I left work early on Friday so that we could drive my mother to Minneapolis to take care of her father. He’s in hospice, and the local family is wiped from caring for him alone.
So, I’m scooting home, a bright sunny day and a road trip ahead of me.
A semi in oncoming traffic passed, and SLAM! Something landed on the top of my car, and I looked up and see cracks all over the sun roof.
Now, I’m going to take a moment to give my dad credit. When I was learning to drive, he did EVERYTHING he could think of to startle me while I was driving, and then scolded if I so much as twitched the wheel. Everything. Shouting, poking me, tickling me, whistling. The works. This was a regular annoyance.
But, on this last Friday, I didn’t jerk the wheel, despite violently startling and my heart racing so hard I could hear it in my ears.
So, thank you, Dad.
I pulled over frantically, climb out of the car, and I examined the roof. It was covered in HUGE chunks of ice, and it was pretty clear the semi dropped ice on me as it passed.
But my car had been covered in a shell of ice from earlier that week. I carefully pulled it loose to discover… only the ice shell has cracked, and the window was intact.
So I called my husband in tears, because OH MY GOD MY HEART. He talked with me, I calmed down, and then I continued on my way.
After we loaded the car at home, he took the time to clear the rest of the ice to show that my entire sunroof was just fine.
So that’s a fun start to a six hour drive!
Wow! I didn’t even know that was something that could happen! Of course, it doesn’t ever get cold enough to snow here, but still! Glad you’re okay. 😊
It’s not usually so serious – often snow will blow off cars and block your view (which not clearing your car can get you a ticket), but generally it’s all small stuff. This was a chunk easily the size of a cantaloupe!