No xmas, shut down by Blizzard
 

I left amarillo texas heading up the 287 to get to denver to interchange with a driver so I can take a load home for xmas, that was the night of the 19th, took 7 hours to get to lamar colorado, the more north I got the worst the weather got, we had a convoy and we all stuck together, going 15 to 30 mph we were slippin and sliding, I stopped at lamar and decided to carry on in the mornin, was tired and ran out of hours anyway. Well the 20th came and I woke up to find all the roads in and out of lamar closed, yesterday I sat all day here thinking the roads would open soon, well its the 21st now and load was to be delivered tonight at 20;00 hours in hermiston oregon and I was to go home after that. well I am still in lamar and the roads all are still closed all over colorado. i thought maybe thhere use to the stuff and would plow or something but no plowing yet, they handle this stuff better in north idaho where I grew up, everyone here in colorado are like shocked their is snow on the ground... c'mon its just snow and itts less than a foot, why close down the whole state like this... what a bunch of sissies.......plow the roads and lets roll but I guess today i will sit because it snowed another inch over nite... will keep watching the internet site http://www.cotrip.org/ for updates, click road conditions then in drop down where it says to view a report click eastern and it shows all roads are closed, due to blizzard, what blizzard I say? have they got to be kidding, this aint nothing like I get back home in north idaho, hell the school buses ran through this stuff and I never got a free day to stay home because school was closed, school never closed for snow up there, I mean north idaho, north of CDA hehehehe they close schools there if its raining......anyway no going home for xmas due to blizzard in colorado

This doesn't change things for you but, Merry Christmas. Missed a couple myself at my previous job.

sorry to hear that but hope you have a great holiday once you make it home

Well there are many areas that have/are dealing with more than 36" of the white stuff, especially from Co Springs up to Cheyenne, WY. On top of that they have all that nice snow being blown around by 20-30 mph winds.

So before you go griping out any state for what they are doing, you should stop and think that things may be a lot worse 20-30 miles up the road.

Sometimes also referred to as a... blizzard. 8)

It's beautiful in the southeast part of WY and into northern CO. As long as one isn't driving, anyway. :P
http://map.wyoroad.info/index.jsp?a=...&go=Go&c=1&m=2
http://map.wyoroad.info/index.jsp?a=...&go=Go&c=1&m=2

Sing along, everyone.

I hear they have another 20 inches forecast for today in lots of parts of Colorado. :shock:

In Iowa? Lots of rain and high 30's. Few degrees colder and we would be buried.

I-25 northbound traffic is piling up in Raton NM so bad that the NMDOT has shut down I-25 in Las Vegas.

According to the CDOT website, nearly every major road in Colorado is closed. Gonna be a white Christmas.

Yeah,up there in armadillo,it can get nasty :? They are talking about us here,having a white Christmas(whatever that means :|)

Colorado is beatiful in the winter, but this is why I try to stay out of there as much as I can in the winter.

Merry Christmas, and I hope you get out of there today! They're calling for another big storm Friday and Saturday.

1/4" of snow will shut Huston down. :? :P

HEY...Uglymutt...
how is it looking now? You gonna be moving anytime today?

:wink: :oops: uhhh, just wondering why you didn't go farther west on I-40? then head north. after god finishes dumping on buffalo ny he stores the left over snow on the llano estacado. [staked plaines, great divide, high plains to you folks not from there] i try to follow routs that i would ride my choper.

Let me guess Uglymutt, I bet you walked to school 5 miles in 5 feet of snow uphill both ways......
Bully for northern Idaho, to bad their snowfall is no where close to the colorado snowfall. According to records Idaho has a high snowfall average of 52" While Colorado can be as high as 365" a rather large difference...
Its all about being safe these days,

Sorry you will be away from family over the hoildays that sucks big time.....

It is What It is.

