The "Odyssey" Home

The famous story by Homer, "The Odyssey" is considered by many to be one of the greatest stories ever written, even better than "The Lord of the Rings".(really)  In the story, the hero, Ulyssees, journeys home for decades, overcoming numerous obstacles. 

My journey home yesterday from Atlanta, Georgia, where I dropped off my daughter, Marisa, at college, only seemed like it took decades.  Although I saw some unusual things, I did not experience any one-eyed monsters or singing mermaids, as Ulyssees did.

From Atlanta I drove four straight hours in sunny skies and clear highways and made great time.  At that point the sun started to come down and I came to a long line of traffic.  I thought I saw a  man who looked like Rod Serling standing on the side of the highway watching me enter another dimension.  I spent an hour sitting still in that line not knowing that up ahead was sleet/snow and my first experience of a South Carolina snowstorm.(one inch of snow and ice)

After that accident I drove for about 25 minutes racing on the highway at 5-20 mph until I hit the second long line of traffic. This turned out to be the mother of all traffic jams and I sat there from 6:40 pm to 11:45 pm.  I was as prepared as anyone since I had a sandwich, carrots, water, and for my cold I had cough medicine and cough drops from my daughter in Atlanta.  I also was wearing by very warm NY Giants hat(a gift from my son), his Lehigh University sweatshirt hoodie, my daughter's hoodie, and by accident I had two heavy packing blankets left over from our move.

During my five hour rest stop on route 20 East, I watched the two lanes grow to five and saw tractor trailers driving on the grass.  I then saw people passing the tractor trailers on the grass and one car who definitely had a significant problem. He was in the fifth lane "going the wrong way."  People were walking their dogs, having a smoke, running down the middle lane and trying to make hotel reservations.

My wonderful wife saved the night by getting me one of the last hotel rooms seven miles away which I finally got to after midnight.  This morning I got on the road which was still not clear and found clear sailing with people staying indoors due to "the storm."  Driving a Mazda, I passed a number of pick-up trucks that were taking their time since they weren't used to driving in snow.

You all up north are lucky to have such nice weather!(Monday it may get to 60 degrees here, maybe the snow will be able to melt?)