After all, it is winter

It is Tuesday, February 1st, 2011, and we are getting things ready to see what we have to pack into the truck for our yearly adventure to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for the annual Eastern Outdoors and Sports Show, where we exhibit for the guide service. Currently, PA. is getting coated with ice in a huge storm that has affected and will affect most of the lower 48 States. The predictions for us here in Maine is snow, snow and more snow; up to a foot and a half starting this afternoon. We have been going to this show now for 5 years and have had the good luck to travel in good weather. Many times we have had a storm on our heals..but good roads still. Well, I knew at some point this luck would end, or just the fact that it IS winter and with winter comes snow.
Last year we traveled to Harrisburg and overlooked bare fields of brown. However, when we opened the motel door the next morning we were greeted with 22 inches of snow. Well we are from Maine, and have experience with snow!! Even though it is winter in Pennsylvania too, they seemed to be devastated with this amount of snow. Big E and I just simply put the truck into 4 wheel drive and off we went, no problem. Well as the week progressed, they got more snow...and for the very first time in 55 years, they closed the show due to the snow closing the interstates and stranding some exhibitors at the exhibit hall. Still we thought, oh well...it is winter!! We arrived back at our motel around 1:30pm and relaxed for a bit. Around 4:00pm, we thought well, lets go get something to eat. So we hopped in the truck and off we went, only to find that not even a McDonalds was open. It was like the city shut off all the lights and rolled up the sidewalks! Nothing, absolutely nothing was open, not even a convenience store could be found open. No Dunkin Donuts for a coffee..no nothing. We were asked why we were even out on the roads, and simply replied, we are from Maine and it's just snow....
This year looks to be much of the same, and we will even prepare a bit more for that fact, but still, it is just winter. I will admit, I do not like to travel on bad roads or in storms, however it is not for fear that we will have a problem, but that someone else will involve us in their problem and with some of the interstates we travel on to get there I have little to no faith that some of these people should have drivers licenses to begin with! Once we get there, I care little what happens, but ask of Mother Nature to treat me with a little special consideration that although I can handle what she decides to dish out in general, let me get there and get home safely and a little sunshine would really be nice.