Every once in a while there's a real disadvantage to working a night shift that has you leaving the office after midnight.
The snowfall and freezing rain that hit the area made Monday night one of those days.
After making the trip back from Shenandoah High School Monday amidst the start of the snow and ice I knew my trip home was going to be iffy at best.
I jokingly made the comment to Marietta Times' news editor Evan Bevins that he might come in Tuesday to find me asleep in the conference room since I wasn't sure I'd make it out Ohio 550 given the care Ohio's roads have received so far this winter.
Evan, who lives in Marietta, was kind enough to offer to let me sleep on his couch if I needed to.
After all, he said, while we constantly joke about spending all our time at work he wasn't sure whether crashing my car into the ditch or actually sleeping at the paper was worse.
The end result was after my car turned completely sideways trying to turn from the Times' office onto Channel Lane I wound up at Evan's and went home Tuesday morning.
That's one of the few times things have actually worked out for me where I didn't have to drive 20 miles or more on bad roads questioning my sanity and my safety every minute of the drive.
Given my job I'm certain there will be a few more times I'm out driving when every other sane person is staying home where it's warm and safe.
Saturday morning I made the trip down to the Ohio University Convocation Center to cover Waterford's boys and girls basketball teams.
While down there I met up with Paul Boggs, sports editor of the Jackson County Times Journal, and Kevin Wiseman, sports editor of The Athens Messenger.
The three of us began to discuss sports the way we always do when sports writers get together and our conversation turned towards our district meeting next March.
We normally try to schedule it for the Thursday of sectionals because normally one of us will have a game at the Convo and it makes logistical sense in terms of travel.
As my luck would run that wasn't the case for me this past March.My game was down at Jackson and not at the Convo.
And wouldn't you know it, as our meeting was half over there came the snow and I traveled from Athens to Jackson at 30 miles and hour to attend a game, then drove back from Jackson to my house off Ohio 550 at no more than 30 miles an hour and that only when there was a hill I knew I needed a run at or I'd never make it to the top.
That trip, which according to Mapquest.com should have taken one hour and 24 minutes took me better than three and a half hours to make with my little Toyota never traveling in a straight line the entire drive.
Sitting there in the Convo discussing our district meeting for next year that day came up and we, of course, had to share a few laughs about our circumstances.
Paul looked over at me and said he couldn't believe I made that trip in the pouring down snow, then followed that up with that he couldn't believe the game was even played.
Kevin Wiseman laughed and pointed out that of all of us down there he was the only one that was in a wreck and he had the shortest distance to go to get home.
Waterford girls' basketball coach Jerry Close and Wolf Creek Superintendent Bob Caldwell didn't even want their girls on the road that night, and as I left Jackson High School they were looking for a hotel to put the girls up for the night.
I'm not sure what happened, because I got on the road and went to Paul's office in Jackson, filed my story and then headed home, electing to brave Ohio 7 rather than stay in Jackson for the night.
I made it, but it was a much closer call than I'd like to repeat, which is why I spent the night on Evan's couch, telling him and his wife to wake me up when it was safe to go home.
With the winter season upon us there will undoubtedly be more nights when there is snow on the road and travel is questionable.
If you absolutely have to be on the roads, take it slow and make sure you get home safe. If the roads are as bad as they were Monday, have a friend that can loan you their couch.
Kevin Pierson is a Marietta Times sports writer, and can be reached at 376-5440, or at kpierson@mariettatimes.com.
