THE 1982 DENVER BLIZZARD
This story is about the trip we took to see my mom at Christmas, 1982. She lived in Evans, Colorado and we lived in Page, Arizona. We had decided to take our four sons in our Dodge van not knowing what the weather had in store.
We packed several bags, blankets, water and our cosmetic case for what we though was a two or three day vacation. We were supposed to be at my mom’s house Christmas Eve. We left Page and drove toward Kayenta, Arizona and onto New Mexico. We started toward Raton and hit a huge snow storm. Just outside of Raton, the winds were severe. Our engine died just outside of town. With ropes my husband tied himself to the front of the van and checked the motor.
We packed several bags, blankets, water and our cosmetic case for what we though was a two or three day vacation. We were supposed to be at my mom’s house Christmas Eve. We left Page and drove toward Kayenta, Arizona and onto New Mexico. We started toward Raton and hit a huge snow storm. Just outside of Raton, the winds were severe. Our engine died just outside of town. With ropes my husband tied himself to the front of the van and checked the motor.
He said the guys that serviced our car didn’t put the lid back right and the carburetor, situated in the center of the air filter, was iced up. So we poured through our cosmetic bag and found some men’s cologne. We both knew that alcohol would deice the carburetor. The van started up and we pushed forward.
It was still daylight but we couldn’t see anywhere because the snow was blowing so hard. We could look up and see blue sky. We finally saw a motel sign lit up and got off the ramp and headed toward the sign. Once there we signed in and got into our motel room. There was no heat. So Richard called someone he knew in Raton, visiting his mother. He came to us with the winds howling and snow still blowing all around. We got into his car and we headed to his house not far from there.
His mother greeted us and we spent Christmas Eve there. The police had closed down all driving in town so we had to stay where we were. My husband’s friend and mom got a meal together for us consisting of bologna on tortillas with cheese. Our boys seemed happy to just eat and stay at a warm place. We bedded the boys down and all slept on the floor. We listened to the news and found out that the blizzard was heading north toward Denver.
The next day, we headed north toward Colorado Springs. The snow had been so bad that they had closed the main highway north for another 6 hours. We went to Denny’s and spent most of the morning and afternoon there, eating. They tried to fix a Christmas dinner for everyone but ran out of cranberries and stuffing. We really didn’t care but other drivers were frustrated and angry that they couldn’t drive to their destinations.
Finally, the highway was opened. We headed north. The kids and I were shocked by all the vehicles we saw to the right and left of us stranded in the snow. I think my boys wondered if anyone was actually in those cars and trucks. We had counted over two hundred vehicles by the time we got to Denver.
We continued on our journey north to Evans. It was dark and we could only see a one lane highway ahead. No one was coming from the other direction. We just took our time and stayed in that snowy path. By the time we reached my mom’s and pulled up to her driveway, the kids were tired and but wanted to open their presents which we had packed in the back of the van. My mom came to the door and literally dropped her false teeth. She started crying and said, “My God, why did you travel in this? I didn’t think you’d be here!”. Of course, she was glad to see us. We all were fine and thankful that our van brought us safely to her doorstep.
We couldn’t get back home right away because the roads hadn’t been cleared. We found out later that the snow equipment in Denver had only two that were working. All the other snow movers were down for maintenance. So instead of a few days at my mom’s it ended in a week.
We didn’t return on the same route. We went west to Grand Junction. Everything west of Denver hardly got any snow. It seemed like a totally different world. It was clear all the way home. We thanked God for taking care of our little family that entire time, especially when Richard had to go out in 50 or more mile an hour winds to tie himself to the van while he did repairs. What a vacation. What a Christmas. We will never forget it.
Copyright, 2008, Kathryn Tyler Little
It was still daylight but we couldn’t see anywhere because the snow was blowing so hard. We could look up and see blue sky. We finally saw a motel sign lit up and got off the ramp and headed toward the sign. Once there we signed in and got into our motel room. There was no heat. So Richard called someone he knew in Raton, visiting his mother. He came to us with the winds howling and snow still blowing all around. We got into his car and we headed to his house not far from there.
His mother greeted us and we spent Christmas Eve there. The police had closed down all driving in town so we had to stay where we were. My husband’s friend and mom got a meal together for us consisting of bologna on tortillas with cheese. Our boys seemed happy to just eat and stay at a warm place. We bedded the boys down and all slept on the floor. We listened to the news and found out that the blizzard was heading north toward Denver.
The next day, we headed north toward Colorado Springs. The snow had been so bad that they had closed the main highway north for another 6 hours. We went to Denny’s and spent most of the morning and afternoon there, eating. They tried to fix a Christmas dinner for everyone but ran out of cranberries and stuffing. We really didn’t care but other drivers were frustrated and angry that they couldn’t drive to their destinations.
Finally, the highway was opened. We headed north. The kids and I were shocked by all the vehicles we saw to the right and left of us stranded in the snow. I think my boys wondered if anyone was actually in those cars and trucks. We had counted over two hundred vehicles by the time we got to Denver.
We continued on our journey north to Evans. It was dark and we could only see a one lane highway ahead. No one was coming from the other direction. We just took our time and stayed in that snowy path. By the time we reached my mom’s and pulled up to her driveway, the kids were tired and but wanted to open their presents which we had packed in the back of the van. My mom came to the door and literally dropped her false teeth. She started crying and said, “My God, why did you travel in this? I didn’t think you’d be here!”. Of course, she was glad to see us. We all were fine and thankful that our van brought us safely to her doorstep.
We couldn’t get back home right away because the roads hadn’t been cleared. We found out later that the snow equipment in Denver had only two that were working. All the other snow movers were down for maintenance. So instead of a few days at my mom’s it ended in a week.
We didn’t return on the same route. We went west to Grand Junction. Everything west of Denver hardly got any snow. It seemed like a totally different world. It was clear all the way home. We thanked God for taking care of our little family that entire time, especially when Richard had to go out in 50 or more mile an hour winds to tie himself to the van while he did repairs. What a vacation. What a Christmas. We will never forget it.
Copyright, 2008, Kathryn Tyler Little
This is a heartwarming story of God's provision for us in any situation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your story.
ReplyDeleteKathryn,
ReplyDeleteI moved to Denver in 1993 and heard many people talk of the 1982 blizzard.
In 2006, I found out what a Christmas blizzard in Denver was like--beautiful, amazing, scary, a major pain to shovel, all wrapped into one frozen week! Thanks for sharing your story.
Diva Teri D.