piglet is very cold and seems to be permanently attached to my lap as i write this entry.
my ithaca-buffalo trip last thursday night was quite a bit more exciting than i wanted. the drive started out innocently enough, but then the wind and snow picked up right after taughannock falls. initially, the wind just teased the snow about in trippy ribbons snaking across the road and ground. then, the ribbons started arching up into the air like snakes swaying to a charmer’s music. finally, the snow and wind really picked up, and i was in white out conditions with the added fun sensation of the car getting picked up and moved by all the gusts of wind. i could not identify where the road was; everything was a vast expanse of swirling whiteness. i could not even clearly see any lights from the houses on the side of the road. i could only tell that it was brighter in various directions where the light diffused through the thick snow. i managed to pick my way by looking for road makers and the like as they suddenly appeared a meter or so from my car.
oddly enough, the roads themselves were not all that slippery. the wind and total lack of visibility were the villians. the snow itself was like little specks of sand (i am sure the inuit have a word for it). there were a few people on the roads, but everyone was driving very very slowly with the hazards on so others barreling through the storm could see them.
i almost plowed into a trailer. one of its four red rear lights was nonfunctional, and the others were barely visible as they were partially covered with snow. one second, the road appeared clear, and then the next, the outline of a huge tractor trailer appeared. fortunately, i saw it in time (and the car did not slide when i slammed on the brakes).
it took me almost 2.75 hours to travel from ithaca to geneva (56 miles to the toll plaza… it normally takes a hour), and the vast majority of that time was past ovid (the halfway point). it also took me over 15 minutes to travel the last five miles (trom the turnoff where i got my ticket a few months ago to the thruway) as i listened to the entire “morning dew” song off of my old cornell 77 tape.
the thruway itself was pretty bad until i got to rochester. visibility was slightly better, and since there were more cars, it was more obvious were the road was… just follow someone else. i did pass many cars on off the road were it appeared that they just drove off the highway as opposed to sliding off due to the snow. after rochester, visibility was much better, but the roads became more slippery and slushy. there was a tanker truck (hopefully not fuel) jacknifed on the exit 48 to batavia.
eventually, tho, i made it back home. amanda was asleep with the piglet. the piglet woke up, but amanda did not.