I have one word of advice for traveling in winter: don’t. It’s too dangerous and weather is too unpredictable and ice and snow are too slippery for anyone to travel in. Stay home where it’s safe and warm.
However, that’s not always practical. After all, if you work anywhere other than home or live somewhere any distance from the equator, chances are you will have to drive on slippery roads at some point in time. Then my advice is to be careful!
Hubby and I had to travel to see about family this past week. I am very thankful for cell phones that provide almost instantaneous road and weather updates as long as you are in a service area. If you want more details, you can call a family member and ask them to get on-line. Technology has brought us new levels of safety.
We knew a snow storm was headed toward our chosen route of travel and we monitored its progress as we drove. We decided to keep to the interstates rather than going on two-lane roads through Jackson and the Absaroka and Big Horn mountains. It’s a longer route but the interstates are generally kept clearer and go over lower mountain passes. We checked the weather every time we passed through a town with cell service. Whew! Still ahead of the storm. We saw a few flakes in Montana and saw a little freezing rain for a short time in Wyoming. Otherwise, we didn’t see winter precipitation except on the sides of the roads.
I would have included photos of the scenery but most of our driving was a night. The sun goes down too early in the winter! I hate driving at night because my vision isn’t what it used to be. Luckily, we didn’t see any animals sharing the road with us except for one unfortunate deer that met its demise earlier. It was one of those really dark nights when the pavement sucks up your headlights. Hubby didn’t see it until it was right there and he had to straddle it. We shaved a layer off the body and some of that debris still hangs down under the car. I didn’t think you’d want to see a photo of that. A visit to the car wash is in order but few are open during cold weather. That same situation occurred a number of years ago, only on an icy highway and just after cresting a hill. Shaved a layer off that deer too. So glad antlers were not involved either time. That would have hurt our poor car.
The worst part of our trip? We’re missing the NFL playoff games. At least we can listen to them on XM radio. Go Packers!