The storm in Jan 78 that dumped 8' on Buffalo caused rain and snow all across the east, midwest and down south, I was close to death a number of times with the black ice only being a good rush after driving from Mass before hitting it in Okla. Driving on 40 close to Ft.Smith Ark I came up on 2 18 wheelers in the cleared off right lane and followed till I got bored and decided to pass. Got just past the first truck when we all hit a stretch where the air from the lead truck kicked up so much snow that I couldn't see past my fender let alone the road. Since I knew I was past the 1st truck I got back into the right lane hoping I could get a glimps of the pavement.
Couldn't see a thing including the truck behind me or the road on which we are doing around 45 mph. I can't stop, I can't see so I give it a bit more gas and creep forward on the lead truck. Felt the draft grab, swung into the left lane and my front fender passed under the corner of the trailer.
Scared me and my friend so bad we decided not to pass again. That lasted about half an hour, passed an big old Pontiac and when I looked over my shoulder it was gone!! Then saw it in the ditch as going back into the right lane we hit the black ice. I fishtailed all the way up the hill leaving about 20 cars in the ditches on both sides, whooping it up got Bruce to roll one and we hit ice 6 times before he got out in OK City.
Heading south the roads cleared up but I nearly lost my ass on the bridge over the Red River, not 15 miles from home.
We hit drifts under overpasses doing 70 in NC a 360 in Ten doing around 45, played blind mans bluff with trucks in Ark, but the most exciting times were the black ice.
That Datsun 1200 was an extremly well balanced car and seemed to love sliding around on ice, snow and mud. I never got stuck or hit anything with it and was putting around 1000 miles per week on it for part of the time I was in college.
Driving for 5 winters in northern Mass was a great lesson in ice and how fast things can go wrong. A sunny day will melt snow even if it stays below freezing. If that melt runs across the road then you have ice when the sun goes down. For some fickle reason it tended to this a lot on banked corners so that you would be half way through a curve before you hit the ice and you either wrecked or got away free in the next half second that it took to cross the terrible 30'. Many very experienced drivers lost it on those curves. I was very good, very lucky or both. For sure I was high, as drugs and sex were the only reason worth going out in that cold weather.
I love driving in snow and ice, I just wish everyone else would stay home so I could have some real fun.
If you have a long straight stretch if going over 50 on snow you pull the hand brake and throw the wheel you can do a number of 360s before enertia stops you. I got the chance to test this theory in Wichita Falls Texas on a mile long strip of brand new pavement that was closed off at either end. I think my dad had told me of this stunt while we were driving in snow when I was six. It took me 14 years to get the chance to test this. Be very careful what you say around kids. You never know what they will remember and my father had no recollection of ever mentioning it to me but remembered doing it himself.
Life goes on, or it doesn't.
:lmao:
