For the past couple of days we've had temperatures climb up to the low 30s so we have had some melting going on. Last night we had a light snowfall which combined with the slight melting/water/ice to make all outside surfaces slippery this morning.
Hubby and I have worked out an arrangement where he travels the nine miles one way to get our fresh dairy products at the farm in the winter. (Rolling hills and lots of curvy whoop-dee-doos on the trip.) And I make the milk run when the roads are clear in spring, summer and fall.
This morning because he offered to prepare some fresh fish for breakfast (hooray, somebody else's cooking to eat besides my own!), I volunteered to make the milk run. I made it about three miles from home and witnessed several could-have-been calamities when I decided to play my "chicken" card, turn around and come back home.
~ I saw a man walking along the road slip
and fall flat. He was a youngish
fella, popped right back up
and nothing was hurt but his pride.
~ On a downhill, a SUV came barreling up
behind me, passed me,
and fish-tailed wildly before getting
his vehicle under control.
(He was VERY lucky. Also very stupid.)
~ I felt my tires slip-sliding when I tried to pull
away from a stop sign and had to put
the car into 4-wheel drive before
I could move.
~ When I slowed (even slower than the maybe 12 mph
I was going) to make a right hand turn, the
back of my car tried to make the turn
before the front.
~ Coming down another hill to an intersection
where I did not have a stop sign,
I saw a patrol car (he really was going
slowly and cautiously) slide right
through the stop sign on the
intersecting road.
He looked first panicked, then mortified . . .
then embarrassed.
Somedays it really doesn't pay to get out of bed. Or go for milk.
However, all's well that ends well. I made it back home without a mishap . . . just had to work to settle that long ago, Illinois-driving-on-ice-all-winter induced queasy tummy.
34 comments:
Oh man, that sounds like a very tense and stressful drive. Glad you are home safely.
I love California.
Tombstone Livestock - I had an ice cube in my mouth when I read your reply. You almost made something bad happen!
Kristina - A should have been a wit bit smarter and just waited until this afternoon to go when everything has warmed up and turned to water. Sometimes my noggin doesn't seem to engage properly!
My husband and I have the same trade off. At the end of our lane if you can't make the turn you off into a 6 foot ditch, takes a wrecker to get out,( ask my husband
how I know). Spring where are you!!!!!
Betty
I'm so glad you had the sense to turn back. NOTHING is worth risking an accident.
We had 41 and sun today.
The FIRST DAY ABOVE FREEZING IN 4 months!!
So so so happy.
Have a wonderful week, and stay safe!
Betty - Ooops. Don't you hate it when that happens?
Our driveway can be nearly free of ice and snow but there's a shady part right smack dab at the end before you turn onto the road and if you don't remember to slow waaaay down before hitting it, you slide right out onto the road before you can stop. Ice is not nice!
Sue - Well, that's just it! And since I was driving my trusty, beloved 29 year old Tercel, I was especially panicking. The poor old body on that couldn't take any kind of an impact!
You get the prize for warmer temp over us. We only hit 38 degrees.
Your description of the almost-milk-run has my stomach turning. I feel like throwing up when we're on ice, even if Paul is driving. Glad you went back home & made it safely.
Gracious, glad you turned around. I have never driven on ice, so I don't have a clue what it's like....but I can imagine it's scary as heck. This is how much I know about driving in your kind of weather, but do you use chains on your tires while driving on ice?
Glad you were careful & stayed safe. Come on down to SC, should only take you about 16 hours to get here but you'll be glad. This place is great!
It's always better safe than sorry. Glad to hear you played it safe and went home. They always put so much sand and salt on our roads that we rarely have to deal with icy roads.
I agree with everyone else good day to turn back, have a great day today.
Nothing worse than driving on ice. Ugh. You're a tougher chick than I am.
Carolyn - We must have the same I-can't-take-driving-on-ice genes!
Laurie - Truth to tell, we don't have that much ice to drive on. Those conditions exist mostly only briefly in the fall and then spring. We have so much snow (plus excellent road clearing services) and cold that all one really needs is 4-wheel on your vehicle. No, we don't use chains . . . although they are not illegal.