Timberwolf

No sense in plowing roads when it just gets replaced. Like trying to ice skate up hill.

well timberwolf I lived in a log cabin by oil lamp and outhouse, had to hand pump water and walked 2 miles down mountain road to get to bus stop on another road the bus would stop on about 2 miles from the highway, then after about 80 minutes we would get to school, then after school did the same trip home, I left home it was dark outside and get home it was dark outside, and for all them years living in the forest school never ever shut down, and I had to walk in snow that was as deep as my waist because the snow plow stopped at the bus stop. our road was a private road and county would not plow.....I know they get more snow here but they could do better and be prepared is all I am saying when it comes..... its okay though because when truck stopo runs out of food and the big fight for diesel fuel is over and the pallets are burnin in parking lot, I will be eating that fat swift driver over there across the lot, its survial mode at that point, hehehehehehe, really with all these trucks and no snow bunnies too keep warm I am sure there is plenty of food in these trailers to munch on.....

If you don't mind "reptile", you might do better eatin one 'o them thar lot lizard things everybody talks 'bout so much. You never KNOW where that swift driver mighta been!!!!

:lol:

Either way...sorry about your predicament...hope you make it home after all...but remember: SAFETY FIRST>>>Don't get killed trying to get home!!!

Merry Christmas to you either way (wherever you must spend it).

be glad you ain't on donner pass. colorado had liver eatin' johnson and another famous cannible. oh well it all tastes like chicken. but what does chicken taste like?

You know the claim that the donner's became cannibals is unsubstantiated. It is a fun story though.

You're right!!! No one they et ever filed charges agin them!!!

yeah what does chicken taste like??? hehehehe well the denver airport still closed, wow lots of flights turned away and none leaving, lots of people are hurt by this, just read the national guard is out rescuing people stranded along all the state roads, its a mess for alot of people here and kansas and nebraska , whew kinda glad i stopped when I did, could of been worse, and look at the bright side were all having fun on this board and no lizards were hurt in the making of this.....

Obviously too many Californians haved moved to Colorado. They must be waiting for the California Highway Patrol to run escorts! Without the CHP they can't drive in snow. :D

Hey now! :) I was feeling sympathetic until you talked about eating one of my fellow Swifties :) Yes I know we're slow on the freeways and shit but its not our fault don't eat us for it.

No really tho I'm not snowed in but i'm 3500 miles from my son's first christmas so I feel your pain. Monday is gonna be even worse for me :|

Hope you get rollin tho soon before you have to start eating other drivers (try to save the Swifties for last.. or atleast me of we ever cross paths... I'm not fat so I'd be gamey and you wouldn't want to eat me anyways.

Uglymutt: No offense, but you drove into your OWN peril!

The problem with MOST drivers, and nearly ALL dispatchers these days, is they don't know JACK about weather forecasts!

I took one look at the weather map BEFORE the storm hit, and saw it coming! I lived for six years in Colorado, and I know what an "upslope" condition will do! I was there for the "Blizzard of '82" which closed down the airport and the entire eastern part of the state!

I don't know about northern Idaho. I was born near Boise, but never really lived there. But, in all my years in Colorado, I never even HEARD of Idaho getting what WE got during an "upslope" situation.

Colorado is JUST as prepared for snow removal as ANY state (and MORE than MOST.) But, there's only so much you can do during a blizzard. That year, there were several families that DIED, because they pulled under an overpass for protection, got snowed in like a "snowcave" and exphixiated themselves trying to stay warm! One shouldn't PLAY with Mother Nature! :lol:

I'm really sorry you won't make it home for Christmas. But, "I" would have called my dispatcher and rerouted the "swap" for somewhere around Goodland, Kansas. You would have had ONE FULL DAY ahead of the storm, and gotten around it and home.

I couldn't help but LAUGH when I read your FIRST post, as you thought there wouldn't be more than a "dusting" of snow! Idaho never gets a true "upslope" condition. Do you know why?

I don't mean to offend, but your story reminds me of several truckers who got "washed" off the I-10 bridge near New Orleans because they didn't believe Katrina would affect them.

