3 things to consider when Winter driving

So yesterday, I made the rather uneducated decision of driving in severe weather conditions.

It all started when my younger brother was invited over to a friend's house to play Rock Band. I offered to drive him.

For some reason, I had forgotten all about Sunday's snowstorm and the crazy wind. I had forgotten about snow drifts, windchill, and even the wedding cake imagery I had used in that morning's blog post. All that mattered was a Rock Band session 10 minutes away.

I didn't notice that it took me fifteen minutes longer than usual to brush the of snow off of the vehicle. By the time I had finished, the driver's side door was frozen shut. I entered through the back seat without giving it a second thought. And then I was on my way.

When I first pulled out of my driveway, everything was fine. The streets were plowed. There was no wind. (Slow, but) easy sailing, right?

When I pulled out onto the county road, I turned white. The usual two lanes had disappeared; what remained was a single, lumpy, tire tread-marked path. Snowdrifts reclaimed portions of the road. I glanced at my brother in the passenger seat, his plastic Fender Stratocaster wedged in beside him. There was no turning back.

I instantly regretted my self-assigned intrepidity. Abandoned cars peeked out from the snowy ditch like gravestones. I thought I spotted a lone windshield wiper deserted on the road. I kept waiting to hear that whistle used in old Western movies (you know – the 'ooee-ooee-ooooo'. What's that called?)

Luckily, there weren't too many oncoming cars. The first car that came into view slowed and pulled over to one side to let me through. Touched by winter driving kindness, I wanted to pay it forward. A truck was coming my way, so I slowed down and pulled over to one side. The truck passed, I released the brake, and nothing happened. I applied the gas, and the wheels spun. I put it into reverse, and the wheels spun. I was stuck.

 I should probably mention at this point that I was driving the Young & Free vehicle (that reminds me, I have some pics to post!). The guy in the truck that had passed me came by to help me out. My brother got out of the car to help him push. After quite some time and much pushing, forwarding, and reversing, my tires had traction again. I thanked the guy in the truck and headed off (followed by a convoy that had gathered behind me while I was stuck in the middle of the road... at least they had plenty of time to read the website off the trunk, right?).

I dropped my brother off and arrived home again without incident. That is, until I realized that my brother still had the house keys. Locked outside, I had to prance my way through 3 feet of snow to an undisclosed Hide-A-Key location, in plain view of drivers-by. And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, I had opted ultimate comfort over style that day and was still wearing my neon piggy pajama pants.

I made it back into the house. I feel much wiser now (even though there's no feeling in my toes).

To sum-up, the next time you are out driving in miserable conditions, heed this fair warning:

1. Do not do it. Not even for Rock Band.
2. If you DO do it, don't drive a really obvious car. If you do and end up stalling in the middle of the road, other drivers will feel entitled to use your website as an alternative to a 1-800-How's-My-Driving number.
3. Also if you chose to venture out, dress properly in terms of warmth and style (ie. no embarrassing neon piggy prints).

A huge thank you goes out to the guy in the truck that helped me, and to all those who have helped out a fellow winter driver in need!

I'm definitely staying inside today,

Larissa

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