Blog on the Lillypad
Friday, January 09, 2004
 | Snow storm
Well, for *us* it’s a snow storm. The weather forecasters last night were saying we would get flurries today and maybe a few snow showers that would end by late morning. This morning when I saw that it had started to come down in large, soft flakes, I double-checked the local news. A guy standing on a bridge said that a little bit of snow had accumulated on the bridge, but the roads were fine. |
So I warmed up the car and started out for the worksite, 42 miles south. Within 17 miles, I was amazed at how heavy the snow had become. It was slushing on the bridges and visibility was rapidly worsening. Then my windshield abruptly froze and completely obscured my vision except for one low peephole. I ducked my head, turned on the defrost at full blast, high heat, and prayed.
A few cars had slid off the road or pulled over. Others were skimming along like slick spots were a figment of the imagination. I debated going back home, but the trip was now half done, and the exit ramps looked horrible, as most of the drive is rural. I shifted down to fourth gear, then to third. Most people stayed lined up behind me. One poor soul was going even slower than I was, and I had to pass him. He was in a four-wheel drive in second gear, doing 19 miles per hour. (I was doing 30.)
Further along, I saw a huge red Suburban that had gone off the road, with its front wheel neatly hooked over the guard rail. It looked like a great red bug stuck on a spider’s web. He’d been coming too fast over a bridge.
More hazardous conditions followed, but as long as I kept the defroster on full power, the windshield stayed clear enough with the wipers going. I got to work at last. Everybody was talking about the spin-outs they’d seen, and the red Suburban on the guard rail was the main topic.
Our “light dusting of snow” is now measuring to between two and three inches, and people here at work are wondering how we will get home. There are reports of tractor trailers jackknifed and overturned on the main highway that we use to get here from our homes. And most people live 40 – 60 miles away. I plan to leave at 2:00 but I realize it’s going to be something of an ordeal.
Addendum at 3:30 PM
The trip was not bad at all. I kept my speed to between 50-55 most of the way, but overall the roads were clear, just wet. There were a few places were the snow was still in place in long strips, but overall it was not difficult. Played Johnny Cash in the CD drive the whole way.
