Burton Speaks

We spent the night at my good friend's place in Portland last night. He and his wife were incredibly accommodating. We had planned on having to potentially stay there, given the weather, so we were prepared. Today, however, we planned on coming back down to Salem. The weather had different ideas.


Getting out to my car this morning was an adventure. With a half-inch of ice on 6-8 inches of snow on another half-inch of ice, the conditions were ripe for me falling on my ass. I managed not to, but it was touch-and-go the whole time.

Getting into my car was an even bigger challenge. My doors have a tendency to freeze shut in cold (or freezing) weather, and opening them is a balance of pulling on the door and trying not to break anything. Then came getting the ice off my car, which took about 20 minutes (including kicking the accumulated ice off my tires.)

With my chains still on my car from yesterday, getting around was easier than I thought it would be. On roads that weren't plowed, the broken ice and fluffy snow provided much better driving conditions than walking conditions. Three hours before dark (with a two-hour trip ahead of us) we decided to head back to Salem.

As I have alluded to in the past, low-traction driving isn't one of my favorite passtimes. In spite of this, I was confident that I could make it back home safely. I went nice and slow - not more than 30 mph with the chains on - but not everyone was driving with such caution. I was, at one point, passed by someone on the right shoulder - someone who didn't have chains on and then spun out in traffic just ahead of me. (I'm looking at you, Mr. Asshole-driver-in-a-white-Chevy-truck-license-plate-046-QXI.)

We made it back to Salem safely and the conditions here were significantly improved over Portland. There was a bunch of slush and ice, but bare pavement was visible - though some roads were blocked by downed trees. Outside was picturesque upon arrival, and I'm happy to be home safely.