Another Drive to Saskatchewan...

This year we left during proper winter, in late December. Last year we had left during mid-Autumn (October). Because of this, we also decided to make another change: our route would be through the U.S. instead of Canada. We went West from Boston, with our stops in the cities of Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, and Minneapolis. After that we crossed the border in North Dakota, and stayed in Winnipeg before finally arriving in Saskatoon. We assumed (quite incorrectly as you will see) that driving conditions would be much better through the U.S compare to Canada.

Hello darkness Winter, my old friend...

Well, we're in Buffalo, it's day two, and already there's a winter storm to contend with. Forecast says in the next day or so, a storm will cover the area from Buffalo, NY up to North Dakota, right on top of our route. Nothing is on the immediate horizon that day, so we drive out for Cleveland and decide to re-assess there. It's a short drive, just to make it easier on the two young ones. From this point forward, every mile will be the furthest West I have ever driven in the United States.

It's in Cleveland that the forecasts begin to take an alarming tone. This storm is to be a menacing one, with lots of snowfall, high-speed winds, and massive temperature drops. My wife is checking weather models obsessively. Are we leaving in the morning for Chicago? Or spending another day in Cleveland? I am eager to get to the windy city, and if I have to spend an extra day anywhere, I would rather it be in Chicago. The next morning brings more clarity: the storm will begin that afternoon. It's 8am, so we high-tail it out of Cleveland, hoping to make it to Chicago either before, or right at the beginning of the storm.

Chicago

As if on schedule, the clouds darken as we approach the areas outside Chicago. We drive in on an elevated highway, looming over swathes of gray and brown industrial-looking buildings. Chicago looks and feels massive compared to Boston. (But then again, most cities will). A flurry of snow begins and adds to the bleak picture. That is, until I reach the lake-shore drive in Chicago. The industrial areas have disappeared, and are replaced instead by a city that hasn't aged past the mid-century, successfully retaining a grandeur from an era that is otherwise nonexistent. The buildings are beyond mere functionality, not satisfied by simply providing square footage. Instead they are artistic representations. Even the street lamps are as much sculpture as they are utility. "Grand" is probably the best word to describe it all. Storm or not, I was going to stay here an extra night.

The snow continues overnight, as does the bitter wind. The snow isn't much to write home to Boston about, it's the temperature that surprised me. For the first time I learn that wind chill temperatures of -20 C are expected in Chicago (and in the mid-west generally), at least a few days out of the winter. According to a few of the residents, this night is maybe a tad unusual in that the temperature drop was significant and sudden, from +1 C to -20 C in the span of 6 hours.

We spend our extra day attempting to brave the cold and the wind by walking downtown Chicago near Millennium Park. The weather defeats us, and we retreat indoors to malls, stores and coffee shops. (The museums are all closed for the blizzard). On the bright side I get to see the interior of some of the buildings, which are as grand as their exteriors: vast spaces decorated tastefully with marble, brass, and intricate wood moulding across the walls and ceilings. Glad to have gotten at least some quality time in Chicago, I head back to the hotel to look at weather models again.

Aftermath

As we look up news of the storm, Buffalo features prominently. Buffalo is no stranger to snow storms or blizzard, it's consistently ranked as one of, if not the snowiest city in the United States. But this storm was bad even by Buffalo standards, and perhaps especially for Buffalo.

80 mile an hour winds.

52 inches of snowfall.

-35 C wind chill.

Nearly forty people died. It was talked about for at least the next month, as I saw it on TV in Buffalo on my drive back. With gratitude at having missed it in Buffalo by a couple days, we leave Chicago. The weather seems clear across Wisconsin and into Minnesota.

