If only we were getting snow up here. It rained hard last night then the sleet pounded my window for a few hours starting at 4am. It is currently 12 degrees and likely going even lower. Green Bay? No, Dallas!!! I did drive to work and run a few errands today in my 2wd GMC truck. I was prepared to turn around and go back into the garage, but surprisingly I was able to manage. As you said, no car (or truck) is worth a damn on ice so I mostly stayed at 20mph or under. As of this evening, the major roads and freeways have tracks through to the concrete in most places which are dry so you can do 30 or even 40mph if the tracks are wide. As long as there is no precipitation, we are in good shape. Another surprise, people are driving very sensibly but I've always thought that about Dallas (I am originally from California, where people routinely pass you on the shoulder, stop at the end of onramps and do other stupid shit like you expect to see in third world countries). I am going to leave at 7am for work in the morning and I don't expect to have any trouble. My heat-less bus is parked in the garage with a busted ignition switch, waiting for parts in the mail and warmer, dryer weather. If we *really* got snowed in, I would put chains on the front AND the rear wheels of the bus, put on a warm jacket, hotwire the starter and still go to work. But as I said, no snow here to speak of, just ice. And my bus sucks on ice.
-David On 2/1/2011 11:12 PM, kelly dosch wrote:
These old buses are great on snow. All one needs to remember is to go very slowly on it and try to dodge the idiots who think they can go as fast as they want. Give the throttle a goose once in a while to test your traction. If you fishtail a little, you are going fast enough. No car is worth a damn on ice. If the road looks wet, pump the brakes once in a while to be sure it is water and not ice. If you find it is ice, all you can do is down shift to slow yourself. If you try to brake on ice you will just go into a slow spin. Even if you have to go 25MPH all the way, you will get there eventually. try singing 99 bottles of beer on the wall. Back home they are getting 15 inches of snow right now. I wish I was there.
