An Icy Slide

We woke up this morning to some fresh snow on the ground.  Perhaps not an unusual thing here in Idaho, but since the roads have been clear now for about 2-3 weeks, a little sprinkling of snow is not really a big deal.

My daughter had been driving my vehicle back and forth to school because it was more snow worthy with studded tires.  But since the roads have been clear of snow for the past few weeks, she has been driving her own vehicle again... which said pickup is NOT snow worthy.

At any rate, the sprinkling of snow we got last night didn't appear to be a big deal at all.  The road looked bare and dry in front of our house, so we thought it would be fine for her to take her pickup as usual.

They were already running late as it was, so we hurriedly said goodbye as they scrambled out the door.

But they didn't get far.  The back passenger wheel of her pickup just spun and spun right in the driveway.  I ran downstairs and grabbed the ice melt, which has saved us several times in getting vehicles out of slick spots.  They sprinkled the ice melt under the spinning tire, and it gained traction immediately, and the truck spun out of the yard.

So, I had just settled back into my rocking chair with my first dose of coffee, and opened my Bible, looking forward to spending some quiet time with the Lord before my day got started.

Then .... my phone rang.  It was my son calling me ... he said, "We're in the ditch."

My first question was... "Are you okay?"

"Oh yes, Mom, we're fine" he said. I breathed a sigh of relief.

So, I hurriedly ran to get dressed and take the van over to them in order for them to get to school, and then I planned on figuring out the "ditch" situation.

As I pulled out of our driveway, I realized how bad the roads were.  The road was indeed bare by our home because the sun had already come out and some of the snow and ice had already melted.  But wherever there were trees and shaded areas, the road was covered in ice and snow.  Tricky and treacherous for a little pickup.  I wasn't surprised she had trouble after I saw the condition of the roads.


As I made my way slowly to where they were in the ditch, I couldn't help but wonder how all this was going to turn out.  I looked up to the skies as I drove, and the clouds, the sun, and the mountains were absolutely ablaze with color.  It was an amazing morning, with the sparkling, shining snow on the ground, drifting off the trees creating a beautiful mist in the sky.

Surprisingly, I had the presence of mind to bring my camera with me.  It just happened to be sitting right beside my purse... and boy was I glad I brought it.

So, as I was driving, I felt my heart become calm again as I couldn't help but just marvel at this beautiful morning.



I began to call my son to see where they were at, because they were nowhere to be found.


He wasn't answering his phone!  Now this is a boy whose phone seems to be attached to his body.  You never find him without it.  I couldn't imagine why he wasn't answering my calls.

Finally, I put the phone up, concentrated on staying out of the ditch myself, and just trying to enjoy the beautiful morning, yet looking in every ditch, nook and cranny of the road as I drove, looking for my poor "ditched" children.

Finally, the phone rang.  As I was picking the phone up, I noticed that there was a white pickup in front of me driving slowly.  Ha! It was them!  Some kind neighbor had stopped and pulled them out of the ditch, and they were already back on the road, headed to school.

My daughter had been going slow around the corners, knowing the roads were slippery and icy. However, she got to a dry, flat stretch of road, and thought she could pick up speed just a bit, and apparently just as she tapped the gas, the truck hit a patch of ice and began to fishtail, and although she brought it back around several times, it eventually slid front wheels first into a ditch.  So thankful that there were no oncoming cars, or trees or anything else in the way.  It was a clean slide with no injuries to anyone, and the truck was easily pulled out, righted, and set back on the straight and narrow.

I followed them on into town just to make sure they got there.  Then, after I was sure they were safely at school, I turned my attention to the beautiful day unfolding before me.  Here are some of the pictures of the beautiful morning that I was enabled to see because of an icy early morning slide!

You can see how the snow covered the road in irregular patterns of dry patches, and then the snow mixed with ice.

Look at those clouds!  The sun was breaking through and the cloud cover with the sun over the mountains was a great sight to wake up to, even if it was a bit hectic!

I took a detour on the way home, because of the magnificent sunrise, to a road that had a wonderful open view of the early morning sun.

This is a picture I snapped this morning, and I am still in awe of the magnificence of it! The cloud formation with the sun announcing its arrival over the freshly dressed snow covered field... wow!

Today ended up being a beautifully brilliant day of sunshine.  All those clouds disappeared and the bright blue sky dominated the horizons for the rest of the day!

Even though it was a rather rude awakening to get me out and about on the roads that early in the morning... I can't say I was disappointed about it!

After all... when life gives you lemons... why not make lemonade!

I wouldn't have got to see all these beautiful sights if I'd still been sitting at home drinking my coffee, and slowly waking up... and although I certainly wouldn't recommend an early wild dash on the roads like this... but it ended up being a beautiful thing... and so ... all is well that ends well as the old saying goes... and that really held true for me today!
 
And you know what... my day only got better after this... but you'll have to wait until my next post to hear all about it :)

Stay tuned!