Leaving Oberlin

It doesn't take long for us to see that the Chief was right. First, as we head down this two laned highway, the wind is blowing the pine trees perilously close to the top of our cars. Peter and I seem to be the only people with the bright idea of trying to travel this highway. While I usually have a heavy foot, I see that I'm only driving about 35 and I'm fighting the wheel to stay on the road. Peter who is ahead of me is working his brakes as we weave around a number of trees and limbs that have fallen across the road. About five minutes into this trip Peter comes to a stop. As I open the door, I see the problem; half a dozen pine trees, some of them pretty large, are strewn entirely across the highway. Our trip home is over. A couple of other cars arrive and we are trying to decide whether we can get past this with our chainsaws, but these are pretty big trees. The other issue is that as we stand there we see the trees lining the roadway, already weakened from the onslaught the night before, bending right over us with each new powerful gust. We hate to turn around and be proven wrong, but have no choice. As we get ready to head back into our cars, we see flashing blue lights headed our way. My first thought was that they were going to cart us off to jail for being out here in the first place. As they approach, we see what looks like a tank, and a convoy of police cars. It's the tree cutting team. These are the guys who are here to open this stretch of highway so that the firemen, policemen, and emergency responders can get into the affected areas. We will be the first into town.