The Most Terrifying Experience of My Life

We left at about 12:30pm this afternoon to drive to Phoenix. We were planning on getting at least as far as Gallup, leaving only 3 or 4 hours to drive tomorrow. But we only got as far as Santa Fe. About 50 miles outside Santa Fe, while I was driving, it started to snow. And it got bad really fast. About 15 minutes into the storm, a car in front of us skidded 360 degrees, and then another 180 to land on the side of the road facing us. I almost had a heart attack. Daniel woke up and coached me through. He told me if I start to slide, point my wheels in the direction of the slide. And drive slowly, leaving lots of room in front of me. I did what he said and it helped. The few times I skidded, it was over quickly and I didn't hit anything or anyone. We watched so many cars in front of us sliding all over the place. We saw ambulances and police cars on the side of the road, and more than one car buried in snow on the shoulder. It was absolutely terrifying. Then the gas light turned on.

I almost lost it. Can you imagine running out of gas in the middle of a snow storm, 15 miles from any town? It took us 2 hours to go about 30 miles because we were going so slow. We were still about 15 miles outside Santa Fe and had no idea where the nearest gas station was. I just kept driving slowly until there was an exit with a campground and restaurants. I took the exit and parked at a restaurant where there was an ambulance parked with some firemen getting out. I asked them where the nearest gas station is and they told me a mile or two down the road. Perfect! Daniel got back in the driver's seat and drove down a dark road for probably another 5 miles before we figured out weren't going to find a gas station. We got back on I-25, passed the same police car that was now assisting a tow truck pulling a car off the shoulder, and took the same exit. We got more specific directions and finally ended up at the gas station. I was so incredibly relieved. I don't think I've prayed so hard in my entire life. That we wouldn't run out of gas, that we wouldn't skid off the road, that we wouldn't run into somebody, that we wouldn't witness another car crash..... and God definitely came through. Once we got gas, I realized that if we drove slowly and carefully everything would be fine. Even if we slid on ice, we were going slow enough and leaving enough room in front of us that we wouldn't hit anything with significant force. We continued on to Santa Fe and found a hotel that allowed pets and now we're drying off and warming up.

My feet are freezing because I didn't think to wear boots. I honestly didn't think we would hit a huge storm like this. Maybe a little snow, but nothing like this. We still have another 8 hours to Phoenix, so we'll get up early tomorrow morning. I'm praying that the roads are clear, at least enough that we can be on our way. I am incredibly grateful for a partner who knows exactly what to do and stays calm in the most stressful situations. I'm grateful that we just got new tires on the car. And I'm grateful that we made it safe through the storm. Thank you God :-)