Every darn year, I forget to clear out before the snow flies. This year was no exception. And, of course, it seems like every year, a non-trivial percentage of the Hoosier population forgets how to drive in the ice and snow. As it turns out, most years, ice and snow on the ground reduce the friction available to slow or stop your vehicle. As a result, you have to allow more time to do these things. Now, don’t be fooled — the friction isn’t reduced to zero or anywhere close to it, so you don’t need to keep a city block between you and the next person and you can generally go faster than 5 mph.
Also, milk and toilet paper haven’t become completely unavailable at any time I can remember. So, you probably don’t need to get a 6 month supply in anticipation of the year’s first dusting.
As someone who grew up in the land of beer, cheese and outdoor professional football, I never cease to be amazed by our (I’m a Hoosier on this count) ability to forget how to drive in the white stuff from year to year. Regarding the milk and toilet paper thing, I do remember being snowed in and without power for three days back in 70’s. When you live 30 miles outside of the middle of nowhere it is nice to stock up. Of course, here in the land of Ballard, pork tenderloins and indoor football, I can walk to the grocery store if the streets don’t get plowed.
As a 21 year state trooper I can attest to the inability of the average driver to navigate properly during the first bad freeze or snowfall. Nice weather makes the mediocre drivers complacent. Forturnately, since I’ve move to the department’s legal section, I don’t get so much “hands on” with the ensuing carnage.
OOPS! I forgot my most important point: My views may run a bit conservative, and Doug’s obviously trent to the left, but music and art transcend all. To wit:
“I come from the land of ice and snow”
Doug– you come from the land of Red Devils.. where that gym always got hot. And the drivers never seem to get over the fact that a thin sheen of ice under the falling snow makes for a %&^%^&$ up situation.
JUst glad I wasn’t driving from Indy to Lafayette during Sunday’s snow.. that crowd is hard enough without any added disadvantage.
Richmond, Lafayette, Scandinavia, whatever. All pretty much the same, right?
Oh, and are you talking about the 8,100 seat Tiernan Center or its predecessor — Civic Hall, the sardine can?
Either one got warm, I suppose. But Civic Hall was a hothouse.
I remember Civic Hall’s “heat island” well-although I was luckily in the first class to get to enjoy the full benefits of Tiernan Center all the way through school.
Yeah, good old Richmond drivers. Got to experience them again this weekend. How long do you need to be stopped at a four-way stop-with no other cars in sight-before you are allowed to go? And don’t they realize that the speed limit is just a “suggestion?” (Or is that just true in Lake County?) I recall school got cancelled when there was just two inches of snow on the ground-and in that day we didn’t need to make up snow days!!!!
Doug, ten years ago I did see a store run out of staples. We were at T’s house in Muncie celebrating New Year’s (1998 into 1999). We kept hearing that a bad snow would be hitting northern Indiana. We left the next morning and went home by way of South Bend. We kept hearing that the snow was going to be bad, but never got a good estimate on the radio. We went to Meijer in South Bend and when we walked in we noticed that the bread was all gone. I told Rebecca that this would be a bad one! It was a Saturday and we got home that evening. I went into the church to get some books; and Rebecca told me to stopm by Kroger because she had forgotten one item at Meijer. I walked in and the line stretched all the way to the back of the store…I left then.
The snow started…and for the first time ever I cancelled church the next day as the county was under a snow emergency. I don’t think we drove out of the house until Wednesday-and the Toll Road was shut down for a day and a half (we lived next to it).
It’s not just Hoosier drivers that forget the rules. In the Twin Cities, it never failed that the SUV drivers would haul ass after the first snow…only to figure out they could stop no faster than the rest of us.
Oh yeah, we were caught in the traffic around Lafayette Sunday evening. After stop and go for ten miles, we exited on IN-38 and took US 52 to 41 to get home. Not much traffic on that route.
US 52 is a gem of a road around Lafayette. It largely parallels I-65 from Lebanon to Kentland, doesn’t have many stops, and is mostly ignored. I’m not sure why the USDOT continues to fund it, but I am glad that they do.
I remember that 1/1/99 snow storm. My car died and I had to walk a lot.
Our Walmart got cleaned out of flashlights, milk, eggs, etc. after the hurricane came through and power was off for a couple of days. By the time my power was restored, though, the shelves were restocked.
I’ve seen Richmond stores get cleaned out of bread, milk, driveway salt, etc. when bad winter weather threatened. I witnessed one neighbor going out for McDonald’s (and nothing else) and another neighbor going out for a case of beer (and nothing else)in the middle of a blizzard while we were under a level 2 snow emergency last March.
I witnessed my neighbors’ risky behavior while I was stupidly outside trying to make a path for the 90-pound mail carrier.