Cold night at the 46

Well, I'll tell this one, but I'll have to leave some details out. Was back in mid '80s, I was working midnight shift, it was winter, it was extremely cold this night, I mean near 0 degrees cold, maybe sub zero.. I was committed to staying in that '82 Plymouth and keeping the heat on high.

We have just about exactly [B]100 miles of Interstate [/B]in this county time you check both [COLOR=#B22222]N-S Interstate [/COLOR]and make a pass out the [COLOR=#0000FF]E-W Interstate[/COLOR] . Speed limit then was [B]55[/B], so there's 1 hour 40 minutes[B] just riding[/B], say 2 hours time you checked our one [B]rest area [/B]too. No need to be in a hurry, it's too easy to hit a deer. I could get a hot cup at 4 exits on [COLOR=#b22222]N-S Interstate[/COLOR] , or another exit on [COLOR=#0000ff]E-W Interstate[/COLOR] if near [COLOR=#b22222]N-S Interstate[/COLOR] . Traffic was very light on [COLOR=#b22222]N-S Interstate[/COLOR] and almost non existant on [COLOR=#0000ff]E-W Interstate[/COLOR] in those days.

[B]2AM[/B] ... I'm traveling west on [COLOR=#0000ff]E-W Interstate[/COLOR] , starting up a long up the mountain section, dang it, thered's a 10-46 ([COLOR=#b22222][I]disabled motorist[/I][/COLOR]) there near the 46 mile post on the west side on the shoulder, flashers going. It was a AMC Gremlin that was broke down. I pull up behind it, turn on my emergency lights, get out, damn it's [B]COLD[/B]. I walk up, wind ripping at my stinging ears, my colar turned up but of little help. By time I got to the car door, I was starting to shiver I think.

Guy was sitting in his car, men's magazines open in the seat & pass floor, he was really [B]"self absorbed". [/B]No way I was gonna deal with this ... not on this night, it was just too darn cold. Like I said, it might have been in the negative numbers on the thermometer. I just turned around and walked back to my car, got in, sat there a few minutes to see if he'd notice a car with a revolving light on top sitting behind him, but NO, he didn't, then I decided that if he just stopped for this ... on this cold night … I should write the ticket, but it was too cold ... and so I pulled out and went on west and finished my pass on [COLOR=#0000ff]E-W Interstate[/COLOR].

After making a pass to the county line, when I got back to [COLOR=#b22222]N-S Interstate[/COLOR] I got a large hot coffee and filled my thermos, got on [COLOR=#b22222]N-S Interstate[/COLOR] , made the whole loop south, went to the area office, did some paperwork, left my car running to stay warm, gassed up, left office, got another cup at the exit before getting back on [COLOR=#b22222]N-S Interstate[/COLOR] , drove all the way up at the north county line, drove back south to the rest area, checked it, maybe corrected some parking, drove to [COLOR=#0000ff]E-W Interstate[/COLOR] west again, stopped for more hot coffee, then I headed west on [COLOR=#0000ff]E-W Interstate[/COLOR] towards the top of North Mtn. … [B]again[/B].

By now, it was [B]nearing sun-up[/B], soon I could go home where I knew it'd be warm. I could see a new day dawning back to my east as the first rays of sun shown over the Blue Ridge behind me, but[B] "Dang It"[/B] again, there was that broke down Gremilin still there at the 46 mm, [B]no[/B] flashers now, windows covered with ice ... on the inside. I stopped, got out and tried to see in, scraped glass, alas, iced over inside. Then I seen the finger nails scraping ice off inside, guy still alive, but he had ice in his mustache under his nose. He opened the door, no magazines in view now.

I felt sorry for him, he was one cold human being. I let him come back to my car and sit in the warm heat, I even poured him some of the still hot coffee from my thermos ([COLOR=#b22222][I]a old Stanley, it keeps it hot[/I][/COLOR]). When he could talk with out his teeth chettering, he asked me[B] "I thought you guys checked on people, where you been?" [/B]I told him we did, that I stopped to check on him hours earlier but that he was so distracted and seemed OK then ... he just said a quiet[B] "Oh"[/B] and rolled his eyes.

[B]He never saw me at 2AM![/B]

[B]He survived[/B]