My family and I just spent five hours getting from Park Meadows Mall to our home in Castle Pines Village, a trip that typically takes about twenty minutes. Though I never said so aloud, I wasn't at all sure we'd make it home considering poor visibility, deepening snow, closed roads, and traffic jams that stretched as far as we could see.

We were foolhardy to head to the mall at about 9:30 this morning in spite of the weather forecast. Our (flawed) thinking was this: If we are going to get out any time in the next three days to grab provisions and last minute holiday gifts, the time is now, before the predicted three feet of snow. We figured we could make it to the mall, spend an hour or so, head back to Castle Rock, pop in King Soopers on Castle Pines Parkway and be back in our cozy home in Castle Pines Village before things got really nasty.

We were wrong.

We made it to the mall shortly after 10:00 a.m. Shoppers were in buoyant spirits. We smiled, chatted and laughed about the weather--growing ever ominous. By the time we left the mall, which was around noon, I'll admit to being a bit unnerved. Snow was blowing hard. Cars were slipping and sliding in the parking lot. We jumped in our big SUV with four-wheel drive and made our way to I-25 South; only to be stopped along with hundreds and hundreds of other motorists.

I-25 was officially closed from Lincoln south. We were directed off the interstate at Lincoln. Did I mention the trip from County Line Road to the off-ramp at Lincoln took us an hour and a half?

Things got worse. As we headed west at a frail snail's pace on Lincoln, we discovered Lincoln was barricaded just west of Yosemite due to a natural gas line break, police officers at the scene told us. We were directed north on Yosemite. Vehicles were stranded and spun and partially buried everywhere we looked. By three o'clock, after several attempts to head west only to be turned back by road closures, we found ourselves at a Safeway store. We needed to use the restroom. Our nerves were frayed. Even Game Boy and DVD's could no longer keep the attention of our two sons in the back seat.

We learned from other stranded motorists in the Safeway store the only route to Castle Pines Village was west near Park Meadows Mall (right back where we began our journey!) to Quebec, then south on Quebec until it becomes Monarch.

We took the recommended route and arrived home a little after five o'clock. Our trip to the mall was foolish, in retrospect, and treacherous. My husband, two sons and I are happy to be home safe. We have a warm fire. Our Christmas tree sparkles and the tails of our two dogs are wagging furiously.

Even fifteen years as a resident of Southern California, 1990 to 2005, is no excuse. I lived in Colorado throughout the 1980's. I learned way back then not to mess with Mother Nature when the word "blizzard" is in the weather forecast or snowfall is predicted in feet.