Snow advisory!!!

The snowfall today was slightly heavier than yesterday...

Ok, the snow yesterday was a light dusting. It was nice, and we all had a good time. We got to see what it was like to drive in snow, and the fun of loosing traction on ice. Today was a little different. Today we did not have a “light” dusting. It was more like a never ending snow fall. We decided to take the dog for a drive across the street to an open field that he enjoys. It was a good thing that it was so close, because the roads were starting to become covered in snow. The good part was that there was not much traffic.

Upon getting back into the car, Dianne and I agreed that it would be a great idea to go and get something to eat. We agreed that McDonalds would be a good choice since it was quick and easy. We ordered our respective meals, picked them up, and began to drive away. That is when we noticed it. Well, it seems that while we were waiting in line (all 2 minutes of it) the roads had disappeared. Yep, now we were driving on freshly snow covered roads. Oh isn’t this fun. No markings to tell which lane you are in, no cars in front to follow, and no idea where the curbs are. Fun, fun, fun.

Well, we followed a fellow that seemed to be heading in the right direction, and made it home. We decided that it would be best to stay indoors for the rest of the day until the snow let up. Later on that day I noticed that the snow had stopped falling. It seems that we had received about 6” of snow. The car was covered in snow, the roads were covered in snow, and the trees were covered in snow.

The snow made driving quite a challenge

Now most people would look at that and say, “hmmm, I should probably stay indoors”. Not us. We decided to go to the field that we had been to earlier today. As we attempted to exit through the gate, the car would just rev up and the wheels would spin, but nothing would happen. After several attempts I had Dianne back up and I opened the gate. She got a “running” start, and zipped through the gate. I hopped in and down the street we went. As we approached the road, we noticed something strange. The road was now not only completely covered in snow, but it was packed down so tight that it was now a huge sheet of ice. Crossing was done very carefully and with great care. After exploring the new snow fall, we decided that it would be a very good idea to go home and wait for the roads to be plowed. Going home we only lost traction once and was able to regain control of the vehicle in a matter of seconds. Once home, we both agreed that it would be a better idea to call for takeout if we decided we wanted any food.

So far I have learned that studded snow tire only help if you are not driving on a solid sheet of ice. If you are, all they do is make nice scrape marks in the ice. Stopping on ice is quite a challenge. Always give twice the distance you would normally stop in. If you start sliding on ice you will be happy that you did. Never go faster than you are willing to crash at. On ice, anything can happen. And finally, when you see a guy ice skating down the sidewalk, you know it is time to go home.