On the Friday before Christmas--one of the biggest travel days of the year--drivers trudged through the elements on I-77 South. But then, a light--an oasis--emerged from the darkness for holiday travelers. A rest stop.
"It's been rough on I-64 from the time we get to I-77, all the way up," said Robert Hooker, a truck driver traveling to Columbus from Richmond. "I usually stop here every time I come here. It's almost home. "
West Virginia Parkway Authority workers said twice as many people visited the Morton rest stop in Kanawha County Friday--a blend of people heading home for the holidays, mixed with nasty road conditions caused by the weather.
"Some people may be broken down, they can't get a hold of family members, or they don't know what road to take," said Kelsey Whitt, with the West Virginia Parkways Authority. "So we let them use our phone. Oh, and the maps are free."
Travelers from out of state said the weather hit them the worst driving through West Virginia.
"I wish the snowfall slowed down a little bit," said Robert Williams, who was driving from Virginia to Ohio. "I'm getting a bit more weary, a bit more tired."
Others said they have bigger problems than the weather.
"This is ridiculous," said Dave Albanese, who was heading to Mansfield, Ohio, to see his grandchildren. "It's the Friday before Christmas and Burger King's got one person working there. I ain't gonna wait for this. I gotta go."
But for everyone, the Morton rest stop served as a place between Point A and Point B, and the last frontier before home.
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