I remember that storm very well. I took My kids to Cadillac, Mi on the 22nd. I had a friend and his daughter that I met a year earlier with us. However, other than talking sleds we really did not know each other very well. Friday started out as weather was looking like it could flip either way that were calling for rain etc on Saturday... We said, we would give it a shot and worse case the kids to swim in the pool.
We got in late Friday basically, and went straight to bed. Planned to be up by 6:30, breakfast by 7:30 and riding by 8. We went out and we had a great time riding and the trails were great and the snow held. Around 4, it started misting, we headed back and we ate dinner by 5. (We loaded the sleds when we came back.) The kids played in the pool, and we enjoyed the hottub. We had a big suite at the hotel but only one shower. Kids of course took their turns first and were in bed. While my buddy was getting cleaned up I was looking at my phone and received a weather alert for ice in the morning right when we were leaving... I looked at it further and decided we needed to go...
My buddy gets out of the restroom and I say, "Hey I hate to be that guy that wants to leave early, but the weather is not looking good for the morning. I think we need to leave tonight, like now, or we could be here for a day or two..." I showed him what I was looking at and we both agreed let's try to get ahead of the storm... Remember this is our first trip together... I felt so bad even suggesting leaving at that time...
By the time we got the kids up and bags packed, and in the truck. It was 1AM EST. Pulled out of the parking lot was a sheet of ice. The hotel sits on the crest of a hill. I slid down that a good 1500'! We had not gone above 10MPH at this point and we were only 2500' from the hotel... I'm questioning my decision at this point. We got on 131 South and it was better but 35MPH was max to Big Rapids. Stopped a filled up with the State plow truck and talked to him a bit. He said take it slow for the 50 Miles and we should get ahead of it... We got out of the ice completely before Grand Rapids. Then came the fog till South Haven... It was thick and visabily was not much past my bumper... After that it was just rain. I pulled up to my house at 6:30AM CST. It only took an extra hour but that drive seemed like forever... By the time we unloaded his stuff and his sled from my truck and trailer to his it was 7:30AM CST. Then I finally found my bed and slept for a few hours.
Later that night I checked my phone to see how traffic was on the roads and 131 was running slow, but just a bit north of us I-75 was getting worse and ended up closing from Grayling to the Bridge!
In the end I still ride with that friend and he tells me that he was glad we left when we did and that is was me driving instead of him...LOL
I also remember watching that video when it was posted.
To those of you that have not had to deal with a situation like that. Please know you truly are safer in your car. As you can see things turn into a mangled mess quickly.
The largest accident scene I had to work over the years was 54 vehicles (Icy roads). That was more than enough... If you are one of the first vehicles, do what you can to get off the road in conditions like these. Lastly, if you are stuck in traffic and especially going the opposite way due to rubberneckers and you have meidain that you are able to turn around in. Please don't! If there is no traffic getting through on a divided highway and traffic is stopping on your side as well something like this has happened. Emergency service does sometimes have to travel the wrong way down these roads. It's not fun meeting that one guy still traveling in his left lane and you are going the wrong way because the road is supposed to be shut down...
