Worst storm I've ever been in

[cactusjack]

I can't believe I'm alive right now. Our salesman didn't order enough, so we went down at 6am and pulled orders for about 10 stores. I started delivering the product at 9am.....When I got to Newcastle around 11am, I knew I was in a bit of trouble. Somehow I made it to my last drop at Mustangs walmart at noon. Back down highway 152 to I-44. What a scary drive in a big 24 foot empty truck. The wind was pushing me everywhere. Got to I-40 and when I came over the hill at I-35 there is a jacknifed 18 wheeler that covers the whole road. I come to a stop, but the 50 mph winds are actually pushing my truck forwards and sideways into merging traffic. Can't believe I didn't hit someone. Make it by him and get to our DC.

Leave there at 2pm. Take off north on Martin Luther King, as I decide to stay off the big roads. Make it to 63rd, and in doing so, I make it by at least 100 stalled, wrecked, etc...cars. Turn and go all the way to Western, with a detour on classen around a 12 car wreck. Got lucky on a side road that got me around it. Went up western to Wilshire, but past wilshire there is a big hill on Western and the traffic pileup with pathetic...took the quick turn west to Penn. Go up Penn and make it past another 100 cars that are stalled, and get to another clusterf^%k at 122nd.
On my way there, idiots are trying to pass you and make two lanes out of nothing. The finger was working well!
I have to sit there, and am thinking I'm done, but a spot opens for me to take 122nd back east to Western. I make it up the hill and get to Western and turn back north. Make it reletively easy to 150th, but Western is down to one lane the next mile, and there is a big hill. I don't chance it, and I turn west and go to Sante Fe. I get to 164th, and there is a mess of 10+ cars stuck in the intersection, but I hit it green and make it through. Betty texts me and asks for milk at Braums. I'm like, you gotta be kidding, but its right there after I make it to 178th and turn back west. I make it around quite a few idiots who have come to stops on hills. Never do that.

Get to Braums and get my milk. I know my last hurdle is the hill at the stop at 178th and Western. I time it right, and go through the intercection a little red, but I had the speed to make the hill. Was concerned about the entrance to our neighborhood, and I was right, as a car was stuck there...knowing that might be the case, I drove up the other lane for exiting the neighborhood, and made it up the hill.
Came to my driveway and got completely stuck in it. Took me about 10 minutes to dig it out and get in the garage. I passed at least 500 stalled, wrecked, or whatever vehicles. I'm really worried about the people out there, but not worried enought to stop and help. Got home at 4:20. Hey, I'm in a front wheel drive car and I can't stop.

As Marissa Tomei would say. What a f*cking nightmare!!!!!!

[CowboyJD]

We've been stuck in the house at 158th and Penn all day. Glad you made it home safe Jack. I made the milk run this morning after they sent all state employees home.

[pistolpete2002]

Jack, I hope you weren't in you porsche today!!! :D

It was pretty bad in western OK as well!! I didn't get out, but 76 went out to doctor a dog about 11 miles west of here in Dill City and pick up my Grandmother so we could have a little Christmas today. He gets out there in decent shape, but when he went to pick up Grandmother he can't see a thing. He had his head out the window driving just trying to see. At one point he was talking to my mom and had to go because he thought he was on the road and there was a tree right in front of him. Turns out he had driven off the road and didn't even know it. I kinda laughed when I heard that because he does that on nice days sometimes!!! :D He ended up having to turn around because all the roads to my Grandmothers house weren't drivable due to the snow drifts being 4+ feet tall. So we're just going to have all our Christmas tomorrow!!!

[cactusjack]

Yea...Okeene will have to wait till Sunday maybe. Everyone stay safe. Just pushed two people out of drifts in front of our house.

Merry Christmas!

[orangegal]

We live on the NW side of Lake Hefner. Son wanted to go to friend's in the adjacent neighborhood so I take hime, around noon. Slick, but passable. Fast forward to 3:30pm. Got my husband's truck stuck in a drift in the street just out of our drive. He was able to get it out and we go to get our son. Got the truck stuck again on our way home but it was too much. Luckily, a passerby gave us a ride home (we were just two streets way) so we didn't have to walk but had to leave the truck. Guess what we get to (try) to do tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

Bev.

[Superaggie2]

Wife left work around 1pm,and normally a 15 minute drive,ended up being a 6hr trip for her,as she was just sitting/crawling on I-35. Myself,working in retail during this over commercialized crap,didn't get off till 6pm. Made it home actually pretty quick,only to get stuck in the street in front of my house. Mother in law comes out to help push,only to fall on the ice and hurt her ankel. All family get togethers put off till the weekend. Yep,this day officially sucks,and who ever wants a White Christmas,well Bing is dead,and so should a white christmas be. Give me Hot sunshine!

