My Adventure Home
Yesterday will go down in history, my history at least, as one of the scariest days of my life. I guess that doesn't really say much about the scariness of my life, but that's probably a good thing. School yesterday went really well, despite it being a Monday, a Day 5 (no breaks) and a full moon, the kids were really good and I had an overall relaxing, peaceful day. Around 1 the snow starting falling, in big fluffy flakes, and around 2 I was happy to see that it seemed to be sticking. The students were all really happy too, and excited to get out and play in the snow.
After school, May and I did some work, getting prepared for the next day and working on report cards. The snow was still falling and it just looked like an absolute winter wonderland outside, just so beautiful and perfect. If someone filmed in that snow, people would think it was too beautiful to be real. I wasn't really worried about driving home, after all, I learned to drive in the winter. My first time driving was in the snow. Rain at night makes me nervous, but snow, snow's easy. But when the principal came over the P.A. and suggested we head home early as the roads were getting bad, I thought I might as well pack it in and get home early.
So out I went at around 3:15 and cleared most of the snow off my car as best I could with my sleeves. A few others were preparing to leave, joking about how if it was 6am, school would be canceled. So in I get to my car, and started out of the parking lot. The entrance to our parking lot is on a bit of a hill. I started towards it, confident that my car was going to do as I told it, and I just completely lost control. It wouldn't go forward, it wouldn't turn the way I wanted and I was sliding back, sideways towards the school and the person behind me. She came to my window and told me "Stop backing up, you'll hit me!" I'll told her I wasn't backing up. At least, not on purpose. So she backed her car up, and I tried to get a bit of a run at the hill, still no luck. Someone came behind my car and gave me a bit of a push, I eventually, after much tire spinning, got out of the parking lot.
My next problem was I had to go up one of two hills to get to Glendale. Both are pretty steep but I chose the closer one because it's just a little less steep. It was nerve wracking. My tires were spinning, the car was weaving back and forth, I was just hoping no one came over the rise and crashed into me. I had no control over where the car was going. It was like trying to steer a bumper car! Eventually, I did get over the rise, and luckily going down the hill wasn't as bad. The breaks seemed to be doing fine and I wasn't sliding thankfully as I came to Glendale. Normally, I turn right onto Glendale but traffic seemed really backed up, there were police cars and fire trucks going in that direction, and I could see other little cars spinning their tires, fighting to get up the hills. I had had enough of spinning tires, so I decided to go left and go all the way around First Lake. A longer, much more windy route, but with less traffic, and though there are little hills, they're much more gradual. So off I went, slipping and sliding still, trying to get out of the way of a fire truck without going off the road, nearly crashing a few times. My heart by this point was just pounding and my adrenaline was working way over time.
I managed to get up the small hill on Metropolitan without much wheel spinning luckily and started down First Lake Dr. I drove about 10 the whole way, people in front and behind going just as slowly, slipping and fishtailing at most of the curves, and finally spinning tires and fishtailing out into oncoming traffic on Cobequid Road. I nearly screamed. I had to force myself to breath and to keep going. I wanted to pull over so badly and just abandon the car and walk, but I kept going. I got control over the car, or as much as I could manage and got onto Glendale without much incident. Just past McGee I had to stop behind a line of cars. The space between McGee and Chandler, the street I turn onto is maybe one hundred meters. I sat there, moving only car lengths at a time, mostly when people gave up and turned around (though how the heck they managed to turn around was beyond me) for about 20 minutes. But it was better than fishtailing and sliding and nearly crashing so I wasn't complaining too much. Eventually, I got to Chandler and eased down the hill. Knowing I couldn't make it up the other side, I went the long way around Johnson.
I was nearly home. I was shaking so badly and just on the edge of tears. I come very slowly around the corner, just sliding a bit, and there are kids, teenagers really, playing on the street. Now, I know that our street is not busy, it's pretty safe to play on the street, but when you see a car, the logical thing to do is move. I beeped my horn and they just looked at me, as if to say, yeah, so, what are you going to do. I was so scared I was going to hit them. I was going around a corner on an unplowed, untravelled road in a car I didn't feel I could control. I beeped some more till they moved a bit and finally, eased into the driveway. When I got out of the car, I never wanted to go back into it ever again.
