Happy New Year!

Stuck in freeway off-ramp.

My trip away from home was dual purposed. It was meant to spend Christmas with friends and also to investigate the idea of relocation away from New Jersey and possibility of employment elsewhere. We left a day behind schedule only to run into the great winter storm of last year. My Prius was able to get places that four wheel drives and other vehicles were having issues. As it was, somewhere entering North Carolina when the snow was falling a woman driving an SUV four wheel drive asked me if I knew how to drive a four wheel drive? It proved the point about all these people that drive these SUVs that shouldn’t.

Two days after blizzard Terry made ruts for us to follow to get closer to farm entrance lane

Rescued by Terry with his four wheel pick up truck ( Vori carrying Christmas loot)

The trip to my friend’s house is normally a twelve hour drive with ample stops. The trip in the snow storm took over 17 hours. The last hundred miles took over 4 hours. Getting off the highway we got stuck in the snow and after a couple of hours we got the car unstuck and to a holding place until the snow cleared.

Final approach to Vange and Terry's retreat a few days after the storm

In this part of North Carolina, Christmas is normally cool but not frozen like this year. My friends live on a plateau that is known for its strange warm weather patterns. So much so is the weather strange here that the Community College is named “Isothermal”.

One of the many horse pastures along the road

After a few days the limited number of snow plows managed to clear the main road and we got the car up on the plateau but still miles from the house. Following on the ruts of other cars we got as far as the entry to my friends house still a mile from their front door. Eventually we got the car there. Meanwhile we had been enjoying great food and drink each night with warm fireplaces raging.

Regardless, we were in some of the most beautiful country and clear skies you can imagine. Maybe, living in cities has made us forget how wonderful the country is with its beautiful lanes, vistas, and sunsets. The night sky was amongst the most beautiful I have ever seen with so many stars that it looked strangely unfamiliar. If you don't already live there, find yourself a little spot of country and see what you can discover: you will be amazed!