No alarm but still up early waiting for the breakfast area to open.

We had to scrape the ice off of our windows, brush the snow off our cars. It wasn't bitterly cold so that helped. Defrosters both worked good. Last night after we were to the motel I had chipped the ice off from around my wipper's and flipped them up, not an option on the rental car. Hadn't chipped the ice off last night as we wanted to be to the hotel by dark.

Could tell right away the roads weren't good. Finally got behind a couple of trucks that were going 40-50 mph and hung there. At one point we all moved to the left lane as it seemed less icy. At that point I wasn't watching my speed as close so I didn't know when they slowed down and sped up. BB had a digital read out so it was more noticeable. I did notice at one point the 2nd truck past the 1st and got ahead, but we stayed behind the lead truck.

A few cars in the ditch but nothing major.

Then north of Northfield, I could tell we were slowing down and I heard something so I opened the window. I could hear the trucks tires spinning but we were still moving. No way to get over to the other lane, there was more traffic now that we were closer to the cities. Finally the truck ahead of me came to a stop going up the hill. Tires were still going 90 mph as I went past but the truck wasn't moving. It did take a couple of minutes to get over as we were now stopped and the fast lane wasn't. I was concerned that we could get going with the cars but that wasn't a problem.

The whole morning I had been tapping the gas every few minutes to see if it was icy. It was. I only tapped the breaks at very slow speeds to not loose control. As close as I could, I tapped the gas after we were off the ice and the car went 2 mph faster. That is all I had to tap it to make the tires spin ... and we were driving 40-50 most of the time.

Within a block or so on the on coming traffic there were six cars stopped, some in the ditches so just crunched ... and a mile farther up the road were the row of snow plows heading to the crash.

We kept the speed down even as the traffic from the ramps was coming down at the posted speed. Not sure why they couldn't see most of the traffic was either stopped or driving with their flashers on.

Did my quick stop in Burnsville, almost two weeks over due on a one week re-check.

BB took the car to the airport, I went to the cemetery. On most of the stone you could read the 1st names ... my preview to coming home. We stopped at the store to pickup meds and food so we could stay in until this blows over.

When we got home we saw something VERY unexpected. Someone had snow blown our driveway. A day later we still don't know who it was. A neighbor that moved last year would sometimes do what the snow plow pushed up but he is gone and this was done right to the garage door.

WOW ... part of the reason we stayed in a motel last night was so we didn't get home in the dark and have to shovel for hours. Plan was to just shovel far enough to get the rear bumper off the street and carry our suitcases on our heads to the house.

Had planned on visiting some people Sunday but the weather and traffic don't make that look like a good idea.

IA must have came back in late. IF there is work on the board, they work 8-12 on Saturdays. Sometime late in the day they added about 50 more RV's so it is back up over 130. Should still be work if I can pass my tests on Monday.

Full day lined up. Eye dr in the AM, visit family who lives in that area, pickup home DVD's, another appointment, then go to the DMV, then head out of town ...

Next trip ... abut two days.