 10 I had to gulp a few times to keep it from
flying out of my mouth.
We finally made it to the top of the really steep hill
that goes back down to the river, and found two county
trucks blocking our way.
They were clearing the street to the right of us and
pushing all the snow across the road in front of our car.
There was no choice but to wait till they were done before
continuing on.
When they were finished one of the men walked over
and said that we could go down the hill but to take it slow.
"It's really steep".
Yeah..
By this time we had been joined by a woman in a 4 wheel
drive Jeep heading to Milford to open the Post Office and
I let her go down ahead of me.
Well.
I can only thank Jesus that no one was trying to get up
as we were going down..
'Cause if that was plowed, I'm a woman of color.
We got to the bottom of the hill and that's where the real
adventure began.
River Road had not been plowed.
I repeat.
Had not been plowed.
At all.
And my little Escort coupe thought I had lost my mind
asking her to traverse the wilderness illuminated by
her headlights.
So did I.
The option to keep moving forward, or stop and be
stuck for sure, set our course, and we struggled through,
inching our way closer to Milford, where the roads would
be in better condition.
We got there.
And they weren't.
Amazingly, the town hadn't been plowed either.
"The Baker" was open though and I stopped out front
in the road, put my flashers on, and we made our Saturday
pick up of a fresh muffin a piece and a tall coffee for me.
From there on conditions gradually improved and we were
only 45 minutes late.
Next time, we stay home and call it another snow day..