Generally when the weather is bad (read SNOW) I try to stay home as much as possible. We have our freezers and canned goods and we maintain enough feed for the animals for the winter. Sometimes though one must go out and it happened that it I had to go to town yesterday after our last snow and frigid spell this early February. For those of you that get buckets of snow, our few inches may not seem like much but we also have two miles of steep gravel road to navigate to get to the hard road. This situation is pretty common around here and folks cope in diferent ways. Some walk in and out, some folks just go for it and hope for the best, some just stay home. ATV's are common too and will go just about anywhere in the snow but aren't much good for driving to the office in town. I tend to rely on chains that I put on the front tires of my 4x4 truck. I take them off when I get to the highway then put them back on for the trip home. When it is REALLY icy I put chains on the rear too.
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| Cable chains on front wheels for that extra bit of traction. |
Another reason I like the extra safety of chains is because our road tends to have vertical drops at the edge of the road and one is at the edge of a curve. I saw another vehicle that had gone over this cliff in dry weather due to a brake failure.
So come with me for a trip to town.
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| Made it to the end of the driveway and ready to start up the hill. |
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| Looking back up our driveway. |
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| Approaching steep uphill curve. |
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| Whew! Made it around that one. |
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| Pretend you're looking at a Bev Doolittle paiting and find our farm. |
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| Almost to the top now. |
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Now we are on the other side. Looking out near the top VERY far away is a thin ribbon of black...
the main highway! |
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| The last bad curve going down that is just above the cliff. |
Well I made it and of course I was driving and taking pictures at the same time. Anyone want to come visit?
Yeah, sure, might have to bring our Ram pickup.
ReplyDeleteCome on over! We be birthin' babies this week.
DeleteWell, that road to your farm is scary in any weather. You are a brave soul!
ReplyDeleteWe had a "city" visitor one time that nearly passed out on the way in and it was dry. My mother would close her eyes for years when I brought her to visit and she lived on a hill too.
DeleteYour mother and my mother both closed their eyes in good weather on this road.
DeleteNo thank you. We'll visit when it's warm.
ReplyDeleteWhew... I'd stay home too! Those chains have to help. And I'm going to assume you had stopped, then snapped the shot, then continued... Right? These weren't moving candids? ;-) as I've gotten older, I've gotten a great deal less brave about driving narrow mountain roads. Mortality, and all that! Maybe you're getting our warmer weather by now!
ReplyDeleteI stopped on the "flat" spots, but others were one hand on the wheel, one hand on the camera. I didn't dare actually come to a stop in some places. I used to be braver in my younger days when I was a field geologist working in the mountains but now I just do what is needed. I admire my neighbors down the road who zip in and out every day.
DeleteI know how bad the road gets PAST your house!
ReplyDeleteIf you happen to know me personally then you know we used to live a couple of miles on down the road and you are right, it gets worse! Creeks become roads etc so I feel almost like I'm in the "burbs".
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I think I'd just stay home. How scary. I'm so glad you made it ok. Beautiful scenery though.
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