Another Snowy Sunday...

This "lump" is actually our 1973 Volkswagen sitting outside under a tarp... and under some snow. I dug it out and started it up, but couldn't get it up the driveway. I didn't act fast enough and put the snow tires on it before the white stuff came; now the bug will just have to sit until the snow thaws and there's exposed gravel once again.

Speaking of snow... I woke up this morning and got to take a walk with the snowblower once again. (I also did this when we got home from work last night.) It probably takes close to an hour to really clear the driveway and turn-around area when the snow is heavy, as it was both last night and this morning. (And it's still snowing as I write this, at 8:30 AM.)

Delivering mail in Boise yesterday was in the worst winter conditions that Valerie and I can actually remember. Her route is flat, but the snow doesn't melt and gets pressed down and turns icy. This makes it difficult to drive on, let alone get out of the truck to get to a mailbox.

My route has several hills; a few of them are quite steep. The city hadn't come around to sand the streets, which helps a little bit, so I had to improvise on the first hill of the day by driving to the top and then delivering to both sides of the street as I slowly drove back down. To stop at a mailbox in the uphill direction means that you'll never again get any forward momentum on this hill: you'll spin your wheels and drift sideways or wind up going backwards.

On another steep cul-de-sac, I just left the mail truck at the top of the street and walked down the street and then back up to the top; this road wasn't sanded so to have attempted to drive down would have worked but there's no flat area at the bottom to get any speed built up to attempt to drive back up the road. The mail truck would have been stuck down there until spring!

So today will probably be spent on the inside looking out, as trying to go anywhere with the roads as they are isn't the smartest of options. While driving home a couple of nights ago we saw a pickup truck that had slipped off the side of the road into a ditch. We found this mildly humorous -- it was a four-wheel-drive truck, so I guess that means it can grip the road no matter how fast you take an icy corner! We knew that a tow truck would be on it's way to get him out as soon as they could.

Just a couple of miles further up the road was a set of amber emergency light flashing (indicating a tow truck), although they were at a funny angle and not parallel to the road. There was also the telltale red and blue flashing lights of the local law enforcement vehicle, so we slowed down in case there was a problem. The tow truck (one of the flat-bed models with a vehicle on the bed already) had slipped off the road into the ditch, and the sheriff was there directing traffic and offering assistance.

Drive slow, think smart and remember that four-wheel-drive doesn't make you invincible!