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Old 04-23-2012, 11:05 PM
VandalSquirrel VandalSquirrel is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,949
Quote:
Originally Posted by tngirl01 View Post
AXOmom, thank you so much! I'm pretty used to driving in snow, except for it didn't snow at all this year where I live like it normally does. You had me pinned when you said that about coming up to Seattle and being terrified, so you've really eased my anxiety! Which if you haven't noticed, I have a lot of.
My comment is not about your driving, but all the people on the road who make it more dangerous, and if you don't need to be driving, avoid it. I have a lot of winter driving experience, a vehicle made for winter and off road terrain, and I often choose not to drive in the winter because of other people. I'll walk or coordinate rides since I'm half a block from the snow route and have excellent outdoor gear. If you don't have a membership to REI, get one now, it is well worth the $20 for a lifetime membership.

Quote:
Originally Posted by WCsweet<3 View Post
Often it's not so much the snow, but with the hills, the snow and the ice (which often comes with it). Even though I know how to drive in snow I still hate going out because of the other drivers. The snow here is much "wetter" than in the rest of the nation where it is powder.

A few examples of drivers in Seattle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6zlkP8thkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzBdW1OVcWw

There are quite a few more... Seattle got hit harder than Portland did, but we didn't have much (any?) snow until after New Year's. Even then we had a couple days maybe while I think Seattle had about a week. The rest is driving in rain and fog like AXOMom said.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AXOmom View Post
Well, Seattle and Portland, as WCSweet's video pointed out quite effectively, are a little more on the "freak out, don't know how to deal with it" end of things. The other drivers are a bigger danger than the weather.

Not to drag this even further off track, but in Portland at least (I assume the same would be true for Seattle for the same reasons), they don't use salt or chemical de-icers. Reason: fear that the chemicals will seep down through the soil into the river and hurt the salmon and the salt hurts the roads. Instead they use gravel/sand mixes that are rather useless.
Both of you are so high falutin' with your sidewalks, paved streets and plows. You haven't lived until you've driven either US 95 of WA-26 and have to stop and open the door to check if you're still on pavement. I'd also suggest US 12 this side of Lolo, when the black ice provides Elk ice dancing it is a thing of beauty.
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