Winter?

Allow me to quote the local weather man; “Nordic Blast 2008!” This winter has been just too funny for me.
It snowed today in the hills around Portland and by “snowed” I mean a layer of ice under and a crunchy flakey icy substance that resembles snow. I took the dog out first thing in the morning and I found the light layer of snow covered the thin ice. Most of the neighborhood was like this.
The drive into work this morning was slow at first. The thin layer of winter made most of the drivers drive extra slow which was a good thing but in truth they were overly cautious. The snow and ice was chunky and made for decent traction on straight stretches of the road until you reached an intersection.
As most winter drivers know, the stopped vehicles’ exhaust will warm the icy road and when temperatures are right, the road freezes back into a thinner slicker layer of ice; kind of a Zambonied effect. This was entertaining me as I followed a large truck who inched his way through a few intersections. I watched him slip and slide despite his good tires which made me smile because my tires are very bald right now and I didn’t slip at all.
I only saw one stuck car on the way in to work today. I think it was stuck or maybe it had slid off the road I couldn’t tell. I noticed the car at one of the intersections I stop at in my neighborhood. The car was at in a round–about with a cop flashing his lights (probably what I noticed first) already pulled in behind the car. This was a good thing for such “lousy driving conditions” only because it blocked the usual flow of traffic coming form that direction in the morning.
As I drove in this morning the condition slowly became drier and easier for others to handle. On days like this I think about the driving conditions I use to have to deal with and smile.