Snow 'Madness' is a Legitimate Disorder

So any of you who have lived in Washington for some time realize that many of us have acquired a certain 'hubris', if you will, about our ability to drive in inclement weather. And while our skills do help us navigate the various treacheries associated with the frequent rain, they do not, despite the over-confident guy flying past you at 50 mph, extend to snow-driving, as evidenced by the past few days. Large parts of Washington, including Puyallup, received unprecedented levels of snow fall starting last Wednesday, but didn't really increase until late Thursday afternoon.

I just happened to be finishing with a work Christmas party in downtown Puyallup, as the snow began to fall in earnest. I decided to jump on the freeway and head home, but once on the freeway realized it was gridlocked. Attempting to maneuver my way around the backpack, I exited and began to weave my way through back roads....all was well, until I got behind a line-up of cars attempting to crest a hill. I became impatient, called Scott, pulled out the Tom-Tom and we began to look for an alternate route home. Scott found a side street for me to take that would help me avoid my current back-up, so I turned around and headed for my new path. Unfortunately, Tom-Tom does not provide you with any topography, so we were unaware that my route now included a steep descending hill. As I made my way down the hill, Scott listening through my cell-phone ear buds, my car began to slip, and I ended-up sliding backwards toward a ditch. The whole while I was screaming at Scott, "I'm going in to the ditch, I'm going in to ditch!" Miraculously, my car stopped a few inches short of the ditch, but still facing backwards. I managed to pull away from the ditch, only to lose traction again, and began to slide horizontally toward a parked car, this time sobbing and screaming at Scott to "help me - help me!" What I didn't know at this point, was that Scott was frantically running around the living room, unsure of how to help, picturing me and my vehicle careening over a cliff. When the car stopped 6 inches from the bumper of the car, I just sat sobbing for a few minutes, while Scott offered nonsensical suggestions. My final effort to right myself sent me drifting toward a cropping of trees - foot aimlessly pumping the brake. Again, the car stopped inches away from disaster. My nerves frayed, I inched my way down the hill and around the corner and......in to a line-up of cars waiting to ascend another hill!!!

I called Scott again and demanded he find me help - good man! He called back minutes later to say he had enlisted the help of our neighbor to drive him to the top of the hill to retrieve me (she's from Montana, by the way, and actually knows how to drive in the snow). When Scott and Jackie got to me, I was trapped behind a teenage driver who had attempted to mount the hill, only to slide back down and become a literal target for all of the "hotshots" who thought they could make it up the hill themselves (she had already been hit three times). For over an hour and a half we tried to decide if we could make it up the hill, how to move the other driver, or whether to abandon the car for the night. The whole time the snow was dumping, and we were freezing. Occasionally, a driver would pass the line-up of vehicles, and a "good Samaritan" would explain the treachery of the hill....the driver would quietly listen and then, brainlessly, attempt to "storm" the hill. We watched at least 6 vehicles lose control and come rocketing back down the hill, people jumping out of the way, others screaming to "watch out!". One car slammed in to a gate, busting it open; four went in to a ditch; and another gave up and turned around. Our favorite "hill-challenger" was a young guy smoking a cigarette, talking on his cell phone, and driving a Geo Metro, who made it about a third of the way up the hill before sliding in to a ditch - the sledders at the top of the hill cheered when he lost control. Eventually, Scott and I decided to ask a nearby resident if we could leave our car in their driveway, and we hiked out to Jackie's waiting car. The moral of this story? Hubris is the downfall of many a driver....and Geo Metros have no chance in the snow.

Enjoy a few snow pics from the past few days: