MONROE - Stranded motorists found themselves unsure of where to stay or what to do Wednesday.
Management at the Super 8 and AmericInn motels in Monroe allowed stranded motorists to stay in the hotel lobbies and meeting rooms after rooms filled up in the middle of the day and hotel staff had turned an increasing number of people away.
So the motorists waited, drank some coffee and enjoyed the warmth from the fireplace.
Cal and Dawn Lower, Pearl City, Ill., were on their way back from the veterans' hospital in Madison when they realized the weather was worse than they expected.
"We tried to make it back home but we couldn't," Dawn said. They ended up stuck in the parking lot at the Super 8 and it seemed as good a place as any to spend the night.
But they planned to be on their way as soon as they could.
"As soon as they say it's good enough to drive" they would be on their way, Cal said.
Melvin Sorn, Freeport, Ill., was three miles north of Monroe when he, too, ran into trouble. He was stuck and needed help.
"A guy from Monticello brought me back here," he said. "Looks like I'll be the dishwasher tonight to earn a place to stay."
Road problems caused three other travelers to stop at the Super 8, too.
Howard Barsky, from New York, was in the area on business. Within a distance of five miles he got stuck three times. He couldn't say enough for the farmers who pulled him out of the drifts.
"They wouldn't even take any money for helping me," he said. "Thank God for the farmers."
Dave Moe, Minnesota, and Mark Evanson, Indiana, decided to wait out the storm rather than take their chances on the roads.
"I'm just going to sit around here," Evanson said.
Moe, a salesman who travels, said he's been in this situation before.
"The roads were so bad I couldn't see," he said.
Motorists may not have spent the night in the penthouse suite but at least they were safe.
And warm.
Management at the Super 8 and AmericInn motels in Monroe allowed stranded motorists to stay in the hotel lobbies and meeting rooms after rooms filled up in the middle of the day and hotel staff had turned an increasing number of people away.
So the motorists waited, drank some coffee and enjoyed the warmth from the fireplace.
Cal and Dawn Lower, Pearl City, Ill., were on their way back from the veterans' hospital in Madison when they realized the weather was worse than they expected.
"We tried to make it back home but we couldn't," Dawn said. They ended up stuck in the parking lot at the Super 8 and it seemed as good a place as any to spend the night.
But they planned to be on their way as soon as they could.
"As soon as they say it's good enough to drive" they would be on their way, Cal said.
Melvin Sorn, Freeport, Ill., was three miles north of Monroe when he, too, ran into trouble. He was stuck and needed help.
"A guy from Monticello brought me back here," he said. "Looks like I'll be the dishwasher tonight to earn a place to stay."
Road problems caused three other travelers to stop at the Super 8, too.
Howard Barsky, from New York, was in the area on business. Within a distance of five miles he got stuck three times. He couldn't say enough for the farmers who pulled him out of the drifts.
"They wouldn't even take any money for helping me," he said. "Thank God for the farmers."
Dave Moe, Minnesota, and Mark Evanson, Indiana, decided to wait out the storm rather than take their chances on the roads.
"I'm just going to sit around here," Evanson said.
Moe, a salesman who travels, said he's been in this situation before.
"The roads were so bad I couldn't see," he said.
Motorists may not have spent the night in the penthouse suite but at least they were safe.
And warm.