[wood911]

Where's global warming when you need it?(:>)

[MarkOSU]

took me an hour to get from May and Britton to 67th and Portland at 2:30. Just stay home if you can,

[BackHomePoke]

Left about noon from the city to Stillwater. I guess we left just in time as we didn't have too much problem getting here. It was hotter than hell in the car trying to keep the fog and ice from forming on the windows. About Guthrie my son says, dad I think that I might be overheated, as he starts to puke. Get to Stillwater and to moms then get a call that my niece is stuck at a light and can't move. Go push her out. Darren tries to get out and I get a call, he is stuck. Go push him out.

[OSUSTORM]

My family left mom and dad's about 9:00 last night. We had 3 cars and a jeep. All three cars are stuck in the road right in front of our house. We managed to get all of the cars to the side of the road as to not block it. Will be going out to dig after breakfast.

[FalseGod]

Whew, the wife and I were going to be driving up from Austin to OKC yesterday, but decided to wait because of the weather. Early predictions weren't this bad, but after talking to family there yesterday we figured it would be bad, but not this bad. How are the roads today?

[OSUSTORM]

We're still digging out. We got one car out only for it to get stuck right in front of the driveway. Won't be able to get my truck out with Kem's car blocking the drive.

As far as Stillwater is concerned, I've seen deeper snow. I would say we got about 6 inches with three feet drifts. I had a two foot snow drift under my carport.

[JimBob]

Great news! The poodle couldn't hold it any longer and finally took a big sooner; I was expecting a 1-3 a.m. bark-me-out.:officechair:

[Verb]

After having 3 different flights cancelled on Christmas Eve day, my son finally got out of Tulsa this morning at 6:30 a.m. He made it home in time for Christmas brunch at noon.

He said the hardest part was getting his car out of my mom's cul de sac at 47th and Florence at 5:00 this morning, where the drifts were knee high.

It was 70 and sunny here today. He seemed to enjoy it. :D

[JonforOSU]

Here's my story from hell;

Working on Christams Eve I got to see the whole thing start to develop. Wondering why I hadn't gotten the call to close it down when the snow hit. It snowed for another hour and half before I get the call to shut it down and go home. By this time it was already mass chaos on all roads. Had to make it to Edmond from Midwest City. I get on Douglas and not two blocks from the store I run into a pile up at Douglas and 23rd. Weave my way through the cars, and yes, I felt really bad about not stopping to help people, but if I did, I would have been a gonner too. It would be a different story if I still had my Wrangler with Mickey T 32 inch tires on it. God, I missed that Jeep on Thursday. I was in a lousy two wheel drive Ford F-150. Terrible on snow and ice.

Get on 23rd and tell myself if I can make it to I-35 I should be fine. I passed about 150 cars on 23rd stuck. Get on I-35 and it is a total mess. Jack knifed trucks, cars all over the highway stuck. Poeple waling around trying to figure out how to get out. I get stuck 3 times making the stretch to Memorial. I had to wait until someone would drive up in a 4x4 to get me going again each time. Finally get to the Memorial exit and there's an 18 wheeler stuck. Some how I manuever around him only to get stuck trying to make it up the hill to Memorial. Another guy stops and pulls me up to Memorial. Again, tons of cars stuck on Memorial. Make it to Boulevard and get stuck again. Got to my neighborhood and bury my truck in a drift, where it sits today. Had to walk about 4 blocks until a guy on an ATV picked me up and took me the rest of the way home. I thought my ears were gonna freeze and break off. Get home and literally fall onto the floor of my garage from exhaustion and being so cold from walking just a few blocks and wind burned from the ATV ride. My wife came out with a towel and a blanket, it seriously felt like I was gonna have to go to the ER. But, I thawed out by the fire and was OK.

We planned on going to my mom's for Christmas Eve dinner so we didn't have much at the house to eat. We mustered up a plethera of what I like to call dorm food. Corn dogs, chicken nuggets, egg rolls, and I made a pot of beans, so our Christams Eve dinner sucked as I had visions of my Mom's world famous Christmas Eve dinner on my mind since the end of Thanksgiving.

The girls loved the snow and we managed to take my wife's Santa Fe to both grandparents house. The Santa Fe is a great vehicle for this type of weather, should have taken it to work, but I didn't anticipate a "Day After Tomorrow" type of storm. We had a lovely Christamas dinner at both houses so I was able to get my world famous dinner. Got a huge OSU flag that will be flying at the house and some news shoes.

On a side note, I now have to get a tetnis shot on Monday. One of the fine gentlemen that pulled me out on I-35 had one of those metal braided tow cables. Alot of the individual cables had broken and when I reached down to grab it with my bare hands it sliced me up pretty good. 7 good sized cuts on my fingers and palm.

I would like to thank all of the guys that were out in their 4x4's helping people. If not for them, it would have been alot worse than it was and tons more people stranded. Always nice to see Oklahomans rise up and come to the call of their statesmen and women.

