Quiet Place

Snowed In

This time of year, my wife and I check the local weather forecast three or four times a day. We are of an age where we are hesitant to drive on snow covered or icy roads. We love the four seasons but find it harder and harder to handle winter driving conditions. After most of the snow had melted in our small town, we noticed the evening news predicted two full days of heavy snowfall. We were told to expect several inches with more than twice that at higher elevations. We admit to being old but still remember being young. After watching the evening news report of winter weather warnings, we reminisced about the times we were snowed in for several days. Once was in Wyoming and another in Amarillo, Texas. The time we were snowed in the longest, however, was when we lived on Fairchild Air force Base near Spokane. I had two weeks leave in February that I had to take or lose, and it snowed over 40 inches during those two weeks. I was glad the pantry was well stocked. After reliving those times, we decided to get ourselves snowed in again.

We have a get-away cabin on the Pend Oreille River in northeastern Washington state. It is our dream home we built ten or eleven years ago to have a permanent place to escape life’s pressures. It is accessible at all times except during 100-year floods or blizzards. Some of our neighbors live there year-around, so we didn’t have any worries about being stranded there until spring. The snow was predicted to begin Wednesday evening through mid-day Friday. So, we headed north immediately after my wife’s dental appointment Wednesday morning. We arrived at the cabin with plenty of time to check for essential groceries and make a quick run to the nearest market. Then we settled in for the storm.

We noticed that the roads hadn’t been plowed since the previous few inches of snowfall nor had there been a freeze, so the trees were covered with snow creating a marshmallow world just as it says in the song. It was gorgeous. Our cabin sets on one of the rare stretches of river that doesn’t have houses on both sides. So, in good weather, you can set on our deck and have an unbroken view across a few hundred yards of river then right up into the mountains. Imagine ice along the edges of the river and little puffs of snow on all the trees and you can get an idea of what we see from our kitchen window. It takes my breath away every time I raise the shades.

The snow started Wednesday evening right on schedule, and we snuggled in for the duration. The wind seldom blows here on the river. When it does, it topples trees and raises havoc, but I have never known it to blow in the winter. With over twelve inches accumulation, wind would have been a disaster. I noticed our dock was listing with the weight of the snow such that one corner was well under water. Getting down to the dock and shoveling it off was a small adventure. My wife took pictures to send to our grandkids. We were never in any danger but we found the isolation we were seeking. After shoveling the dock, I sat down with a good book and enjoyed the solitude. The snowplow came on Friday, and we looked at the road but had no need to go anywhere. I have commitments at church on Sunday, so we will probably drive home on Wednesday.

Everyone should get snowed in once in a while. I am glad we are still up to it. I understand why otherwise sane people would want to spend a summer atop a fire lookout tower or find an isolated place to camp. We are blessed to have our cabin on the river. It is our place to escape and enjoy ourselves. We don’t have to be snowed in to do that, but it accentuates the feeling. When I was a kid, my escape place was a big oak tree in the woods near our home. It was just far enough so that I could feel alone. Everyone needs a place like that even if it is just a corner of your house.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.