Just Musing: A trip to remember and another one looming

It took winter a while to rear its ugly head but, when it came, it came with a vengeance. I thought I was getting out of Dodge just in time as my friends, Nancy, Polly and myself, left very early Sunday morning for the winter in Florida. Our departure date was delayed so I could get my quarterly shots in my eyes for my rare eye disease or we may have made it without incident.

We had decided early on we would not travel I-75 through − or even around Atlanta this year as we had driven through a residential area following the GPS two years ago and didn’t feel safe. My late husband, our children and myself had driven to Louisville, through Nashville and into Alabama, before traveling I-65 with a stop in Gadsden to visit his sister and family on our way to Florida. So we did.

We made terrific time Sunday once we got to Springfield and the highway was clean. About one-two hours out of Nashville, we began experiencing light snow flurries, which only intensified the farther south we drove. I was the driver and Nancy the navigator, helping me to get in the right lanes, etc., as we motored the highways.

Moving into Central Time Zone, it was approaching dark − 5 p.m. our time, 4 p.m. in Alabama. The navigator started looking for lodging at exits with the snow coming down at a faster pace. We pulled off in Athens, Alabama, and found a room at the Holiday Inn Express. Our initial plans were to leave after breakfast and drive on to I-10.

The snow quickly turned to freezing rain and this chicken said we’re not leaving until they’ve had a chance to treat the roads. To say we are spoiled by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) in Ohio is an understatement. We were informed by hotel staff that they didn’t have plows and salt trucks but rather spread sand on the roadways.

We resigned to a second night at the hotel in hopes the sand would help break up the ice. Then we learned another and worse storm went through about 45 miles south of us and the interstate was totally shut down through that area.

Glued to the television, we were frequently checking Algotraffic.com on our phones. The interstate was still closed south of us and the state police reported it as very treacherous. These three elderly women decided a third day at the hotel would our best decision for our safety.

I must say we and other stranded guests were treated like royalty. We made friends with folks from southern Illinois, Toronto, Canada, and Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, among others. We played cards − a game called 3 to 13 − and games on our individual phones.

As I write this Tuesday evening, we are planning to head south mid morning. Was this an adventure we will talk about for years to come? Definitely for we learned several things about ourselves, our friendships and our ability to make decisions as widows and feel confident with our decision. I will update on our adventure next week once we arrive at our destination in sunny, but a cooler than normal January on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Let me leave you with this quotation by Anonymous: “Today, I accept and let go of the things I can’t control and focus my energy on the things that I can.”

Until next week, be safe and be kind.

Brenda Donegan is a former Marion Star staffer. She may be reached at brendadonegan55@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Just Musing: Wintry weather makes Florida journey difficult