The Blizzard Of ‘97

Day 142

Winters are usually quite reasonable here in Colorado. Now, I mentioned the word “usually” because there have been a few occasions when Colorado has been hit with some extreme, intense snowstorms -- blizzards!! And one of the worst to hit Colorado Springs occurred one weekend in October 1997. Here’s some excerpts from my journal [Volume 19: September 2nd 1997 - February 23rd 1998] over the course of this event:

Saturday October 25th 1997,

8:42 pm - In the middle of the night, I heard voices upstairs. Then I looked at my clock and realized it wasn’t the middle of the night. It was 9 am, but why was it so dark? I learned why when I opened my blinds on my window and came face to face with a wall of snow. Yes, I was snowed in! I checked the other windows in the basement, and they were all the same. I went upstairs, where the rest of the family was up and about. Then I saw how much damage the weather of yesterday had caused…

The backyard

The front porch

View from the living room window

View of the street

…on the TV it was nothing but news reports about what was termed as “The Blizzard of ‘97”; the city, in fact, most of Eastern Colorado was at a stand still. We were warned, then instructed to not leave our homes. Later, we were told that anyone out on the roads would be arrested! It was that important that we not be out on the roads…

Sunday October 26th 1997,

11:10 pm - Last night, everyone went to bed after enduring quite the chaotic day. The blizzard seemed to shake everyone up. It became the news story of the day…

…this morning, I must confess, I laid in bed and wondered if church would be cancelled. I even had dreams about it. Then I woke up and looked outside and was disappointed to see that it had stopped snowing. And the sky was completely visible, meaning that the storm was over. I went back to sleep, only to have Jordan pop into my room. He quickly told me that church had been cancelled, as the roads everywhere were blocked. In the morning sunlight we could see the damage from yesterday…

The Day After

The neighborhood

Digging Out

Jordan - Blown away by the Blizzard of '97

Eventually, driveways and streets were plowed, the warm weather began to melt away the snow and life returned to normal. It was such a unique experience, to be snowed in for 2 whole days. It ended up being a very fun experience because I was able to relax and play games with my family all weekend. We were warm, dry, well-fed and safe!

This wasn’t the first blizzard I’ve experienced here in Colorado Springs and it certainly wasn’t the last; but it was probably the worst one I’ve ever experienced. The next time someone talks about the beautiful snow in Colorado I’d be tempted to show them just how “beautiful” the snow can be!