Friday, January 22, 2016

Grounded in Lexington Kentucky

14 days ago I started tracking the weather network.  Check Aurora, Check Windsor, Check Cincinnati, Check Atlanta, Check Fort Lauderdale.  Clear sailing all the way down.  10 days ago, still good.  7 days ago still good.  5 days WTF.  Kentucky might get an inch of snow.  Okay fine we can handle that.  3 days ahead, tornadoes and waterspouts have been hitting Florida.  I am starting to think we are in a Hollywood movie.  Talk to Jim maybe we should leave a little early so we agree to leave at 1 on Thursday.  Great drive, we get all the way down to just south of Cincinnati.  The weather reports are ominous, seriously didn't they shut down NY last year and they got 1/2 inch of snow.  How bad can it really get?  

I must admit it was a little disappointing as we travelled SOUTH not to see the temperature go up, -2, -4 to -7 when we stopped at 10:30 Thursday night.  Get into our hotel a lovely Holiday Inn on the river in Covington.  Right away we turn on the weather channel.  OK still giving out these end of the world weather reports, but the end of the world isn't going to happen until around 1, we should be able to get south of it by then.  Then all we have to worry about are torrential rains, severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes.  

Up early and on the road by 8.  Quick stop at McDonald's for a Vanilla latte McCafe and a sausage McMuffin, because we aren't stopping until at least 1.  

Driving down the I75 we are always amazed at how beautiful the hills are as the I75 winds through some beautiful country.  hmmmmm strange at every "No U turn" area there is a snowplow idling.  I'm driving and I look at Jim and say, do you think they are just going to sit there idling until 1 pm.  Crazy, good job gas is so cheap.  We continue on our way only 80 miles to Lexington.  

5 miles out of Lexington, it is now 9 am, both my hands are gripping the wheel, the flashers are on and I am going about 50.  WTF and here we are grounded in Lexington.  Thank goodness we packed our sorels.  
  

We found another lovely little Holiday Inn Express with a pool and a gym and best of all free wi-fi.  Perfect.  I'm thinking let's find a little cowboy bar to go to for dinner when Neil the front desk manager looks at us and says basically everything in town is closed.  The Wendy's is open until 1 pm.   And we do have frozen mac and cheese and frozen meatloaf in their little store.  Seriously, I'm on holiday.  Thank goodness I saved a 1/2 a bottle of wine.  Jim will have to drink beer tonight.  

Frozen meatloaf we decide to at least head over to the shell station, sometimes they have nice sandwiches or wraps.  Nope nothing looking appetizing, but we did get some staples - chocolate and diet coke to go with our bottle of rum.

 Then we notice the MacDonald's, ok let's get something so we don't starve.  2 buttermilk chicken crisps, a salad and some fries, no wraps at all, we are all set.  I stop to feed some fries to some very shocked looking sparrows and then we put the food in the fridge for dinner.
Work for an hour and off I head to the gym, a little treadmill, a little biking is just what I need to get rid of the McMuffin.  That little red dot on the map is where we are, right in the heaviest part of the snow storm.  

Back up to the room, Jim is now bored, he is halfway through his book.  Let's eat.  We now have a salad left and feel disgusting.  Time for another walk.  


There are cars stuck everywhere, the I75 is closed in both directions south of us.  Trucks haven't been able to get up hills.  Time to head back to our room.  


Work for another hour and then I will head to the gym.  Not sure what I am going to do with Jim, will have to feed him more rum, so he falls asleep or pray there is a leaf or raptors game on tonight.  Snow isn't supposed to stop until early morning.  Thankfully we are safe and warm.  Maryjo - Jim is trying his best to be my Thelma.