Our original plan was to leave Tuesday morning around 5 am and drive straight to the air terminal in Norfolk. Two things changed our plans. First, Chris called to check the "show time" for our flight and it had moved up. The latest forecast called for snow to start Monday, snow all day, ending at 1 am Tuesday. There was really no way to wait for snowy roads to be cleared, carefully drive to Virginia, and arrive by show time. Second, the forecasts for this storm kept changing - for the worse. The first forecasts called for a dusting to maybe 3 inches in Georgetown. The forecasts on 3 sources - weather.com, WKYT, and the national weather service - varied from one another so drastically, it was hard to get a clear picture of what was to come. As the day progressed, however, all sources shared one theme - it was going to be worse than earlier predictions, AND the storm was going to cover more territory than they originally thought. By Sunday evening, there seemed to be a gathering consensus that "we haven't seen snow like this since the 90s!"
The McKinney household was a flutter with contingency plans...maybe leave early, maybe leave later and go to an entirely different country, or the least favorite, of course, maybe we don't go at all. Considering that the packing was at 90%, I added clean sheets to the guest bed, cleaned the bathrooms, did two more loads of laundry, gathered teaching materials, and waited for Chris to decide what to do. Please keep in mind that in regard to this trip, I decided to 'go with the flow' and let Kate and Chris do the planning.
It was well after 10 pm, and after waffling between decisions, that Chris finally said, "Let's see if we can get out of here tonight." I stepped up my game and let the children go on to bed. Around 12:30, the car was packed and the dogs were a nervous wreck. They are well aware of what packing the car means for them. I woke the kids up to shower and gather any last minute items. We were on the road by 1:11 am, about an hour or so before the first snow flakes started falling in Georgetown.
Chris and I were both tired starting out, so we took 2 hours driving shifts. The Explorer has a real time weather radar map. Periodically we accessed the radar, nervously congratulating ourselves and driving a little faster, as the snow front was clearly just behind us. Chris took the first shift and made good time. The roads were clear. About an hour and a half into my shift through the mountains of West Virginia, my eyes were drooping, and I began to notice that the occasional snow flurry you always see through the mountains this time of year, were sticking to the road - and I had to pee. There aren't many exits through there, and most have no accommodations. I pulled off an exit and before I was off the ramp, Chris woke up. We were on solid snow and ice that had obviously been there for quite some time. I jumped out a peed on the side of the road and Chris took over driving.
We stopped for breakfast at the Waffle House in Charlottesville, Va. Our server was a very industrious, talkative woman named Diane. Ryan had chocolate chip waffles, and Kate had the best cinnamon raisin bread in the world (her words)! I had eggs something or other and COFFEE! We were back on the road and everyone was starting to rally and get their minds on the trip. I dozed off and when I woke up I asked Chris if he was ready for me to drive. He laughed. We were 5 miles from Norfolk Navy Base. And the time was just after 11 am!
Despite being dog-tired, Chris insisted that after we checked into our room at the Navy Inn & Suites, we go to the air terminal and check-in. There were 3 workers total at the air terminal and 2 of them were working the security scan. I chatted with those 2 ladies for a few while Chris secured our status with the flight to Spain. Good news! There are 95 passenger seats available and we are priority 3 (priority 1 & 2 goes to service members on duty and tdy). AND, the flight will not be cancelled due to snow. It might be delayed a little, but not cancelled - the man behind the desk was adamant about that.
Sigh of relief. We are here. Flight looks good. Worth the chaos to get here. Bring on the snow, we don't care. We're going to Spain!! Running out of steam. Need sleep.
Our next stop was the Exchange (Navy Exchange or NEX). I grabbed a toothbrush and some wine. Kate grabbed some Breathe Right strips and a razor. Chris grabbed Diet Coke, and Ryan, well, Ryan was focused on his usual concern - what is to eat. We all decided on buying a variety of frozen foods for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. The commissary was just at the other end of the strip mall, but I pointed out the trifecta of commissary madness - it's a holiday, payday (the 15th) was yesterday, and it's about to come the mother of all snow storms. Avoid the commissary at all costs!
We stopped at the food court for some overpriced Asian food and a sandwich for Chris. We took our frozen delectables and oddball purchases, and stumbled to our room. It's no Air Force Inn to be sure, but not bad. Chris and I have a separate bedroom, there's a kitchenette with a full-size fridge and tiny stove, and it's clean - old, but clean. Our many travels have honed our military prejudices, when it comes to accommodations anyway. Top of the chart is always Air Force lodging. The AF clearly spends more money than the other branches combined on housing and lodging - and landscaping. Consistently second is the Navy. The facilities are per normal very aged, but clean and the people very hospitable. Army always takes a backseat. You get what you get. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's tolerable.
Considering how tired we all were, the room could have had "a" pillow and it would have sufficed. But, we were pleasantly surprised. Momma is happy because there is a Keurig coffee maker and the cleaning lady asked me if I would like extra coffee. Do bears poop in the woods? I hadn't stolen enough creamer pods from Waffle House, and I forgot to purchase any at the NEX. I'm working on 3 creamer pods and two little packets of the icky powdered stuff. How can this be? I'm losing my edge.
We inhaled our lunches, watched the weather channel for kicks and giggles, and then Chris and I took naps. There is a living room with a sofa bed, but we had them bring in a roll-away bed. I decided to nap on the roll-away bed so I could watch TV until I fell asleep and let Chris have quiet sleep in the bedroom. Chris helped me set up the roll-away bed. What a hoot! This thing is straight out of the 50s. It's so worn, that when we finally got it set up and I sat on the edge, my butt was almost touching the floor. I laughed and said it was like sleeping on a hammock. (Ryan must have bought it, because he couldn't wait to sleep on it tonight...hee hee). Truly, he's the only one that can get any sleep on it. Topping out at a compact 65 pounds, he barely dents the mattress.
While we slept, Kate worked ahead on her schoolwork and Ryan watched old episodes of Psych. When we got up, the snow had started falling. My guess is that it started around 2:30. It's now 1 am and we have over 6 inches and 30 minutes ago sleet started hitting the windows! This would all be dreadful if we weren't GOING TO SPAIN!
Ryan decided he wanted snow cream, so he and I decided to run to the NEX for some missing personal hygiene items and to bring in some snow. Roads are not plowed here. But, it's a military post. You have to drive 25 on a good day. We drove 15 on snow-covered streets and did just fine. Unfortunately, the NEX was closed. Ryan brought in his snow and made snow cream. Kate and Chris were adjusting the travel itinerary based on some videos we had watched downplaying Morocco as a good destination.
Ryan wanted to play cards. He and I played 'Slap Jack,' and then I taught him how to shuffle cards and to play Black Jack. He was hooked! I may have created a monster. Though he lost at least half of the hands (as one always does in 21), he is considering a life in Vegas (just kidding). We did have fun, and I figure adding all of those numbers is a good education. Am I rationalizing? If so, don't stop me. As far as I can tell, it's a teachable moment AND my son might win real money gambling. Is that wrong? Heee heee.
And so, it's 1:20 am, everyone but me is asleep. The sleet is 'pinging' against the windows, and I can't drink another sip of this wine. There were only 3 choices for reds, and this one is called "Dog Gone Red" and has a picture of a German Shepherd on the label. Bad wine! It's like grape juice with added sugar! ....And yet, here I sit - typing and imbibing the dog drink. Trip to Spain, day 1, time to sign off....woof.