DFW - Packing now and heading out! ;o} You do get lovely spring weather . . . which we don't. We seem to go straight from messy end of winter into summer!
Sparkless - Yesterday morning the spot where it seemed the most slippery, you could actually see the sand and grit that had been spread on the road . . . but there must have been freezing stuff on top of it! Strange.
Thanks, Sherry. Usually I make myself handle a situation so as not to be such a wimp, but yesterday I just had a bad feeling about being out there . . . and made the wisest decision. I think. :o)
Tami - No, no, no, you probably encounter more ice in the winter in your area than we do. But I will admit living where we do, we learn to have "a feel" for driving under adverse conditions. Have to!
I don't know if you're anywhere near this but I thought of you when I read this. I do so hope this isn't "your" milk farm!!! http://healthimpactnews.com/2015/minnesota-aims-to-fine-family-500-per-day-for-feeding-their-community/
Hugs!
Boy, do I know how you feel. There is nothing worse than to have to face a long drive over a mountain on miles of winding road with icy conditions. I am very, very careful, but I'm usually a bundle of nerves by the time I reach either home or office.
Freedom Acres Farm - We know of so many family farms that are being harassed for one reason or another . . . especially those selling raw milk. Don't those doing the harassing know they're killing the very backbone of our country? It's so often the small farmers that haven't sold out to Big Business that are the ones still producing "real" food. Makes me so angry.
Oh, Susan, you HAVE to go out on those icy roads where I have the choice to stay home (or turn around and go back home!). It's definitely NOT a good situation to put your body through! How many days until you can retire???
I'll take that as one more vote "against" for continuing with winter. We finally have some melting going on here with many of the same consequences. The cold weather snow pack is now ice, the layer on top is now water until evening comes and it freezes back into a smooth, shiny sheet of "Whoops! BOOM! Man, that hurts!" until mid-morning the next day.
Glad it all ended well for you, and I hope all get clear paths and roads soon.
Mama Pea,
OMG........thank God you turned around and came home. Driving on icy roads is not my piece of cake. Like you even if I'm not driving, and I'm the passenger my stomach goes crazy. Better to be safe, than sorry.
I'm sending warmer weather your way, and snow plows to push that ice far off the streets :-)
Mark - Yep, the higher sun and warmer day may bring us renewed vim and vigor . . . but why does ICE always have to come along, too? Be careful out there! Our roads are clear today but walking around the yard isn't quite as safe!
Sandy - THANK YOU for sending the warmer weather our way! Sunny today and the temp up near 40. Things are melting like crazy, roads are pretty much clear, but walking in the yard still is a mite bit hazardous!
I would rather give birth again than drive on ice. Not kidding. :) Stay safe, Mama Pea!
I'm with you MamaPea. I avoid ice driving at all costs except dire emergencies. I'm glad you turned around. Milk is my favorite drink hands down but your life is more important.
Amy - And here all the time I thought I was the only Chicken Little when it came to driving on ice. I feel much better now. :o]
Lisa - Nobody should be out in bad ice conditions. It always amazes me to see the nimrods barreling along completely oblivious to the conditions. And why do they get by with it as often as they do? That guy who zoomed past me on that downhill would have either hit a rock cliff on one side or gone down a steep embankment on the other if he hadn't gotten his truck under control. I had a debate with myself all the rest of my way home as to whether I would have stopped if he had crashed. I decided I would have called 911 for sure, but stopped on the icy highway? Dunno.
Methinks you were very wise! It must've really been awful if a person as experienced as yourself in winter weather felt the way you did! Now me, a Southerner with little severe winter weather experience..... any type of winter weather keeps me cocooned indoors! P.S. Could you use dry milk? Sometimes that keeps me from having to go to the grocery for fresh.
Lisa - Every now and then (not too often certainly) we have ice like that and I don't think anyone should think it's safe to be out on it. But it didn't last very long . . . matter of fact, Papa Pea went for milk later that day and had no trouble at all. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But ended up none the worse for wear . . . maybe because I DID listen to my "wise" angel who told me to go back home. :o]
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