I Love the Snow, But Not the Ice



After a month of incredibly mild weather (we're talking sunny, dry, and in the high 60's for most of October) it's starting to act like winter here in Evergreen. As you all know, I LOVE the snow. Love it, love it, love it!!!!



However, as I discovered this morning, my Hummer and I do NOT like slushy icy stuff under the snow that causes as to go sliding around, especially as we try to navigate our way down our steep driveway....yes, those are the remnants of my tire's skid marks as my 4,000 pound vehicle slid down the steep drive.




Which is particularly nerve-wracking since the bottom of the driveway gives way to a very steep drop-off.


So after my neighbor came out and helped me get my car into the garage, I went out and started shoveling and tossing rock salt on the icy parts of the sloping driveway. I wanted to get a handle on this because we are expected to get more snow before it warms up again.

And those errands I'd planned to do today? They are going to wait until the sun comes out.

Comments

Jennifer said…
So, uh, YIKES. Ice makes me really nervous. Unless it's in a margarita. ;)
Anonymous said…
So me too ice, grrr.
Have you ever gone to a big just- snowed-in parking lot that is flat with no cement car stops, in the middle of the night and practiced handbrake turns? I did that as a younger person, I don't recall if I had an automatick or a stick shift (or 'manual' as we calls 'em here) at the time. I think you can do the same with an automatic as long as your handbrake can be reached and pulled on by hand next to your seat. Years ago I did this car park outing with a some of my housemates, and the same winter, a very cold one here, he actually was doing as you describe, going down a hill, on ice, couldn't stop going into traffic on a T junction, and he spun his car doing the handbrake turns we'd practiced, successfully losing momentum and stopping before he ploughed into someone on the main road.
These kinds of skills are kinda fun to learn too - any skid pans near you to do that? Sometimes they have their own beat up cars to drive but it's best to learn how to in one's own vehicle if you can. Just avoid the other folks sliding about not really in control (yet) if you do...

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