The Blizzard Of 78 - Day 3

The sun came out on day three and it was absolutely incredible! The whiteness was brilliant - so much so that it was impossible to go without sunglasses. Once we got over the fact that the snow was basically up to our waists, we got busy shoveling again. My father finished the path to the dog house and an area for Happy to do his business.

Then he and I got in his green 1974 Lincoln Continental Town Car and we found a way to get to downtown Providence. I don't remember all of that trip, but what I do remember is that just like two days earlier, we were the only car on the roads. Everyone - and I mean everyone - was out walking in the roads. At the intersection of Main Ave & Warwick Industrial Road (right at the corner of the airport property) we saw my Aunt Bobbie walking (she lived behind the library). I can still remember the surprised look on her face as we drove by and waved. What I don't really remember are all the roads we drove down to get into the city, but at some point we crossed over 95 and I was amazed to see all the cars covered by snow.

Surprisingly, we never got stuck or blocked during the trip, but when we got downtown the police had the perimeter of the downtown area cordoned off. My father explained to the cop who was blocking the road that we had to get over to Channel 10.

Before and after my trip to Florida, I had been working for my father cleaning at the Outlet Company and upstairs at the Channel 10. We had to clean the offices and the studios as those folks had been there round the clock with nobody to clean up their messes. While I was there cleaning I met and talked to Robert Hagar from NBC. He was the unlucky reporter they had sent up to cover the storm.

Anyway, we finished cleaning the offices and got in the car and found our way back home.

Again, it was crazy that people were stuck all over the state and we were able to get from the Castle in Warwick all the way into downtown Providence and back with no real trouble.