Minnesota serves as home to boundless treasures that I appreciate. Not only do Minnesotans host the International Eelpout Festival each February, the state enjoys a history of launching Prince, Bob Dylan and the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. So, I figured residents of this land of snow and 10,000 Norwegian krumkakes must know a thing or two about winter driving. I was wrong.
Yes, it’s true that overly confident Minnesotans snicker at other driver’s icy mishaps. Star-crossed blokes sliding down an Atlanta freeway invite chuckles all around from veteran Twin Cities motorists.
Then last week it rained here; and sleeted; and snowed a foot or so, with high winds providing backup. The temperature dropped to approximately 40 degrees below zero, or at least that’s what it felt like. Thankfully the Landlord had parked my Comfy Sundowner trailer in a safe place before this meteorological extravaganza opened up.
So, about 24 hours into the storm, Madam decided to make a run to the local grocery store. She never made it out of her driveway. A neighbor piloting her new BMW SUV zipped over the hill, skidded crosswise, missed three parked cars and wiped out Madam’s beloved Subaru Outback. Thankfully nobody was hurt, though the crash did prompt a lively discussion between the two women. “Hello State Farm.”
That’s when Spruce brought me a copy of the Star Tribune newspaper with an article featuring local crash data associated with the storm. From Thursday to Saturday traffic reports showed 964 crashes, 2,342 vehicles off the road, 1,082 stalled vehicles, 74 semitrailer trucks jackknifed, and 4,414 calls for service. This was not even the season’s first snowfall.
That night a beleaguered Minnesota Department of Transportation official appeared on TV. He gently remind drivers that what they really needed was not more chemicals on the road, but a few years of remedial driver’s training.
Well, we’ve now managed to climb out of the deep freeze here in Minnesota. Today it actually feels as if spring might someday arrive, but we have a new problem: How does an angler chisel an ice fishing house off Lake Mille Lacs before the DNR issues some big tickets for missing the ice house removal deadline?
Spruce and I chatted about this ice fishing house development and agreed on at least two points: the two of us would be staying off the roads for at least another month, and another crash data report from Lake Mille Lacs would be showing up in the Star Tribune shortly.
And what will be the excuses for poor driving when the snow and ice are gone? Sun in the eyes, LOL. Undoubtedly, the bad weather brings out the best, or is it worst, of the bad drivers. Good post. Enjoyed reading it.
SUV drivers are the worst. They get by some snow, and suddenly decide they’re immune from ice …
As a Kansan, we don’t get nearly the snowfall of Minnesota, but we still get enough to require winter driving skills. It always seems that people in 4WD SUVs think they are immune to the need to learn these skills!
This has been an unusual winter — we have had more large snowfalls than I can remember for many years. It is currently sunny and above freezing, so our latest snow is starting to recede. It still seems premature to have Daylight Savings Time start this weekend!
Hi Mike. Yes, I agree about the need to brush up on winter driving skills. I don’t remember so much chaos on the roads in the pas, but assume everyone is in a big rue today. We will all be happy to see spring!