My children spent the Christmas holidays together at my daughter, Carajean Archer's home in Amarillo. Her husband Branch's sister wanted them to join her and her children for a weekend ski trip to Wolf Creek, Colorado. My oldest granddaughter Audrey didn't want to go, so my son Matthew and his wife Amy said they would stay in Amarillo over the weekend, keep Audrey company, and be there when the Archers returned to celebrate New Year's Eve. My oldest, Craig and his son Cameron went back to Dallas.
The weather was bitter cold in Colorado, preventing the younger two children, Ashlyn 13, and Tanner 9, from really enjoying the skiing. They decided to come home early on Sunday. Even though they checked the weather report before leaving the resort, about two hours into their return trip, they experienced a sudden storm. Wind gusts of 65-mph, blew snow across the highway, which immediately turned to ice. (This same storm system shut down a long stretch of Interstate near Denver, stranding thousands of travelers.) Theirs was the first car in a string of accidents that sent cars off the road. Terrifyingly, they spun around on the highway, rolled into the ditch, and landed upside down, dangling from their seat belts. It had been only a few minutes since Carajean had told Ashlyn to rebuckle her seat belt, after she was searching for something in the car. (First miracle!) The children had taken their shoes off for travel and Carrie immediately thought of the possibility of their suffering from exposure. No one was stopping to assist them, and she was scared the car would catch on fire.
They got out of the car quickly, scrambling and sliding across the frozen highway, as cars began to slow, stop, and to slide off the road. Fortunately, one of them was an off-duty State Trooper who saw them flip over and already had called for an ambulance. (Second miracle!)
They were at La Veta, Colorado and the ambulance arrived quickly. The EMTs checked all of them for injuries, and kept them in the ambulance for over an hour to keep them warm while they attended to other victims of this sudden wind-blown storm. Miraculously, other than a few bumps, minor cuts, and bruises none of the Archers was injured! (Third miracle!)
The temperature with the wind chill factor was well below zero by now. The children watched as one impatient driver went around the stopped cars, having a head-on collision with a semi. Unbelievably, he only had his ear almost sliced off. Ashlyn and Tanner watched as he had it sewn back on by the EMTs. The State Trooper, much to the children's delight, took them to a nearby Inn in La Veta. He told them how lucky they were that they went off the road where they did. (Miracle number four!) Two miles further there was a 70-foot drop off!
By now Carajean had tried to call home to tell Matthew and Amy what happened. Her cell phone batteries were nearly dead, and the storm had caused a power outage in the town that increased our worry and anguish over their conditions. There was a flurry of anxious calls between all of us, and finally, at 9:00 pm Sunday night, I got to talk to Carrie and was reassured that they really were all right!
It was decided that Matthew would leave Amarillo the next morning and drive his 4-wheel drive Toyota, equipped with snow tires, to retrieve the family. He estimated the drive would take around 4 or 5 hours at most, but there was a snowstorm at Clayton, New Mexico that stretched the trip to six hours!
Yesterday was one of the longest days of my life. The unpredictable weather... worry over how the wreck might be affecting everyone in its aftermath... and Matthew turning around and driving another six hours... This mother's heart was heavy and I did not relax until I got the word they had safely arrived in Amarillo. (To me, this was another miracle... and evidence of prayers answered!)
I talked to one grateful young mother this morning. She said seeing Matthew drive up in that "safe" car was very reassuring, and that she was never so glad to get home. She vowed they would never drive to a ski resort again. I told Matthew he was "my hero" many times over. "No big deal", he answered. Oh, yeah... it was a very big deal!
They got out of the car quickly, scrambling and sliding across the frozen highway, as cars began to slow, stop, and to slide off the road. Fortunately, one of them was an off-duty State Trooper who saw them flip over and already had called for an ambulance. (Second miracle!)
They were at La Veta, Colorado and the ambulance arrived quickly. The EMTs checked all of them for injuries, and kept them in the ambulance for over an hour to keep them warm while they attended to other victims of this sudden wind-blown storm. Miraculously, other than a few bumps, minor cuts, and bruises none of the Archers was injured! (Third miracle!)
The temperature with the wind chill factor was well below zero by now. The children watched as one impatient driver went around the stopped cars, having a head-on collision with a semi. Unbelievably, he only had his ear almost sliced off. Ashlyn and Tanner watched as he had it sewn back on by the EMTs. The State Trooper, much to the children's delight, took them to a nearby Inn in La Veta. He told them how lucky they were that they went off the road where they did. (Miracle number four!) Two miles further there was a 70-foot drop off!
By now Carajean had tried to call home to tell Matthew and Amy what happened. Her cell phone batteries were nearly dead, and the storm had caused a power outage in the town that increased our worry and anguish over their conditions. There was a flurry of anxious calls between all of us, and finally, at 9:00 pm Sunday night, I got to talk to Carrie and was reassured that they really were all right!
It was decided that Matthew would leave Amarillo the next morning and drive his 4-wheel drive Toyota, equipped with snow tires, to retrieve the family. He estimated the drive would take around 4 or 5 hours at most, but there was a snowstorm at Clayton, New Mexico that stretched the trip to six hours!
Yesterday was one of the longest days of my life. The unpredictable weather... worry over how the wreck might be affecting everyone in its aftermath... and Matthew turning around and driving another six hours... This mother's heart was heavy and I did not relax until I got the word they had safely arrived in Amarillo. (To me, this was another miracle... and evidence of prayers answered!)
I talked to one grateful young mother this morning. She said seeing Matthew drive up in that "safe" car was very reassuring, and that she was never so glad to get home. She vowed they would never drive to a ski resort again. I told Matthew he was "my hero" many times over. "No big deal", he answered. Oh, yeah... it was a very big deal!
Marilyn
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