Driving on the Ice and Living to Tell theTale

I am finally getting the hang of this winter driving stuff.

(Look at how at peace I appear to be, stuck in traffic. Of course, this was one of the clearer patches of road this week.)

Last week, I told you all about the crazy, early winter storm that dumped seven-and-a-half-plus inches of snow on our roads.

The night of the snowstorm, I was supposed to drive to an event in a neighboring town. I made my husband, Dan, drive because, as I posted on Facebook, "If we die on the road, at least we die together."

Dan dropped me off, safe and sound.

"It was an adventure getting over here," I admitted, "but not because of the roads, mostly because of me."

Here's a little taste of that night:

"Why is that car so close?" I would yell whenever I saw headlights behind us.

"No, no, no! Don't drive beside us!" I would exclaim whenever a car would approach in the next lane.

"ERRRRR!" (a growl-through-gritted-teeth sound I made whenever Dan attempted to turn.)

I couldn't avoid driving forever though. The weather never warmed up enough to melt the snow. By the end of the weekend, the roads had turned into large sheets of ice. The highway districts in the valley received numerous complaints about the response to the storm, something I don't know how to judge at all. But many of the main roads in Boise seemed pretty neglected.

Eventually, I got used to winter driving, as I do every year.

The first couple of days, I said, "ERRRRR!" from behind the wheel of my little hybrid, every time I passed over icy bumps. A few days later, I quit making the weird growl sound and just held my breath in the really bad spots, exhaling audibly once I hit smoother pavement.

Now, I am proud to say that I am somewhat used to my tires slipping around. I just hold the steering wheel very straight and hang on for the ride.

But fellow drivers, don't tail me. You don't understand. I am just coasting. I am not in control of what is happening here.

"I know it feels that way," said Dan when I explained this to him, "but I think you are more in control than you think."

Okay.

However, I have seen at least two slide-offs per day on my way to work. One of my colleagues ended up stuck in a ditch when she tried to pull into the school. And one parent was late to pick up her kid from choir because the student's sibling ran into a pole and totaled her car. In fact, there have been several news stories about drivers running into poles recently.

So . . . I'm not sure how in control I am. But I feel much more Zen about my time behind the wheel this winter.

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