Luckily for me, my mom dropped the car off for me at school today so I could drive home after staying late marking. I say luckily because the roads were clear and salted and I really needed to get back in the car and remember what it's like to drive on good roads. It was fine. The car was responsive and I felt in control again. But now I know why people get nervous about driving when it snows. For someone who had never so much as fishtailed before, it seemed so strange, but I understand now, and I'm afraid I will be much more nervous about driving for a while.
After school, May and I did some work, getting prepared for the next day and working on report cards. The snow was still falling and it just looked like an absolute winter wonderland outside, just so beautiful and perfect. If someone filmed in that snow, people would think it was too beautiful to be real. I wasn't really worried about driving home, after all, I learned to drive in the winter. My first time driving was in the snow. Rain at night makes me nervous, but snow, snow's easy. But when the principal came over the P.A. and suggested we head home early as the roads were getting bad, I thought I might as well pack it in and get home early.
So out I went at around 3:15 and cleared most of the snow off my car as best I could with my sleeves. A few others were preparing to leave, joking about how if it was 6am, school would be canceled. So in I get to my car, and started out of the parking lot. The entrance to our parking lot is on a bit of a hill. I started towards it, confident that my car was going to do as I told it, and I just completely lost control. It wouldn't go forward, it wouldn't turn the way I wanted and I was sliding back, sideways towards the school and the person behind me. She came to my window and told me "Stop backing up, you'll hit me!" I'll told her I wasn't backing up. At least, not on purpose. So she backed her car up, and I tried to get a bit of a run at the hill, still no luck. Someone came behind my car and gave me a bit of a push, I eventually, after much tire spinning, got out of the parking lot.
My next problem was I had to go up one of two hills to get to Glendale. Both are pretty steep but I chose the closer one because it's just a little less steep. It was nerve wracking. My tires were spinning, the car was weaving back and forth, I was just hoping no one came over the rise and crashed into me. I had no control over where the car was going. It was like trying to steer a bumper car! Eventually, I did get over the rise, and luckily going down the hill wasn't as bad. The breaks seemed to be doing fine and I wasn't sliding thankfully as I came to Glendale. Normally, I turn right onto Glendale but traffic seemed really backed up, there were police cars and fire trucks going in that direction, and I could see other little cars spinning their tires, fighting to get up the hills. I had had enough of spinning tires, so I decided to go left and go all the way around First Lake. A longer, much more windy route, but with less traffic, and though there are little hills, they're much more gradual. So off I went, slipping and sliding still, trying to get out of the way of a fire truck without going off the road, nearly crashing a few times. My heart by this point was just pounding and my adrenaline was working way over time.
I managed to get up the small hill on Metropolitan without much wheel spinning luckily and started down First Lake Dr. I drove about 10 the whole way, people in front and behind going just as slowly, slipping and fishtailing at most of the curves, and finally spinning tires and fishtailing out into oncoming traffic on Cobequid Road. I nearly screamed. I had to force myself to breath and to keep going. I wanted to pull over so badly and just abandon the car and walk, but I kept going. I got control over the car, or as much as I could manage and got onto Glendale without much incident. Just past McGee I had to stop behind a line of cars. The space between McGee and Chandler, the street I turn onto is maybe one hundred meters. I sat there, moving only car lengths at a time, mostly when people gave up and turned around (though how the heck they managed to turn around was beyond me) for about 20 minutes. But it was better than fishtailing and sliding and nearly crashing so I wasn't complaining too much. Eventually, I got to Chandler and eased down the hill. Knowing I couldn't make it up the other side, I went the long way around Johnson.
I was nearly home. I was shaking so badly and just on the edge of tears. I come very slowly around the corner, just sliding a bit, and there are kids, teenagers really, playing on the street. Now, I know that our street is not busy, it's pretty safe to play on the street, but when you see a car, the logical thing to do is move. I beeped my horn and they just looked at me, as if to say, yeah, so, what are you going to do. I was so scared I was going to hit them. I was going around a corner on an unplowed, untravelled road in a car I didn't feel I could control. I beeped some more till they moved a bit and finally, eased into the driveway. When I got out of the car, I never wanted to go back into it ever again.
Luckily for me, my mom dropped the car off for me at school today so I could drive home after staying late marking. I say luckily because the roads were clear and salted and I really needed to get back in the car and remember what it's like to drive on good roads. It was fine. The car was responsive and I felt in control again. But now I know why people get nervous about driving when it snows. For someone who had never so much as fishtailed before, it seemed so strange, but I understand now, and I'm afraid I will be much more nervous about driving for a while.