As usual, I’ve avoided driving in snow throughout this Winter. Most storms have arrived on a day off or telework day, when I’m home, and haven’t given me reason to consider driving. Our trip to my sister’s home for Christmas was delayed when a storm closed in at the wrong time and we stayed home.
So how ironic, after scrupulously avoiding snow driving, to find myself crawling along at 25 miles per hour in the stretch between New Bern and Havelock yesterday at 2 PM. The entire drive down from Virginia had been uneventful, but as soon as we crossed into the New Bern area we saw flakes. By the time we crossed over the Trent River bridge the road was wet and snow was swirling. Another half-mile and we were on freezing wet roads with a half-inch of snow down and heavy flakes falling.
We saw a half-dozen cars spun out in ditches alongside the road as we drove east, one having taken a wild ride over the ditch and back up an embankment. A twenty-minute drive took 35 minutes, but we eventually found our turnoff and rolled into our friend’s neighborhood.
We spent the rest of the afternoon drinking beer and playing cards, which suited me just fine. It was a freak coastal pocket-storm, affecting only this area before heading out to sea. Now we’re spending the following morning doing southern snow-clearing: waiting for temperatures in the fourties to melt away seven inches of snow, at least on the roads, before visiting the in-laws.
A Random Stroll 