Jump to content
  • entries
    82
  • comments
    418
  • views
    55,246

The adventures of mailing the Swinger Manual

Sign in to follow this  
JustAskJulie

1,566 views

We've had a pretty wintery winter here this year for Alabama. It seems like it's been snowing off and all since the first of January.

The first week of January we got about a half inch of snow (which is a lot for us) and hubby almost didn't make it home (we live up a pretty steep hill) and we watched many others who didn't make it home walking up our street (and back down again) over the course of 2 or 3 days while they waited for the weather to warm up and the street to thaw.

 

Twice already this year they've freaked out and declared a winter storm before it even started snowing and closed everything in advance. And we've ended up with next to nothing or so little that it melted about as soon as they decided to close things.

 

So last night I watch the news and there's no forecast of snow... not for this week anyway - maybe next weekend. But this week just more rain (another thing we've seen a ton of this year). I wake up early and what do I see at 7am. Snow! No biggy we've seen it off and on all year, right. I have things to do, I have Swinger Manual's to mail. I see snow is starting to accumulate on our road and I figure I best get going before it gets bad. It always gets worse up here than anywhere else so I figure I can get down the hill to the PO and back before it gets bad, right!?

 

Not so much. I get to the bottom of the neighborhood and realize that the highway is covered in snow and it's coming down harder down there than it is up on my hill. I couldn't see a quarter mile in front of me. Fun. So I go to the post office where evidently everyone had the same idea I had. I get the books mailed and I head back home. The roads are worse.

 

Not only do I live UP a pretty steep hill but just before you turn into our neighborhood you come down a hill, so it's always fun getting turned in without worrying that someone is going to slam into the back of you. I missed the turn. Coming down the hill I couldn't get stopped and slid past my road. So I went to the next entrance and managed to get turned in. But, I didn't get much further. I made it up hill #1, barely with traction control freaking out the whole way. Got around the curve and hit hill #2 and realized quickly it wasn't going to happen. I wasn't even moving at a snails pace up that hill. So I backed back down and parked on the street. I called Pet to let him know the State of the Roads then started walking up the hill.

 

I got all the way home to realize I had no house key. I don't know why I have no house key but I haven't had one for a while. Not that I use one or need one very often, as usually when I'm coming home I'm in my car with my garage door opener... the garage door opener that I left in the car at the bottom of the hill. I'm home so I figure I"ll check to see if maybe just maybe a door got left unlocked... no such luck. So back down the hill I go (much easier than coming up).

 

On the way down I see a car going up... a car much like my own. They made it all the way up... so why can't I? So since I'm heading back down anyway, I figure I'll give it another try. I tried. I failed again. Actually didn't even make it as far up that time as I did the first time.

 

Figured while I was there I'd warm up a bit, so I sat in the car for a while listening to the radio wonder why the city wasn't closing things when they'd been so quick to do it the last two times it even thought about snowing. General consensus - evidently since they didn't know it was coming they figure it will pass by and melt quick? Even though it's only continued to come down harder and harder over the last couple of hours. Obviously, I finally got out of the car and walked back up the hill. Had I thought Pet's vehicle would be more likely to get up the hill than my own I would have sat in my car till he came home... but he'll be walking home too... so at least I'm warm now.

Sign in to follow this  


3 Comments


Recommended Comments

Guest warrencouple

Posted

Ouch. We've been lucky so far this year, and haven't had much snow to speak of, and what we've gotten, hasn't lasted more than a day.

 

It also helps that for the most part, most of Michigan is flat as an 18 year old gymnasts stomach, so we don't have the problem of icy hills.

 

The closest I've come to problems like yours, is when we've had ice storms, were the rain freezes the instant it touches the pavement. Came close once to taking out two cars because I was sliding along down a hill on the freeway. Got lucky, went right down the middle...

 

The only suggestion I can make to you, for snow driving, is keep it slow, stay in the tracks from the cars ahead of you if at all possible, and if you've got to go up a hill that looks slick, get a little bit of speed up, and just let the car coast up on momentum, don't even touch the brakes if you can help it, and DON'T spin the wheels!

 

Drive safe, be careful, and I'm sure the people waiting on their books would rather wait an extra day or three, than to find out you got in an accident or hurt trying to get them delivered!

 

Jason

Share this comment


Link to comment

The kicker is that had I waited till this afternoon to go mail them it would have all been avoided. The snow fell from 9-11 an was melted off the road by 2... which is when I walked back down and drove my car home.

Share this comment


Link to comment

Not sure what vehicle your in Julie ? I have FWD

 

In Mrsfun's Grand Am 2wd, I can use the emergency brake to get (positive traction) it does takes a bit of practice depending on the vehicle.

 

Gently apply the emergency brake as you are stuck giving the gas pedal at the same time. You don't want to apply the brakes in a locked position but just enough to get traction on two tires at the same time.

 

Try this in an open parking lot sometime with out obstacles in the way. (out in the back forty) Like I say it takes a bit of practice to get a feel for how much break to apply. And don't forget to release the brakes after your on your way again.

Share this comment


Link to comment
Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...