It's waiting for me at Masterpark near SEA.
On Monday night I landed at the St Louis airport for a business trip. The St. Louis airport is actually growing me. I'm not sure that's healthy.
I headed out to the rental car shuttle and thought, "The weather is actually not bad." Here's a hint -- NEVER THINK THAT.
The 18 degrees wasn't too cold and there was just a little snow/slush on the ground. Hertz put me in a Ford Edge and I was on my way.
And the snow and sleet began to fall ever thicker as I got on the highway.
And hour later, I made it too my hotel, fighting against the allure of snow hypnosis.
The following morning it was still snowing. And sleeting. And icing. I stopped at a Hardee's to order a ridiculous amount of fast food breakfast sandwiches. I got back to the car, and the windows I had just cleared in the hotel parking lot were now covered with a thick coating of ice. I don't think I've ever seen that much ice accumulate that quickly on auto glass.
The whole storm experience was pretty surreal. And it's still snowing now.
The front wheel drive Ford Edge isn't the best vehicle for the snow. The traction control light flashed much of the way, and the car did wiggle at on ramps and left turns. It's okay, but it reminded why I like my Subaru so much. At least if something does go wrong, the Edge has some size. There's quite a bit of car there.
I am impressed with the general skill of St Louis drivers. Most people I saw were driving sensibly in the snow -- they slowed down, allowed extra following distance, and moved smoothly.
As I write this, I think, "It's too bad this isn't more interesting." But the more I think about, the less I want my snow driving stories to be interesting.
And so, to all of you dealing with winter driving conditions across the country, Good Luck. May your experiences be as dull as mine.
2009-01-27
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7 comments:
The Forester misses you, too. And so does the GF.
I'm in St. Louis and you have unfortunately hit our first big snowstorm of the season. My son is off school for the second day in a row.
The reason you think St. Louisans are good winter drivers is because you apparently haven't visited one of our grocery stores on your trip. All the crazy, panicky drivers, and there are many, are at the supermarkets stocking up on eggs, bread and milk, even if they're lactose intolerant. That's just the way we are -- weather makes us crazy.
Cromely has officially lost it if he thinks STL drivers are good in the snow. I just can not stop laughing about that. Sorry you had to be here during such a terrible week :(
@GF Just a few more days...
@feefifoto Perfect timing I guess. I never quite got the idea of stocking up on dairy. Besides the lactose intolerance, any serious disaster means power is likely to go out and it will all go bad, anyway. Though I gess this weather makes spoilage less likely. I remember reading during hurricane season that the top selling food item in a run up to a storm is Pop Tarts.
@LDK Maybe I just got lucky. Or I've had rotten luck in all the other cities.
Best blog quote of the morning is yours: The more I think about it, the less I want my snow driving stories to be interesting.
Love it!
For a city that gets it's fair share of wintery weather, people sure suck at driving in the snow. And the rain. And the sun, for that matter.
@Chameleon Heh heh. I like my flights that way too.
@Angi And no one seems to know how to merge.
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