I hope this is a lesson to all the new drivers who are wondering just what "responsibilities" we talk about here. ONE of those, is to learn about and understand the WEATHER! (and how it manifiests itself in the various geographic areas we work in!)

Should have re-routed to I-90. At least in Wyoming, I-90 was dry as a bone while I-80 was getting pummeled by snow.

I was going to say something but I think I'll shut up because you don't want to hear it. :twisted:

Damn global warming...

Hope you get going soon and have a safe trip. Enjoy Christmas when you get back.

May your Christmas be a good one anyway!

Man the new school busses up here have a little thing under them that they can dump sand out on the road as they go if it is needed.

Goin Fer It's Wife

Sorry, that's a drag you're not going to be home for Christmas. :cry: I drove from Big Springs, NE to Sidney, NE to pick up a load and then drove to the house (Rock Springs, WY) on the 19th without any problem in the least. Of course they closed our terminal in Cheyenne on the 20th due to the weather. :shock: I know you don't want to hear about watching the weather reports, but what a difference a day makes! :lol:

With that much white crap falling, it'll be hard to FLY home, let alone drive :(

My pops is spending Christamas on the road, and plans to be home like the 29th? I'm used to having to re-arrange holdiays and b-days since we're both drivers. Happy Holidays!! Hope they plow it and it warms up.

For the first time ever,they got snow last year,or maybe it was year before last. Somethin :shock: but yeah :P ,snow there or even here for that matter....all you gotta do is mention snow,and everyone turns dumb :P

Ain't that the truth. When the storms came through several weeks ago, my 3 year old who had never seen snow came in "MOMMMMYYY, the GROUND is WHITE!!!" all horrified...

Yeah,its been a good while since we have had a hard winter.

Ewwwwwwww, I'm not even gonna touch that one :x :x :x :x :shock: :shock: :shock: :!: :!:

I hope all of you folks make it home for the Holidays, and if for some reason you don't, I hope you stay safe and warm....and well fed too!!

Sorry to hear about that Uglymutt. I also had a load heading into the storm on the 19th. Was going to run US-87 from Dumas, TX to Raton, NM, then I-25, but kept hearing 87 had been shut down. Took 287 instead up to Lamar Tuesday night, then US-50 to Pueblo where I shut down for the night. Alot of guys were shutting down in Amarillo, Springfield, and Lamar, but I had a very heavy load on plus a couple thousand pounds of ice onboard so I continued and didn't have any problems making it to Pueblo. Next day I headed to Denver when the blizzard started, stopped at the Denver-West TA, fueled up, got some snacks for the road, and a shower, and took off west across the hills. Basically made a big circle, delivering in Rifle, then deadheading to Gunnison, then east across 50 back through Pueblo, to Lamar and back down 287 into Texas. The roads were still horrible, but once again I had a heavy load, plus at least a ton of ice, so I continued. Only had to shut down when the police closed 287 south of Springfield Thursday night because of a fatal accident. Next morning, took off, left Colorado, got home Firday night, and haven't looked back. Just need to wash all that dirt and road salt off the truck! 8)

I don't know where you learned your history but everything I have read on the incident establishes it as a fact.

Hey now! :) I was feeling sympathetic until you talked about eating one of my fellow Swifties :) Yes I know we're slow on the freeways and $&!+ but its not our fault don't eat us for it.

No really tho I'm not snowed in but i'm 3500 miles from my son's first christmas so I feel your pain. Monday is gonna be even worse for me :|

Hope you get rollin tho soon before you have to start eating other drivers (try to save the Swifties for last.. or atleast me of we ever cross paths... I'm not fat so I'd be gamey and you wouldn't want to eat me anyways.[/quote]

Unless your son lives somewhere outside the lower 48 its very difficult to be 3500 miles away from anything. It can happen but its very unlikely.
If he lives in Cumberland, Md. the farthest you can get is about 2600 miles.

Hadn't thought about it that way.

Where is the uglymutt now ?

:lol: :lol:
How you said that made me have to laugh!