2014-2-18 Dan

 

Every evening at he end of my workday I have to choose a way to drive home.  There are two routes, highway or back roads.  This winter has often made that choice difficult and dangerous.  I left work and found a strong, steady wind coming out of the east.  This means the snow falling was coming off of Lake Erie or lake effect snow.  The highway scares me because of the many trucks and SUVs that think they are immune to the weather conditions. The back roads are fraught with its own challenges but I decided to take this route and trust my own driving skill. On my trek home I found the road surface at times were completely covered and no tracks to follow because the wind had obscured the tire ruts.  Sometimes the blowing snow would reduce to total visibility to the end of my car's hood.  My twenty minute relaxing commute becomes an hour and half stress induced quest for home.

I have heard the term “white knuckle driving” in the past and not really give it much thought.  This year I have come to fully appreciate the saying.  Lets hope last night was my final experience for the year.

2014-2-13 Dan

I woke this morning and looked at he weather channel, as is my ritual this winter.  There was an alert warning of freezing fog in the area.  “Freezing fog”?  You have got to be kidding me. Our winter is becoming creative with the new onslaught on the population of Southeastern Michigan.

This is what “freezing fog” leaves behind once the sun burns off the morning mist. 

2014-2-12 Dan

 

February has always seemed to be the hardest month of the year for me.  Although it has the shortest numbers of days, in many ways it feels like the longest month of the year.  Often one leaves for work in the dark only to return home in the dark.  And when you do have the rare opportunity see daylight, it is defused through the grey haze of winter clouds. This year is not exception.

The picture I am posting is one of the rare sunny days we have had this winter.  Usually in winter the trade off to see the sun is much colder temperatures. The temperature at the time I took this photograph was -12 degrees, with a wind chill in the -20s.  I will gladly trade a few days of warmth for some vitamin D from the sun this time of year.