We woke up this morning to a little dusting of snow. So pretty! But nothing on the order of a month ago when we were stranded on the hill for two days. No, this morning’s accumulation was maybe an inch – certainly my fancy AWD could handle that. I had an appointment and left the house at 9:45. I was back in the garage at 9:52, convinced that my California roots are showing again. I am SO not a snow driver.
I was doing fine until I got to the little hill at the end of our road. It really is little, even when walking it. I be-bopped down it, listening to an old Duran Duran song, and was really enjoying the peaceful, snow-blanketed scenery. As I approached the bottom of the hill, I gently put on my brakes as I typically do. I started to slide.
“WHAT?? Hey, stupid car, didn’t we pay extra not to have this happen??”
I pressed on the brakes harder. I slid more and I was gaining speed. My very wide eyes darted left and right, praying I didn’t see a car about to cross in front of me. No cars. I started to turn right. The back end of my car swung left. I suddenly remembered you aren’t supposed to put on the brakes when sliding so I took my foot off and continued to be serenely panicked. Simon LeBon sounded a little high-pitched, too. I was now on the main road and was looking down that much steeper hill. I still didn’t have as much control of the car as I wanted so I “parked” in a neighbor’s driveway – or ditch. Whatever.
I sat for a moment and contemplated my next move. Maybe to Arizona. Instead, I decided to call Rob and have him cancel my appointment. He asked if I could make it back home. I told him I was going to try. Exuding love and confidence, he said he would walk down to me, with his cell phone. Determined to be self-sufficient – or stubborn, your choice – I managed to back out off the neighbor’s property. I put the car in D, suddenly never needing to own a manual transmission ever again. I said a little prayer, along the lines of “This is not the hill I want to die on!” and slowly inched up the hill and back up our road. The neighbors were kind enough not to come out in their yards to point and laugh at the newbie trying to pretend she’s local. I slinked back to the garage, tail between my legs, and have respectfully been watching the snow melt ever since.
2 comments:
Don't give up on winter driving. You just need to take it slow. Your car did fine going up the hill right? Next time use the lowest gear to go down the hill and take Rob for ballast(and moral support). :)
Rob as ballast -- I LOVE that! He's really multi-purpose, that Rob. And yes, the car did fine going up hill. The key problem seemed to be me thinking AWD meant I didn't really have to adjust my driving for the conditions. Classic rookie move!
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