Author: Mark Alexander

We woke up to another winter wonderland yesterday.

But…

When I saw snow on our balcony I should've realized this was not going to be like the storm a week ago.

When I went out to the garage and saw the car dusted in snow (even though it was under cover) I should've realized this was not going to be like the storm a week ago.

I left the house at 7 am, like I always do. I like to get to work a half hour early so I can take off at 4 pm and miss the worst of the I-25 traffic heading home. I knew it would probably take me a bit longer today because of the storm, so even if it took a few extra minutes it wouldn't be a big deal; I'd still get there at a reasonable time.

When I pulled out onto Colorado Boulevard and saw that this major thoroughfare hadn't even been plowed yet, I knew leaving early that afternoon was not going to be an option.

The easy commute I had in the snow a week ago was obviously an anomaly. Yesterday was ugly. Very ugly. I'd driven in snow before moving to Colorado, but never in snow mixed with slush and ice.  This was something new, and I'm here to testify that Anderson (and his owner!) does not like driving in it. Not one bit! On the plus side, Anderson is a front-wheel drive with fairly new tires, but that offered little assurance during the multiple times I found myself spinning the wheels furiously and not getting any traction. I also learned that Anderson's anti-lock brakes work just fine, especially when approaching a stop light at an icy intersection while going an outrageous 10 mph.

I pulled into the still snow-covered parking lot at work, emotionally exhausted, at 8 am. It had taken me a full hour to go 11 miles. Normally it takes half that.

I'm sure that in time I will adapt to driving under these conditions, but after yesterday I have to say that I was relieved to see that there were no more snow days predicted in the extended forecast.