Let it snow. Circa 1978.

Do YOU remember the Blizzard of '78? I remember it well. January 1978. We had just finished Christmas break, and were about 2 weeks back into school when the snow started to fall. We lived in Hudsonville Michigan, about a 15 minute drive to Grand Rapids. When the snow started to fall, it fell fast and heavy. The pressure was so low, it was like a hurricane was rolling through. To this day the barometer reading was 28.21. The LOWEST in Grand Rapids history. It was a DEEP storm. When all was said and done had around 26" of snow that was driven by such high winds, that we had drifts that started in our yard, and went over the roof of our house. You could literally walk up the drift, and on to the second floor roof of our home. The drifts and snow piles were still around our house until April it was so bad.

My brother and I had the task of using our little Toro snow blower to clear the driveway. There was no way. The snow was over our knees, and it was hopeless. My Dad was a Store Director at meijer in Grand Rapids, and him and about 30 other employees were stuck at the store because of the snow. In 1978, Meijer was not a 24 hour store. They closed at 10pm every night. They also had a full service cafeteria. I remember my Dad being there for making breakfast for the employees that were also trapped. I have a picture somewhere of him making eggs for the cashiers. When he was finally able to get home, we were all stuck because the roads were so bad. We were told it would be a week before our subdivision would be cleared. Luckily, there was a guy who lived down the road that had snowmobiles that were making trips into town for groceries and stuff. He also had a HUGE front loader, and within 2 days had completely cleared our roads. Everyone else was still stuck, but at least we could get out. Some houses were covered to the roofs, and all you could see was a tunnel from the front door to the road. That was it. No other evidence of a house was even there, except that hole. It was crazy.

http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/jan-26-1978-blizzard-america-12756452

This was the broadcast on the ABC Nightly News. I remember watching it with awe. It seemed like the snow would never end. The National Guard was out trying to get people that were trapped in their homes and workplaces. As well as medical assistance and delivering food. Imagine trying to get through the snow in a 1978 Grand Prix. It was nuts. When the roads were finally opened, you actually had to get out of your car to see if it was clear to go because there just wasn't anywhere to put the snow, and the intersections had 15' piles on the edge of the road.

After all was said and done, we survived. The old Toro snowblower didn't though. The snow killed it dead. It took only 30 minutes, and it was gone. Took me and my brother nearly 4 days to clear the driveway.

Do you remember where you were? Do you have any stories you want to share? Send me an e-mail and I'll post the stories here. If you have any pictures or videos, I will post them as well.