Merry Christmas...
This will be a preliminary report this morning...to let you know what we know at this point.
Yesterday, to say that we received some snow would be an understatement...it came down. We haven't gone out and measured it this morning but 8 inches would be a really good estimate...so our earlier prediction yesterday of 2-5 inches got blown out of the water. But we'll try to confirm the exact amount later on today. Here is what we do know...
Yesterday was a treacherous driving day...just ask us.
* This is Highway 82 between Muenster & Saint Jo, Texas!
* The sides of the roadway of Highway 82.
* One other crazy person on the roadway in front of us!
* This is me taking a picture from my vehicle of the people that couldn't make it up this hill on Highway 82, right outside of Saint Jo. And honestly, my vehicle had stalled out on the ice, but luckily I got it back going again.
We attempted to get to Saint Jo yesterday, which for those non-local people...it is located just 10 miles...yes, only 10 miles from the park. Well we had been in Gainesville, so we were on Hwy 82...well let's just say you couldn't even hardly see Hwy 82...conditions yesterday were unbelievable...we literally had whiteout, blizzard conditions. You can see some of the pictures below. But the wind was gusting and it was so strong it could push a car off the road. Topped with the heavy snow coming down and the ice on the roads that was freezing, it was a nightmare. Well we did make it to Saint Jo around 5 pm last night. After staying for a couple hours visiting with family, we attempted to leave Saint Jo around 9:30 p.m....curious what time we got home? 4:30 a.m. ---- yes, to only drive 10 miles. We ended up in a snow bank even with 4 wheel drive. (Yes, at one point I had to pinch myself to be sure I wasn't dreaming that I was in one of those crazy holiday movies where the people get caught in a snowstorm :-) It was crazy...had to call family to come pick us up, get a tractor, drive it all the way up the Bulcher Bluff to right outside of town to pull ourselves out. I guess though we were some of the lucky ones. Tow services were everywhere last night, handling jack-knifed eight wheelers, etc. Many cars along the roadway had been abandoned and we even witnessed one man getting out starting to walk.
Again, I have not witnessed snow like this in our part of the area ever....so just a phenomenal sight to see, especially on Christmas Eve Night/Early Christmas Day Morning!
So with all that said...let's move on to today..
We have a lot of beautiful snow. I am going to attempt to warm up the bikes and yes, snow sleds and venture out today. My plan is to take some pictures and report back to you this evening to get you prepped for this weekend. At this time, we are planning to be open this weekend, even with snow. But our official decision will come later this evening.
Here is what I can tell you right now...extreme caution should be used on all roadways in and around the Red River Valley. We have a current temperature of 20 degrees. The sun is out already this morning, but not expecting much of a warm-up...as they are saying 31 will be the high temperature in our area today. So not looking good for getting above freezing today. We have had no precipitation fall thus far today.
Holiday Weekday Riding...
If you are a member & are planning on getting some holiday riding in today (Christmas Day), you must contact our park office for an appointment. Only phone calls at 940-995-2903 will be accepted. Emails will not be answered today. We are happy to accommodate your holiday vacation plans.
WINTRY WEATHER PARK OPERATION HOURS
For curious minds...because we start to get these questions as winter approaches..."Are you open when it snows & Can I come ride?" If it is a weekday (Monday-Friday)...even with snow, members may make appointments to come to the park as usual. If it is a weekend (Saturday & Sunday), and it snows...our park will more than likely be open, but we encourage you to check our website or call our park office to verify we are indeed open. If we are open on a weekend (in the case of snow), then we welcome members, guests, and visitors to come ride (as usual on a weekend). .
* In the case of extremely treacherous weather...ice, sleet, snow, etc...RRMT, Inc. always reserves the right for the safety of its customers to shut down the park. If this ever occurs, it will be posted on our website as well as on our park office answering machine. *
* As of right now, we are open to take appointments for your winter snowy ride today, but we're about to go out and check things out...to let you know more as soon as possible.
More will come tonight as I know more...so look for another blog from us later this evening/tonight.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas!
Enjoy Your White Christmas...
RRMT, Inc. Staff
