Winter Chill, Bomb Cyclone, Merry Christmas

Dear Readers,

I had a different idea in mind when I embarked on this road trip. I didn’t think I would be greeted with a once-in-a-generation “weather event.” But here I am, stuck in the middle of it.

I was thinking if it got bad enough, I would just stay in my hotel/motel and wait it out until Saturday, but somehow I could drive six hours on I-70 in the middle of this mess.

The interstates can’t really close down because there are trucks that have to be someplace. The danger would be skidding on black ice or a jackknifed truck in front of you with insufficient time to slow down.

At this moment, the snow has stopped, but the arctic air remains. It’s bad enough for me - but my two dogs are having a rough time in so much as their feet have to touch the ground, and my big dog Jack has to find “the right spot.” He loves the snow, and rolls around in it. My smaller dog Luna is not having any of it. None of it, no Sir, get me out of here now.

It’s fairly miserable, all in all. I don’t have anything good to report, and I can’t even say I have the time to write anything. I have to try to get out of here early and then drive. This is the worst day, they say. Friday. Saturday, things are supposed to improve. I will get off the road and find another motel if it gets really bad.

Mainly I’m stuck with a vague feeling of fear and worry. The cold isn’t just where I am, it’s up and down the whole country, so I can’t really take an alternate route. I am in Effingham, Illinois, and making my way toward Cambridge, Ohio.

But if I had time to write something, I was planning to write about Eisenhower. I-70 is the Eisenhower Highway and passes through Ike’s hometown. It also passes through Harry Truman and Abe Lincoln's territory. Living in this area, especially when they did, makes you tough. It has to. You can’t survive it otherwise.

I was thinking about Stanford’s project on words you can’t say and thinking about how raising a generation to be that fragile is bad for them, and bad for our country. They seem to believe they can make the whole world safe. They should be taught that they have to be strong enough to survive this world because it will crush them otherwise.

Changing “Karen” to “demanding or entitled white woman” is not a preferable change. At least “Karen” is kind of funny.

Am I made of tough stuff? No, I’m not. I, as a Californian, do not know how to deal with this level of frigid temperatures. I am not worried about my survival. It’s my dogs I’m worried about should something “happen.” As long as I have gas in the car and the car is running, they will stay warm.

I also somehow managed to rent an off-road vehicle, which was a stroke of pure luck since they were out of the kinds of SUVs I usually rent. I’m in one of these:

Anyway, I hope you all are having a much nicer Christmas or Holiday than I am. Sending you love from the road. See you on the other side.

Effingham, Illinois, 6am