Ugh...

My daughter and I started out around 11 a.m. Our goal was to check on my in-laws who were 25 miles further east and incommunicado.  I wanted to ensure that they were okay.  The land lines were down, and they have a cell phone, but no one had heard from them.

While I didn't expect the worst, they are surrounded (as are we) my trees,  I wanted to ensure that they were okay.  No news is not always good news.

There is no power in my county.  Not one square inch of my county (New Kent) had power unless it is derived from a gasoline/propane engine.  We had planned to go down 60 east.  That was not to be as it was impassable.  We turned around and decided that we would go up 249 and check on the property and then loop over to 60.

249 was a mess.  Trees and power lines everywhere.  At first I was scared of crossing over the downed lines, realizing later into my trip that there was no power to them.  Doh!

We stopped by the rehab property which had no downed trees.  I was surprised, particularly since there was a large field on the other side of the road--lots of places for the wind to kick up!  We then winnowed our way back to 60 through the backroads.  I found an open gas station (just on line with generators).  I called my husband who was already many miles away in Hanover.  There was no wait here as opposed to the 2.5 hour wait at the one at Bottoms Bridge. I had plenty of gas, and I did not stop.

During our traversing of the county, we noted National Guardsmen/women clearing the way.  When I say "clear the way" that means just enough width to get a vehicle through.  Lines were down precariously so that if you were not paying attention, you would become ensnared in them as they were down diagonally from the pole to the ground with a tree in the mix.

Throughout the county, I could see where private residents were helping each other on their private properties and public causeways.  I do not mourn for America, as I see first hand in these weather calamities the generosity of spirit of those thrown together in the same circumstances.  Weather or economic hurricanes can be endured and survived.  To be sure there are casualties, but nothing is so dangerous than standing aside and thinking that 'someone else' will step up to the plate. We each have to step up to the plate.

Over the course of 4 hours I saw that my beloved county's residents were lending a hand, my in-laws were safe (though their cell phone had NO SERVICE) and that downed power lines in a power free grid are not a menace.  Below is indicative of what was on most of the roads in our county.  I would upload more, but with the Blackberry it is too slow.