[BAOKBOB]

I can't believe I'm alive right now. Our salesman didn't order enough, so we went down at 6am and pulled orders for about 10 stores. I started delivering the product at 9am.....When I got to Newcastle around 11am, I knew I was in a bit of trouble. Somehow I made it to my last drop at Mustangs walmart at noon. Back down highway 152 to I-44. What a scary drive in a big 24 foot empty truck. The wind was pushing me everywhere. Got to I-40 and when I came over the hill at I-35 there is a jacknifed 18 wheeler that covers the whole road. I come to a stop, but the 50 mph winds are actually pushing my truck forwards and sideways into merging traffic. Can't believe I didn't hit someone. Make it by him and get to our DC.

Leave there at 2pm. Take off north on Martin Luther King, as I decide to stay off the big roads. Make it to 63rd, and in doing so, I make it by at least 100 stalled, wrecked, etc...cars. Turn and go all the way to Western, with a detour on classen around a 12 car wreck. Got lucky on a side road that got me around it. Went up western to Wilshire, but past wilshire there is a big hill on Western and the traffic pileup with pathetic...took the quick turn west to Penn. Go up Penn and make it past another 100 cars that are stalled, and get to another clusterf^%k at 122nd.
On my way there, idiots are trying to pass you and make two lanes out of nothing. The finger was working well!
I have to sit there, and am thinking I'm done, but a spot opens for me to take 122nd back east to Western. I make it up the hill and get to Western and turn back north. Make it reletively easy to 150th, but Western is down to one lane the next mile, and there is a big hill. I don't chance it, and I turn west and go to Sante Fe. I get to 164th, and there is a mess of 10+ cars stuck in the intersection, but I hit it green and make it through. Betty texts me and asks for milk at Braums. I'm like, you gotta be kidding, but its right there after I make it to 178th and turn back west. I make it around quite a few idiots who have come to stops on hills. Never do that.

Get to Braums and get my milk. I know my last hurdle is the hill at the stop at 178th and Western. I time it right, and go through the intercection a little red, but I had the speed to make the hill. Was concerned about the entrance to our neighborhood, and I was right, as a car was stuck there...knowing that might be the case, I drove up the other lane for exiting the neighborhood, and made it up the hill.
Came to my driveway and got completely stuck in it. Took me about 10 minutes to dig it out and get in the garage. I passed at least 500 stalled, wrecked, or whatever vehicles. I'm really worried about the people out there, but not worried enought to stop and help. Got home at 4:20. Hey, I'm in a front wheel drive car and I can't stop.

As Marissa Tomei would say. What a f*cking nightmare!!!!!!

So what is the product?

[cactusjack]

Chips baby! Frito Lay

[rolentz]

Left Dallas on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Our daughter stayed in Stillwater over Christmas break because she has to work, so my husband and I told her we would come to her. Anyway, run into sleet, snow and what felt like hurricane strength winds as we go over the mountains at Turner Falls. Had to pull off the road 3 times to clear ice off the windowshield so we could see. Fought our way to just south of Norman when we came to a complete stop. It was 3:45 in the afternoon. For the next SIX hours we sit on I-35 occasionally moving mere yards. Finally inched our way to Exit 104 where we get off I-35 and wrapped our way back to I-35 just north of Exit 106. Now we're moving at about 20 mph. So we think, we'll find a half decent exit (easy on and off) with a nearby motel and hole up the the night. Problem was every single exit we saw from Norman to Edmond was blocked by stuck cars and trucks. So we kept going. Surprisingly, the road north of Edmond was the best we had seen since Turner Falls. I dont know if the wind blew all the snow off the road, but in many places I-35 was completely clear and dry. We ended up making it all the way to the LaQuinta in Stillwater ... at 1:45 pm. Our normal 4 hour trip to 14+ hours, but good news is we made it safe, sound, and unscathed.

Left Stilly this morning around 10 to come back to Dallas. OKC was still having some problems ... mostly because the plows were still trying to clear roads and there were still many, many abandoned vehicles along the highway. But we're home, watching the Meineke Bowl, so alls well that ends well.

We never did find out what the problem was with I-35 around Exit 106, so if anyone knows, I'd appreciate hearing about it. We couldn't tell anything on the way back, and are just speculating that the bridge there was just unpassable.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year y'all!

[cactusjack]

Wow, what a trip report. Can't believe you made it all that way. My wife has this stupid spray she sprays on me in the car. Can't remember what its called, but its supposed to turn cranky moods to sweet, lol.

She sprays that on me out of the blue at times when traffic has me, riled up I guess you can say. I don't do well sitting in traffic. I might have heart attacked in that situation!!!

Glad you made it back home.

[CanadianCowboy]

My trip from Pampa to Whitesboro is normally a 5-1/2 hour ride. It took me 17 hours over two days, with a motel stay in Vernon on Christmas Eve. Terrible, terrible, terrible trip home. Merry Christmas, ho ho ho.:(

At least I did make it home without collision-incident, despite several opportunities. And seeing the Christmas-lighted house in dark as I came up the driveway, and the fireplace warmth when I got inside, made the trip worthwhile. :food-smiley-004:

[BAOKBOB]

Chips baby! Frito Lay

Frito Lay company has taken lots of my money through the years.

Quality stuff.

I even remember as a kid the "Frito Bandito".