Getting Stuck

It was a few weeks ago, on a Wednesday evening. I was walking out of work talking to Paul on the phone. He says "So much for that snow storm they were calling for, it's not even snowing". I agree with him that it's not and go get in my car. As I drive out of the parking garage it starts snowing. It is warm so it's a mixture of rain, ice, snow. The drive to get the kids is kind of slow, it takes about 30 minutes instead of the usual 15-20. So far it's not going too bad.

I get back on the highway after getting them and head home. As we near our exit, I see that it is backed up. It takes me awhile to figure out why but realize it is because people are slipping and getting stuck. The exit goes up a hill and the cars are not making it up. I'm nervous about making it but it goes okay. I have to weave through a dozen cars that had gotten stuck to make it up the little hill. It took me about 30 minutes to get off the exit.

We keep inching along up the hill towards home. We come to the light at Big Cottonwood Canyon. I am in the left lane because I always go through that light in the left lane. I realize that there are a ton of cars not making it up the hill after the light. I'm stuck in the left lane and can't get over to try to avoid it. I think that maybe since I got up the last hill where cars were stuck that I could get up this one.

I was wrong. We were stuck pretty quickly. And we stayed stuck there for 1 1/2 hours. I had both of the kids in the car and they definitely did not enjoy the experience. Audrey was due for a bottle so she screamed for awhile until she fell asleep. Colin was scared and wanted Mommy to "sit by me" which I did for awhile at one point. The traffic kept coming behind us so I couldn't get a chance to try to get free. After awhile a couple of plows came through. They squeezed in right next to me, so close that I thought they were going to take my mirror with them. I decide that if I can finally get some sort of break in traffic that I could probably make my way into that plow line to get free. Eventually I was able to do this and we were on our way.

This was a picture I took from my cell phone of the "parking lot" of stuck cars.
(the bus and the car infront of me to the left are the only ones moving)



We keep driving until I get to La Caille restaurant. There is another big hill there. There are tons of cars stuck on it. I decide I'm not going to even attempt it and turn around. We drive away from home and go to a Smith's grocery store. I go inside with the kids to use the bathroom and buy Audrey some baby food. Paul had been trying to get to us this whole time and finally shows up. We decide that since it is almost bedtime we better get Colin fed before we get back in the car. We go to a Subway that is in the parking lot and get some food. We head home in the Enclave and make it no problem.

On our way home, Paul realizes he doesn't have his work phone. He thinks it must have fallen off his lap when he got out of the car at the grocery store. A couple of hours later Paul and my dad head back out to go get my car. While there, they check the parking lot and find Paul's phone buried in the snow, still working.

Last weekend Paul put snow tires on my car. Noone is wanting that to happen again.