[AT] Ralph, shut the door!

[charlie hill]

That 73 storm was 19" in the roadway between tall pine trees on each side 
that kept it from drifting at all
on the road where I lived.    It was that storm that made me vow to own a 
4wd truck.  4wd was relatively
rare around here then.  A couple of days after the storm we had walked out 
to the main highway (US 70
east of New Bern about 10 miles).  The 4 lane highway was down to one track 
in the east bound lane
with cars trying to go both ways in that track.  It was total gridlock.  One 
car would pull up a car length or
so and dive off into the snow bank and the next car going the other way 
would pull up where he had been
and do the same.  Folks were out of their cars and helping to push by hand. 
There were cars backed up as
far as you could see in both directions.  It was a mixture of cars that 
needed to leave the coast and head
inland and cars coming from the west needing to go to the coast and not 
knowing what they were getting
into.  Even wreckers were stuck.  The west bound 2 lanes of the divided 
highway was pristine snow that
was close to as deep as it was on our side road.  Very little had blown off 
and it had a frozen crust on top.
There was not even a foot track in that side of the highway let alone a car 
track.

WE were helping people push their cars and someone looked down the highway 
about 2 miles to where there
was a long sweeping curve at a community called Croatan.  The person said 
what's that.  We looked and all
you could see was a cloud of white that was progressively growing closer to 
us.  In time we could see that it
was a Chevy Blazer, about a 69 model that had big 32" tires on it and a rod 
holder on the front.  It was a rig
set up to surf fish.  That thing went by us running at least 30 mph.  I want 
to say faster, plowing his own path
in 16+ inches of snow.   It was tracking as straight as an arrow.  Inside 
there were two fellows in the front
wearing bib overalls and in the back seat was a man dressed like a 
"gentleman"  He had on a dark top coat and a
hat and had a brief case balanced on his knees.  I could only surmise that 
he had money, was at the coast, needed
to get out of there and had the means to make it happen.   I knew right then 
I was going to have a 4wd truck.

I think it was another 2 days before we got  out of our road and we only got 
out then because someone on the road
ran out of fuel oil and the oil truck couldn't get to him.  It wasn't from 
lack of trying.  The man that ran out was the
local fuel oil jobber and it was his trucks trying to get to him.  The 
called the national guard and they sent a motor grader
to get our road clear.  At that time the DOT here didn't have any dump truck 
plows.  All they had were the few motor
graders they used to maintain the dirt roads in the county.  Maybe half a 
dozen for a county nearly 70 miles long and up to 25 miles wide.

When the next big snow came our way, in 84 I think, I had just bought a 78 
Blazer from a friend of mine.  The morning after the snow
he called and wanted to buy it back.  I laughed at him.

Charlie



-----Original Message----- 
From: Al Jones
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 9:51 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!

1989.

It was a  big one, at least for us.  Didn't go anywhere unless it was by 
tractor for several days.  Somewhere I read it was the first "white 
Christmas" in eastern NC since 1899...

The REALLY big one I remember was March 1-2, 1980.  I was only in 
kindergarten but it was a monster.  Then 1989, then we had a pretty big one 
in 2000 or so.  Everything else has been a few inches here and there.  There 
was also a big one here in 1973 but that was the year before I was born...

Al


-----Original Message-----
>From: charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>Sent: Nov 14, 2013 7:13 AM
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!
>
>John a little less than 30 years ago, I don't remember the exact year off
>hand,
>we got a huge snow on Christmas Eve.  I took my mom to my sisters house in
>Raleigh
>for Christmas.  We drove the first 25 miles west in 4 wd.  When we got over
>in the
>Kinston area there was no more snow.   I think we had about 8 to 10 inches
>at home.
>Most of the snow we get here comes in off the ocean similar to the lake
>effect
>snows in the great lakes region.  We don't have them often but when they
>come
>they are game stoppers.  If I hadn't had a 4 wd blazer with big, all 
>terrain
>tires on it
>we wouldn't have made Christmas in Raleigh that year.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message----- 
>From: jtchall at nc.rr.com
>Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 10:49 PM
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!
>
>That’s amazing! We can get 6 inches of snow and you guys don't get a single
>flake! Daddy has mentioned before of getting a big snow back around
>Thanksgiving in the early/mid 50's.  The earliest I recall is a couple 
>light
>snows around Christmas. Then there was that bad ice storm in early Dec.
>about 12 years ago.
>
>John Hall
>
>
>-----Original Message----- 
>From: Al Jones
>Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 8:56 AM
>To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!
>
>I'm only 39, but this is the earliest I ever remember having any sort of
>snow in eastern NC.  I wonder if it is a sign of things to come this 
>winter.
>
>Al
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>>From: charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>>Sent: Nov 13, 2013 6:50 AM
>>To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!
>>
>>John,  It snowed in Swansboro, NC last night.  That, as you know,
>>is right on the ocean.  We had flurries but no accumulation.  I think
>>Swansboro had some snow on the ground for a while.
>>
>>Charlie
>>
>>-----Original Message----- 
>>From: jtchall at nc.rr.com
>>Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 9:52 PM
>>To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>>Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!
>>
>>Who cares about the door, we had snow flurries this afternoon! Hope that
>>isn't a sign of things to come this winter, considering we see snow
>>(including flurries) only 3-4 times a winter. And to think I was worried
>>about getting the A/C working on the combine!
>>
>>John Hall
>>
>>-----Original Message----- 
>>From: Gene Dotson
>>Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 9:06 PM
>>To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>>Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!
>>
>>    Mike, I checked Ralph's weather a couple hours ago and his temperature
>>was 48 degrees. I was hoping he would open the door and help raise our 25
>>degrees here in Ohio.
>>
>>                            Gene
>>
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Mike" <meulenms at gmx.com>
>>To: "ATIS" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 8:49 PM
>>Subject: [AT] Ralph, shut the door!
>>
>>
>>> Ralph would check the door please, 21 degrees is too cold for Michigan,
>>> I'm not ready for it yet. Thanks, Mike M
>>> _______________________________________________
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