Excellent summation, BWS. No one anticipated the nightmare that day became for thousands of people stranded up to twelve hours on major roads -- inside the Beltway.

I was blessed to be cozy at home during what was an otherwise unmemorable snow. Friends were calling from Virginia and Maryland where they were stuck on highways they could not escape and watching their fuel gauge go lower and lower.

The George Washington Parkway on the Virginia side of the Potomac River was the worst. There's a recap at this link:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Traffic-and-Transit-Update-12-Hour-Commute-114710519.html


Spurred by this thread, last night I ordered a new 20-degree sleeping bag that will go directly into the car and will stay there until summer. (I have other sleeping bags but they are in storage with my teardrop trailer 80 miles from DC.) Along with the two fleece sleeping bag liners and the winter clothing gear and chemical warmers in the car, I and one or two other passengers would be in pretty good shape for the worst we are likely to face around here.

Having escaped DC to avoid the Inaugural mess, today I have to drive back -- about 70 miles. Daytime temps are in the 20s and I will hope that it is an uneventful drive with no cause to brood over having neglected to keep a sleeping bag in the car.

Be safe everyone. Looks like two-thirds of the U.S. is in the deep freeze. Apparently it can be attributed to the "polar vortex:"

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/stats-arctic-air-brings-low-te/4651671