[Sca-cooks] freeze free Caid

[Olwen the Odd]

Wow!  You are the weather winner 'Lainie.  Glad to hear that you all are
alright.  And I love the descriptions!  Be safe and stay warm and dry.
Olwen

>Wimps! Pikers! All of you!
>
>I'm still shaking from the drive I made yesterday- we had a weird and
>localized freak storm blow through the Willamette Valley yesterday. It hit
>the coast at Coos Bay, went inland at about a 45 degree angle to I-5 and
>turned north, picking up speed as it went. Averaged 50 MPH slammed into
>Eugene between 50-60, last official reading at the Eugene airport was 62
>MPH before it broke the equipment and destroyed the weather tower. It
>continued north, hit Albany, veered east again, and beat itself to death
>on the mountains...
>
>Now, of course, I didn't know there was a storm on the way. I'm blithely
>driving south from Portland, and I'm running late because I wasn't feeling
>well. There was heavy rain in Portland and through Salem, and naturally, I
>hit Albany from the north about the same time the edge of the storm was
>hitting from the south. From then on I was driving into the teeth of it.
>
>I saw: bits of lumber and chunks of foam insulation fly by. Tree
>limbs. BUndles of wire. The left front fender of a semi. Several tarps. A
>bundle of chains from under a truck. Cars- large and small, trucks- large
>and small, skittered around and off the highway. The water next to the
>road (fields either side are sheets of water- so much rain lately) so
>stirred up by the rain they look like latte- complete witht eh whipped
>cream on top.
>
>And then the trees started falling.
>
>There were trees down on I-5. When I got off of 5 and onto 126 to head
>into Eugene, it got worse. The farther into town, the worse it
>got. Oh... have you ever wept for a tree? Eugene is full of trees- big,
>beautiful, OLD trees. Well, there are fewer now. One in every
>block. Several of my favorite old ones. I was heartsick. And it took me an
>hour to get from 5 to where my kids live (a 10-minute trip). Getting out
>took 40 minutes- streets back out to the freeway were blocked.
>
>I'm ok. The kids are ok. According to the news last night, damamge in
>Eugene/Springfield may end up in the million $$$ due to power outages,
>trees, cars, streets, damage to buildings, etc.
>
>I also learned alot about driving while avoiding debris on the road,
>debris flying in the air, and other cars, and I have decided that the
>little diesel Volvo of Regina's that I've been driving has got to be the
>best thing to be in when the front end of a semi goes flying by!
>
>finished my tea and maybe I feel better now,
>
>'Lainie


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