Storm Tracks

The storm might have been over, but it had left its mark. There were abandoned vehicles along the fringes of the interstate, on either side of the highway. Many of them were wrapped in caution tape. The only explanation I could come up with is that people crashed or got stranded in the snow, and were themselves rescued, but not their cars (at least yet). I don't think anyone would have been towing a car they didn't have to during a blizzard. I counted over a dozen abandoned cars, in various conditions. Some were merely pulled over to the side, having plowed through some snow. Others looked like they had spun out and were faced backwards. Some crashes were more concerning, with the car on its side or upside down.

And then there were the road conditions. Many of the interstates were still caked in ice, making progress slow. A good number of drivers seemed to possess either confidence or skill or both, and went past much faster than I could bring myself to go. Eventually in Wisconsin, we hit stopped traffic. It takes us about an hour to get through the blockage; a minivan had become wedged under a freight truck. Not a pretty sight.

We arrive in Minneapolis at night, later than we expect, but at least we arrive and safely at that. Next day we would be going through Fargo, North Dakota, towards the border and to Winnipeg.

Fargo Don't Mess Around

So the storm wasn't really over? Or maybe it was a different storm. I'm not sure. All I knew was that a nasty storm was traveling East, towards us. We're about to reach Fargo when my wife looks up from her phone, turns to me and says, "They've closed half the state." I ask her what that even means, "How do you just close a whole State?"

To add context: During Massachusetts state snow emergencies, the governor gets on TV and kind of politely tells you to stay home unless you're an essential worker. One time I went out anyways. I think I didn't have food that time or something and had to buy some (from an essential worker I suppose). Nothing happened, nobody pulled me over, and in fact it was a really nice drive since nobody else was on the road.

My wife points out something I hadn't noticed before. Red and white striped gates, on the ramps that connect to the highways. "Those," she says deadpan. She's worked in the state transportation department before, so this is familiar territory for her. "They close those gates. All the highways in the western half of the state are locked-down." She looks at me incredulously like I'm a total goof, waiting for my reaction. "Okay um, let's hope they don't close this one." I was, absolutely, a total goof. "Good thing we aren't going through Minot, eh?" Minot is a town further west in North Dakota. I had almost picked it as a stop on our route.

Between Fargo and Grand Forks, I drive the worst road conditions I have ever experienced. The road felt like it had turned into a thick sheet of ice. On top of that was the heavy snowfall, causing near white-out conditions. I tucked in behind a truck that was going sufficiently slow, and kept some distance. I couldn't see past the truck, and in wind gusts I couldn't even see the truck itself. But its flashing red hazards came through clearer, so I used it as my canary-in-a-coal-mine. If he hit the brakes, I hit the brakes. There were even more abandoned cars alongside the interstate. Many looked like they were from the storm a few days ago, but a few looked like fresh spin-outs.

It was a slow march like this, up to Grand Forks. After that, the road was dry and the weather milder.

I can't remember what we missed that caused us to get on the road from Minneapolis despite the storm. If I had to guess now, I would say it was probably just false-confidence after seeing the storm in Chicago.

In any case, we get to the border, the road to Winnipeg is clear.

Smooth Sailing

Winnipeg greeted us with the familiar flatness I was astounded at when I was last here. We had an uneventful drive through the canola fields, now covered with snow. I pull over to take in the air and enjoy the sight of a gravel snow-covered road, seemingly going on forever in the distance. This is the first time I feel compelled to step out and take some photos. There's also significantly less traffic, making it easy.

In another few hours, we are finally in the fair city of Saskatoon. As far as plans go, we have no idea how long we'll be here, if we are going to Banff, and if we are, when.

Canmore & Banff

It was three days. Yup, we stayed three days in Saskatoon, then we were off to Canmore and Banff. And while I could attempt to talk about my experience in Banff, I'd rather let the photographs (above) speak for themselves at this point, having written on for so long.

Back Home...

We made our way back end of January. No storms assaulted us this time. Our trips seem to be full of excitement on our way out, and uneventful during our return. But we are always grateful for safe travels, we arrive home happy to be back after so long.

Thanks for reading!