Following my Thanksgiving post, I received a request to share a Christmas adventure story. However, my husband Richard and I traditionally don’t travel during the holidays. We prefer to celebrate Christmas at home, where family members join us to spend time with our three children. So, scratch that idea.
But then it occurred to me that I’m very familiar with the challenges another family member experienced one Christmas not that long ago. Sheila, Richard’s younger sister, traveled to visit her husband’s family that year, encountering some of the worst road conditions possible. The family averted disaster, but just barely, in what might have turned out to be a Christmas catastrophe. With her permission I’m sharing the following.
The Road to Richmond
It was the last Sunday before Christmas, and my family had this plan to wake up super early and drive from our place in Chesapeake all the way to Richmond. The idea was to get there in time for church with Richard’s folks – his dad’s a pastor and they were lighting the last Advent candle for peace that day. We were expecting a relaxing day, but it turned out to be anything but that – the roads were a mess!
That morning, the weather seemed fine, you know, typical mid-30s, and usually, it’s just a smooth two-hour drive on I-64. Richard, bless him, he’s got all this Navy experience, so he’s always on top of things like getting us ready for the road. While the kids and I were gobbling down our breakfast, he was outside battling the ice on our Honda Odyssey, making sure the car was nice and warm for us. We all bundled up in the car, with our luggage, Christmas presents, and Josie, our three-year-old mutt, in tow. The sun was just peeking out, and off we went, not knowing we were in for quite the adventure!
Slick Roads, Then Ice
The first part of our drive was uneventful. Sure, the roads were a bit slick, but nothing too bad. Then, out of nowhere, we started hearing this crackling sound. Turns out, it wasn’t just regular rain – it was freezing rain, coming down hard and fast, covering everything in ice, including our car and the roads.
I glanced over at Richard, clearly worried, and he didn’t waste any time. He quickly switched to the right lane and headed off the interstate. Next thing we knew, we were pulling into a Waffle House parking lot. Richard, with a bit of a grin, announced, “time for a second breakfast!” He figured we needed to wait it out, let the road crews do their thing rather than risk an accident. The teens, who can always eat, were stoked. The rest of us? Not so much, having just eaten.
As we munched on our unexpected meal, Richard kept an eye on his travel app. Everywhere we looked, our route was lighting up red, indicating bad road conditions all over, not just on the interstate. It was a good call to stop when we did. In hindsight, maybe we should’ve just stayed home, but you know, hindsight is always 20/20.
An Unfolding Catastrophe
Not long after we settled in at the Waffle House, Richard’s travel app started to come alive with notifications. It began with a single, isolated ping, soon followed by a cascade of them, each one a few seconds apart. These were alerts from fellow travelers, each one sounding a note of caution. As we delved deeper, it became clear that a major incident was unfolding right along our intended route.
Just as we were finishing up our meal, the full scale of the situation became apparent: a massive multicar pileup on westbound I-64, triggered by dense fog and treacherous, ice-coated roads. It hit us then – had we not stopped, we could very well have been part of that chaos. Thankfully, we had narrowly escaped a potentially dangerous situation.
So, we hunkered down at the Waffle House, now a makeshift haven for stranded travelers like us, each with their own tales of disrupted journeys. Richard got on the phone to his folks, explaining why we wouldn’t make it as planned. As we chatted with others and listened to their stories, we resolved to head back home once it was safe, planning to redo the trip the next day.
Later, images and aerial shots of the crash site began circulating. The scene near Queens Creek Bridge, northeast of downtown Williamsburg, was startling – a tangled mess of vehicles, some stacked atop others in a grim display. The scale of the accident was sobering; over 50 people injured, though miraculously, no lives lost. It was a stark reminder of how quickly conditions can turn, and how a simple decision to stop for breakfast might have been what kept us safe.
Safe Travels
Even the best of travel plans can suddenly change, especially during winter. My sister-in-law’s journey might have ended in disaster but for the quick action of her husband. As for traveling on ice, there is not much that can be done to ease the journey. Even with all-wheel drive and winter tires, there may not be enough grip available to safely stop on ice. Finally, the behavior of other drivers is completely out of your control, perhaps an overarching factor to changing travel plans.
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Image under license from Adobe Photo Stock.
