We should have known that something bigger was afoot when we awoke to frozen pipes. But the plumbers assured us it was their mistake - not enough ethylene glycol in the system. So after a chilly day of repairs we thought our troubles were over, left our "Winter Palace" and set out on the long journey home. Our New Year's Day drive through the Hiawatha Forest, which stands sandwiched between Lakes Michigan and Superior, was spectacular - bright and sunny. We stopped to take in the immense beauty of Lake Michigan's northern shoreline - frozen as far as the eye could see.
Then we got a text from our dog walkers in New York warning us about the storm. I checked the forecast - the prediction looked bad. Sure enough, an hour later we were struggling through menacing conditions. The snow swirled across the road and every hundred yards we passed cars in the ditch on the side of the highway. The drop in visibility caused by snow flurries coincided with dusk. After a hour of witnessing car after car that had careered off the icy road we decided to pull into Ann Arbor. The exit ramp was lethal and we ended up slithering sideways into a parking lot. But everyone had the same idea and, as a result, the motels were full and there was "no room at the inn" for the dogs. So we were forced to struggle back up the ramp and on to the highway for another hair-raising hours ride to our reserved room in Toledo. The next day we had to dig the car out of the driveway. The conditions remained menacing. Toledo was encircled by crashed cars - we saw at least 20 in the ditch within as many miles - and at this point decided that our original plan to cross the Pennsylvania wilds on I-80 under these conditions would be madness. So we headed 3 hours south to Dayton, OH and on to Columbus, in an effort to skirt the storm but make it home on I-70 before the second predicted storm could overtake us.
This was the worst day, every city was ringed by cars in the ditch and as we approached Pittsburg we were held up for an hour because a truck had careened off the road just ahead, hit the embankment and exploded. The cabin was flattened, firmen had sawed out the driver who was airlifted out by helicopter. This was the last straw. We pulled off the road and into a wonderfully dog-friendly Ramada that turned out to be set on the top of some retired Pittsburg coalpit. We prayed that the treacherously steep road would be ploughed by morning. It was! The next day was fine and clear, the storm had passed north and on to New York and Boston and we were able to follow the salt and grit trucks clearing the roads in its wake. Now the snow has gone but we have freezing air. New York is -19C and our Winter Palace in Channing, MI, at -26C is fit for The Snow Queen. If anyone knows how to effectively heat or insulate an A-frame house let me know. I've searched the web and it doesnt look promising, but more of that later.
