Yet Another Lesson Learned

I, apparently, take for granted that our roads are so well maintained. I imagine that this is probably the reason that, even though I knew there was a "Winter Weather Advisory" looming last Friday, I didn't think twice about us taking the car to Wenatchee instead of the Jeep.

We hit Pine Canyon that evening at the heaviest part of the storm. It was rain-snowing quite hard from Wenatchee to Orondo, but nothing was sticking on the roadway. I was certain there would be snow in Waterville, though, and I was excited to get home to see just how much. My excitement lasted until we hit the slush pile midway up the hill.

It became clear, very quickly, that we might not make it home at all that night. The tires began spinning and we immediately lost momentum. Adam geared down, flipped on the emergency flashers, and tried his best to inch the car up little by little. Our little car's tires spun wildly as Adam avoided sliding into the guardrail a couple of times and even attempted to use the rumble-strip to gain a little traction; all to no avail.

Finally, he made the decision to turn around, as the wife's nervous babbling came to a peak, and down the hill we went, contemplating our overnight options.

I really just wanted to get home to sleep in our own bed, so we waited in Orondo for a little while to see if a plow would drive by. Adam, feeling less optimistic, began calling family members to secure a place to stay.

Eventually, we did go back to Wenatchee but at my urging, instead of staying overnight, we bought some chains and headed back to the canyon to give it another go. Thankfully, by that time, the plow had gone through and sand had been spread so we were able to traverse the hill without the use of chains.

I remember Adam saying, "I sure wish we would have known there was going to be a snowstorm! I would have taken the Jeep instead of the car." I sheepishly replied, "I knew..."

I really didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal. I guess I was wrong again!