South Dakota Ice

Amazing is the only way to put it; the trip through the aftermath of the ice storm through South Dakota was breath taking. The beauty of that morning after, with everything in sight covered by sparkling ice, together with the trecherous Interstate was both captivating and terrifying. The Corn Palace was an icy wonder. The web cam shows it the same today.

Four days later coming home it was still the same, with the exception of the news from the Mitchell AM radio station, that the first estimate of 5,000 power poles snapped off under the weight of the ice covered transmittion lines was low. National Guard Helicopters were out counting the undiscovered carnage for repair by four states sending in power people with equipment and poles to warm up the almost 150 small towns still without power, as well as the uncountable farm connections.

Add to that the reality of a third of the entire state of South Dakota's schools closed with no power to heat them above the temperatures hovering slightly above zero. The road surface was not as slippery going home and the jack-knifed semi trucks had been pulled out of the ditches as well as the cars of dare-devil ice drivers.

So what were we doing driving that 500 miles in those conditions? He Who Must Be Obeyed was adament that R must be attended to. It was nearing the first of the month and he had assured the 'authorities' he would do that every month. No matter that it is 500 miles, no matter that he is 72, no matter that it is winter in South Dakota. It is a hell or high water situation that could be reworded.

Maybe it was providence that I-90 was opened again at 11 A.M. at Sioux Falls through Kadoka. We crawled past the now open closing gates around noon. It is not so hard to average 40 miles an hour with semis in the ditch with their lights still on, their drivers inside waiting for help. Makes a person glad one didn't hit us as they slid sideways down the Interstate; lethal weapons, every one that passed us.

The silver lining was an overnight visit with a dear high school classmate and having lunch with a third the day we started back for Omaha. It was a dear, warm, sweet visit and worth every slip and slide to get there and home again.