WI TO OTTAWA, ONT. DAY 2

Woke up at 5am to more of the same. I immediately put on the weather channel on satellite and it was confirmed that the system was tracking East exactly the way I was going. My heart sank. The load would be late for sure. It was now Sunday morning and the load was supposed to deliver Monday morning at 8am in Ottawa. I was about 9 hours West of Ottawa in good conditions. If the weather was like yesterday I would be lucky to get halfway. I sent a message stating I would be late. I was now not concerned about the load but about staying safe. I started out and the road was a sheet of ice. I needed to get fuel in North Bay, ONT, which is about as far North as people live in North America. There are outposts farther north but they are mostly Native reservations--Eskimo peoples. It took me 6 hours to get to North bay and I found the truck stop for fuel. North Bay is a city that is a jumping off point for the North Pole. A lot of trucks here and much French now on the CB. The temperature was 6 degrees Fahrenheit and I was sure to add alcohol to my fuel to avoid freezing. My truck had not been shut off since I was in Chicago land 3 days ago. In this temperature, diesel fuel turns into a gel and starting trucks becomes a roll of the dice. I got fuel, a coffee and set out to get to Ottawa or as close as I could get. About 5 hours later I was less than 100 miles from Ottawa with no more hours to run today. I passes some exits for a town called Pembroke, ONT and got off one hoping for a lot big enough for my truck. Here is where luck can change within seconds when driving a truck. The snow had turned to severe ice and freezing rain and it was pitch black outside. As I got off the exit I quickly realized that this was not an "E-Z off/on" exit I was on a provincial route that was very winding and steep hills. The town was 6 km and all I could do was go forward. Finally after spinning tires up and sliding down hills I came to a stop sign in a tight little town. I saw a sign for a hotel if I made a right as well as a shopping center. I made the tight right turn and passed through the town in about 20 seconds. Ahead was pitch black night and snow. I had to get stopped while still in this little town or I would ride out into the stormy night lost. On my right was the hotel with what appeared to be a big parking lot but I couldn't see the ground at all because of the snow.I pulled in and my heart sank. I was stuck on ice and snow completely blocking the Pembroke Inn & Suites. I was crushed, All the stress of driving in this weather for the past 3 days and everything else hit me at once. I almost cried. Two people appeared out of the hotel lobby and ran toward me. It was the proprietor and her son. They turned out to be the nicest people I had met in a long time. With very heavy Canadian accents she said "ooh boy, ya got yourself in a pickle ay?" I said "I can't believe this, I'm so sorry" "Don't worry aboot it ay, A lot of people are worse off than us ay? Come on inside it's cold as heck oot here ay." I truly was astounded at that kind of reasoning, being a New Yorker I was prepared to be yelled at and blamed and these people, smiling actually considered that others were in worse shape than "us" and that "we" should be grateful." This is why I love the job, when you meet people who are so nice and helpful it makes you proud to be a North American. The woman, Christine, called everyone she knew trying to locate a guy that everyone seemed to know only as Hans. Hans had a heavy tow truck and was the only heavy tow between North Bay and Ottawa. When I called my company the service they had listed was in Ottawa, which in this weather, if available at all would be many, many hours. All the while when I was on the phone in the hotel Christin's son was digging the truck out. He would not take no for an answer. I tried to tell him that that trailer was like a 30,000 lbs anchor and the truck was on solid ice. We could not get Hans on the phone and I was starving. Christine insisted on driving me to a nearby restaurant and would then come and get me after I ate! When I protested she said "Now you just hush and go eat its really nothing...oot here we help each other oot ay." No sooner was I seated at the restaurant (another German lodge-type place) than my phone rang and it was her. "Hans is here I'm comin ta get ya ay!"