I got the double-dip of winter this past weekend.
Oh sure, there was a half-foot of snow around here, and I got to drive through all that Sunday night, but there was a bonus earlier in the day.
It was 9 degrees at kickoff for my NFL game in Green Bay on Sunday afternoon.
Yes, it was a dry cold, and totally normal for The Frozen Tundra on a December football afternoon.
But 9 degrees is still 9 degrees!
Or should I say – ONLY 9 degrees...
The forecast all week got colder and colder. Last weekend, while we were basking in the 75 degrees of New Orleans, the doom and gloom guys (from Florida and California mostly) were asking about what was coming up in Packers-land.
It was supposed to be super cold in the middle of the week (it was) and then warm up a bit by the weekend and there was a chance of snow.
Well, their below zero temps came and went, and then it snowed a bunch in the middle of the week. The snow was followed by more cold.
Our camera operators all have to be outdoors at every game, so they are well-prepared. They had lots of layers, and their cameras are designed so gloves can be worn.
In the booth, which is totally open to the elements because we have one of those cameras with us, it is a mixed bag.
The announcers don’t get to bundle up – they have to look cool and professional even in the coldest weather, so they don’t even get to wear a hat or gloves. They do get to don nice warm jackets however.
Inside the booth, the front windows are out, so we are outside temps, but we do have protection from the wind and/or snow. We also had baseboard heaters down below the table, so toes were kept a bit warmer.
This old farm guy from South Dakota handled the cold in the best way I could – I acted like it didn’t bother me...
I actually wore an extra undershirt that really helped. The heat under the tables helped the toes, and I did get to wear a stocking hat to keep the bald head warmer.
My only issue was that there is no way to operate pens and markers with gloves on, so I was bare-handed like the announcers, and the pinkies got chilled. I did have a couple hand-warmers in my pockets to help during commercials or timeouts.
It was also a really good game, so that helps make the cold more tolerable, and besides, it is always neat to go to Lambeau Field and cover a game in December, no matter the warmth or cold.
Game over, we cleared the cold and headed back to the airports for trips home. I knew I was in a small market when I saw a couple of spotted cows on the way to the Appleton airport.
My travel forced me to go through O’Hare both coming and going, and thankfully there were no impediments in either direction. We were a little late leaving Sunday night because our crew was late getting in from another flight, but nothing serious.
What was serious was all the snow on the ground when I landed at midnight.
The road crews were just getting started after I cleared six inches of snow from the top of my car. The roads on the west side of Indy had been plowed already and were in pretty good shape, but my hopes were dashed just a couple miles west on 74.
Like I said, the crews were just getting started around midnight, so this is not a criticism of their efforts at all. I heard the interstate was in great shape by 6 am. I was just early on the roadway.
But, there was plenty of snow on the road. The passing lane was “at your own risk.”
The issue on those kind of nights are those drivers who feel safe at 25 mph, and have a dozen vehicles behind them who want to go 35. Or faster. The semis were going into the passing lane and throwing lots of slushy stuff on us in the right lane.
It took extra time, but I managed to get back to Crawfordsville in one piece and pointed in the correct direction.
My first winter excursion. Both cold and snow!
This weekend starts my Christmas travel excursions.
I’m headed to San Francisco Saturday for a Saturday night game. On Sunday I head to South Dakota to spend the week with Mom and family. After Christmas, it is off to the last weekend of the NFL regular season, at a site yet to be determined. Might be warm, might be cold. Might be in between.
I’m guessing it will be cold and snowy in South Dakota, so a few of the Green Bay warmers will be shipped separately.
Next week’s column comes from there – shall we start a pool on how much snow and how cold?
Safe travels.
Jeff Nelson works in national television. His column appears each Thursday in the Journal Review.
