Travel Discouraged

"Travel Discouraged: Icy Roads," reads the Amber Alert as I drive south on I-45 this morning headed for one of Houston's hearing locations. I'm in the middle of an ice "storm" that has been forecasted for days. Icemaggedon they're calling it on the radio. An official winter storm warning is in effect until at least noon. The highway is pretty bare and there is no traffic to fight. I wonder who else is driving to work today as it looks like most everybody has stayed home.

Last night I watched the news and the list of school closings scrolling across the bottom of the screen. I checked the website for hearing office closures. As a teacher, this had been standard procedure when rough weather hit the Houston area, but as an attorney I wasn't sure this was typical behavior or not. It's not like I had to ride a bus with 30 other attorneys to get to work where I would meet hundreds of other attorneys who had also travelled by bus. I was one person that needed to get to one office to meet up with just a handful of other professionals and clients. The chance that my hearings would be canceled were slim I knew, but it's always nice to hope.

I woke up this morning still hoping. Turned on the news. Checked the website. No luck. Oh well. I take the dog out and, not sure how to handle the crunchy grass, she takes an inordinate amount of time to find the perfect spot to pee. I grab my computer bag, bundle up in my winter coat and scarf, and head to the car. It's covered in ice. Now, I know I live in the South and Houstonians do tend to freak out over the slightest hint of suboptimal weather, but my car truly was covered in ice. I yank open my nearly stuck car door, turn on my front and rear defrosters and grab my ice scraper from the back seat. Shocker that I own one and keep one in my car I know! A remnant from my Utah days (there it is again, yes, I've lived in Utah). I set to work on scraping off the ice. I'm not making much progress and I let the defrosters warm up a bit. The lady in the car next to me is just sitting there with the car running and waiting. It looks like her car is almost all defrosted and driveable. I don't think she had a scraper.

I get in the car and safely make it to I-45 where I see the Amber Alert: Travel Discouraged. I laugh at this. I travel all over for work and here I was driving to my local office just 18 miles away and I was being discouraged. Specifically by the Houston Mayor and Harris County Commissioner. If you absolutely must drive, they cautioned, Avoid Bridges and Overpasses! Despite knowing this, I haven't made up my mind if I will take the high overpass from I-45 onto Beltway 8 like I usually do. As the overpass comes into view, I see cars on it, a potentially a good sign, but they aren't moving. At all. There is a government vehicle at the top of the overpass that has stopped all traffic. Those cars won't be going anywhere. For a long time. There is no shoulder and it's one lane. An hour later when I drive by this overpass again, the same cars are still there. I wonder how long they were stuck there.

Given the situation, I opt to be a mindful citizen and stick to the frontage road and avoid the Beltway all together. There are patches of this highway that are closed as well.

I make it to the hearing office and see just 2 cars in the parking lot. A good indication that something was up. And there on the door was a sign "Office Closed." Wahoo - Weather Day! I don't know if the exhilaration of a weather day ever wears off but so far it hasn't. Mr. Washington, our office security guard, comes out and let's me duck inside for a bit. I'm informed the office is closed until Noon so no hearings that morning. I have two hearings set for the afternoon and I'll just have to call back after 9:00 when a decision will be made regarding the remainder of the day.

Some of my weather day enthusiasm subsides and I return to my car to call my first two clients with the news. I decide to head home and wait to see what the hearing office will do. On my way down 45 I do hit some ice on the bridge, but I'm going 35 mph so I have no trouble and my car stays in the lane.

I stop by the padres on my way home to see how they're faring (a little sarcasm here). No work for them either. I chit chat a bit and give my morning traffic report. The hour is up and I call the office. The recorded message states, "The hearing office will be closed ALL day." Yes! Again, not sure why I'm so excited. I'll have to make up those hearings and it's not like I won't be working from home all day anyway. But still, the satisfaction of getting out of something you were required to do is always sweet.

With the news, I head to my apartment where I bundle up in fuzzy boots and a sweatshirt and cook myself some chili. Usually it is cancelled travel that keeps me from my hearings. But today, after traveling safely and successfully, it is cancelled hearings themselves that keep me. Gotta love Houston weather days!

Ok, I know what you're thinking. But this pic was taken at 11:30 after my car had been running for 2 hours and after it had stopped raining. It was covered completely and solidly in ice at 7:00 a.m. Promise. But fine, feel free to laugh.