Winter, south of the Mason Dixon Line

"And the lesson learned once this mess on I-95 was over? The same lesson we should have learned after Hurricane Katrina. Help is not coming. We always need to be prepared to take care of ourselves."

Many years, we have traveled down to Florida in January and February. We did not last year, as Covid was on the scene, and the place we usually stay was not accepting guests. This year are not going either. Our choice, due to the continuing spread of Covid. But the years we have driven down to Florida, we always needed to keep a wary eye on the weather. Why? You name it, it can happen in the winter time. Anything from snow storms, to ice storms, to twisters. 

What happened last week on I-95 in Virginia should be a wakeup call to most of us. People not expecting much of a problem driving through Virginia, all of sudden, had a big problem. So big, it is fortunate nobody died. And the lesson learned once this mess on I-95 was over? The same lesson we should have learned after Hurricane Katrina. Help is not coming. We always need to be prepared to take care of ourselves.

I found it interesting to listen to some of the folks who were stranded for almost a full day on that interstate. No food, no water, no bathroom. Some ran out of gas, and had to shiver for hours in a cold car. Most of us who grew up in Minnesota, have been schooled on what to have in your car "just in case". Many folks south of the Mason Dixon line - have not. Whereas snow in January is about as common as Robins in the springtime in Minnesota, snow is very uncommon in the south. It can happen, but it is not common.

One year, we traveled down to Florida a bit later in the winter season. It was still winter in Minnesota, but we hit tornado season down south. I will never forget the ugly, foreboding skies in Mississippi when the sirens went off. We were literally being chased by twisters, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. However, once we got to I-10, the skies cleared and the temperature soared. 

In short, we have driven though just about every kind of weather on our travels down to Florida. Everything - except snow. But our trips to and from Florida are all part of the story. And without stories to tell, what do we have to share? Just ask the Bird...