Into The Ice Storm

1/13 Packed up Sat. afternoon, after moaning with hosts Dean and Elizabeth that morning about having to leave them. Bid them a fond fare-thee-well and headed into the ice storm. It started raining before we left, and we made it to Du Bois, PA by 1 AM.

1/14 Spent all day driving in various stages of rain and falling temperature. By nightfall, however, it was below freezing and the roads were starting to clod up with snow clumps on the road and no plows in sight. We made it to Davenport, IA through a couple of inches and fairly fat flakes that at travel speeds made it seem a blinding snowstorm. Davenport is the birthplace of jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke, with whom Scott shares a birthday. The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society holds an annual tribute festival to Bix every July. Naturally Scott wanted to hit town and find his grave…not in this whiteout.

The Casa Loma Inn that we found felt like home, with high ceiling log cabin feel and a sitting room upstairs. When they offered to print entire 17 piece big band charts for Scott, they topped our list of hospitality houses. Late that night we shuffled powder snow as we crossed the road to the 24 hr. diner across the way, using an umbrella to shield us from the storm. (I’ve lived in snow, and I’ve never used an umbrella in the snow…) LA ice storm rookies...