After I got back from Cedar Rapids, I was too stupid for real art so I drew this shitty comic instead. It's a true story.
In other news, as I was driving up I-35, the weather got kind of gross. Mostly a little freezing rain, a few snowflakes, that sort of thing. But the EXACT second I drove past the sign that says WELCOME TO MINNESOTA, all hell broke loose. It was a blizzard and the road was so covered over with blowing snow that I couldn't tell where the road edges were (thank god for the rumble strips).
I slowed down accordingly and did just fine all the way up until I got off the interstate, at which point I promptly lost control of Seebs' car and crashed it into a ditch not even two fucking miles from our house.
The interstate had been bad enough, but the road off Exit 69 hadn't been plowed yet and traffic wasn't heavy enough to flatten it down evenly. The car skidded in the other vehicles' wheel ruts, which proved fatal when going around a curve. The wheels shuddered around a little and suddenly I was sliding all the way across the road into the other lane's ditch.
I fetched up in a snowbank that came almost to my hips when I got out of the car, and snow sprayed the windshield from the impact. The brakes did absolutely nothing but I wasn't going fast enough to do any damage. The road was pretty clear of other vehicles, too, so I consider myself lucky as hell. I couldn't find my cel phone so I just grabbed my coat, gloves, ID, inhaler and decided to hike the rest of the way.
I got picked up not ten feet down the road. This was very fortunate, because there weren't any sidewalks and the road itself was, as I've mentioned, very tricksy to navigate.
The guy who gave me the lift was pretty cool and told me about other snow emergencies he's rescued people from in the past. It's kind of like a hobby here in Northfield, from what I can gather. He'd been on peacekeeping missions to Brazil and all sorts of interesting shit.
Anyway, I got home and Seebs took the big car and we went to Target for snow boots (neither of us had a pair) and then to the car to try to dig it out a bit and wait for AAA.
The guy showed up to tow us out a bit later than expected due to the 89 other cars I'd seen off the road by then, and once it was free, I got back in and drove the rest of the way home with extreme caution. Even going under twenty miles an hour, I still slid around like butter on a hot knife whenever there were wheel ruts.
I think I'll wait til they plow it before I go out again.
So, home safe and sound. Dog very happy to see me. I'm told he was very mellow while I was gone, and Rah let him sleep on her to avoid the night-time whinging that had me worrying about everyone's sanity.
Pics of ditch-infested car soon. Woo! My first accident!
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Ditch-infested car? Eurgh...
ReplyDeleteDo Snape fans actually do that? Holy christ. I knew there was a candlelight vigil before the release of book 7, but spirit-wives is creepier.
I'm confused. Have you had the car fitted with snow tires yet? That seems overly slippery.
ReplyDeleteOver 15 cm of snow here in Montreal! Great start to the coldest winter in 50 years.
You might want to try placing a heavy weight in the trunk of your car. (Every winter my Dad put a tub full o' dirt in the trunk of my '77 Dodge Colt. 'Bout the only thing that kept it from flying across the highway every time I nudged the steering wheel a little.)
ReplyDeleteHehe, I used to live in Northfield. Once, it was raining just after it snowed, but I had to get to school. I was just fine all the way from Northfield to Farmington, but then pulling up to the intersection by the high school I slid right into the side of a bus. I was only sliding at about 10 mph but the paneling on that thing still scraped back about a foot of hood and assorted engine bits. My car was totaled. The bus? One of the side panels was slightly bent. They build those fuckers tough.
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