University of Dayton - MyLife

From Winter Blizzard to Spring Breakout Within a Week!

It's the final stretch until Spring Break...although it doesn't feel like it, considering we currently have a foot of snow covering the ground. This past weekend was the biggest snowstorm of the year and I was fortunate enough to be at home during that time. I left immediately following my 10am class last Friday, because I knew we were expected a lot of snow, and the ground was already covered in a few inches...it was accumulating fast, so I tried to beat the storm. It normally takes me about an hour to get home, but this time, it took me almost three. Not only was traffic slow, but visibility on the highway was so bad that I couldn't see anything more than twenty feet in front of me. It was definitely the worst conditions I've ever driven in before, yet I managed to get home eventually.

By the time my friend and I decided to go out that evening, the roads were so bad that we drove no more than 20mph the entire time. It took us about twice as long to get where we were going, but we arrived at our destination safely. The snow had finally stopped around 6:00, but there were blizzard warnings in effect until 4pm the next day. Sure enough, when I woke up the next morning, my car was basically buried in more than a foot of snow. The roads were un-driveable for most of the day and EVERYTHING around town was closed. My grandparents and I tried to go out to dinner, but there were no restaurants open. We should have taken the hit from the beginning when there were NO other cars on the road. Luckily, Applebee's came through for us and we were able to get some dinner, but it was definitely an adventure to trek through the heaping mounds of snow. I was worried I wouldn't get back to UD in time the next morning, but the state of Ohio was quick to recover from the storm and managed to clear the highways completely by then. So I headed back to Dayton yesterday in much better conditions than I had previously left. Parking my car on the street was a bit of a difficult task, but I managed.

I can't imagine if this snowstorm would have happened during the middle of the week. I have a feeling classes would have been canceled for at least a day or two. Don't get me wrong, I love my classes this semester, but all students hope for a snow day!

Now that the roads or clear (even though the sidewalks aren't), campus was back into full swing today, despite everyone being stuck inside all weekend long. Now we are all just hoping for the snow to melt and for spring break to be here so we can enjoy our time off during this mid-term season. Lucky for me, I get to leave at 4:15 on Friday MORNING for Tijuana! I can't believe I'll be in another (much warmer) country in just a few days. And yes, I've been counting...only 7 classes and 1 mid-term exam stand between me and the border!

Mar 10, 2008 3:57 PM Permalink