Day 2,024

Here’s your interesting fun fact of the day… Did you know that being blown around the road due to high wind, hydroplaning, being washed aside due to fast moving water, and sliding on marble sized hail all feel a little different from each other and when in different combinations? While my drive back from Michigan during an ice storm is still the scariest drive I’ve ever had this one was certainly a contender!

In an effort to get home in time for Gavin and Dominic’s track meets (which were then cancelled) I made the drive home from Eau Claire. By the time I hit Arcadia the skies opened up and hit me with one of the craziest weather events I’ve ever driven through. There were extreme winds, torrential rain, and marble sized hail. The best part was that it all hit as I was cresting the bluffs. This meant that all the water and hail were rushing down the path of least resistance… the road.

With zero spots to pull over immediately I white knuckled it the mile or so down the hill at a snail’s pace, smiling the entire way. How wild to have the opportunity to try out driving in conditions I’ve never before experienced??? Each sensation was slightly different and they all seemed to hit at different times. There was even the experience of driving through piles of hail slush kicked up from the semi ahead of me. It was wild!!! Definitely an experience I’ll never forget.

When I got to the bottom of the bluff I pulled into the first quiet country road and got off the county road. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I took this picture…

Over an inch of hail had accumulated in less than a couple of minutes! I chilled and waited a bit for the rain to stop and the flooding waters to wash off the road before taking off again. In the past I would’ve kept driving, this time I used my head and pulled over when I could to wait it out a bit.

This was a wild experience, I’m glad I got to experience it, AND that I stayed safe while experiencing it.

Thanks!!!