close call

I like this picture of a salt truck overturned. It's from the Knoxville News website-- pretty much summarizes the situation today.

I had my own little adventure: This morning I woke up at 8:00, walked out of the front door and nearly fell on my ass. The porch was covered in a thin sheet of ice, as was the sidewalk, I soon discovered. I scraped the dripping icicles off my car and proceeded cautiously to the nearby Panera to check my email to see about going into work. The main roads seemed to be fine (a light freezing rain was still falling, though), but I wondered about the winding two-lane road into the woods that takes me to work.

Nothing on the email; I checked the hospital website-- nothing there. Finally, I called our secretary and got the voice mail. Since there was no way of telling, and I had a 10:00 client, I decided to head into work.

Everything was fine. I approached a curve and slowed down. Then, suddenly, I saw a man waving me down and, behind him— 5 or 6 vehicles off the road. I tried to tap my breaks and realized it was too late— I was on a sheet of thin black ice. Luckily, I steered Ruby Crookshanks (my car, if you recall) off the road and narrowly avoided hitting the back of the vehicle in front of me.

The next hour or so was spent tip-toeing precariously back and forth across the road (almost falling on my ass again, and watching two people succeed in doing so). We stood there trying to wave away oncoming vehicles. It is not a well-traveled road, thankfully. We had perfected our technique so as to go up the curve quite a ways, catch folks before it was too late. Still, one vehicle nearly slammed into mine, missing my door by less than two feet.

We called the cops, who tried to come but started sliding themselves so turned away. I called AAA and they said it would be at least 3 hours before they could get to me, they were overwhelmed. So we all started trying to push each other out of the shallow ditch, the cars flinging up mud all over our clothes. After some skidding and the usual fun and ambition associated with such endeavors, I made it out (as did three other cars). I headed onward until I came to a four-way stop.

There were about 20 cars in the church parking lot there (a lot, considering we’re in the middle of nowhere)—they were mostly gruff-looking men with cell phones and Peninsula badges. I went over to talk to them. They were maintenance workers, mostly, and they said the road to the hospital was closed, but they’d been told to wait until it opened… possibly around noon. Just then a tow truck came off the road carrying two smushed cars.

Fuck this!, I thought. I had called Peninsula a few times and gotten no answer still, so I decided to head home. I took a different way back— circuitous, but more traveled, I thought— and am now safely waiting at Panera. I’m debating whether to call in later and try to make the journey again, or just save my precious gas money (and the 30 minute trip) and get some work done today.

Man—Knoxville is SO unprepared for such things. You would think they would salt a road to a major hospital. Oh well… such is winter in the (non-mountainous) South. Never a dull moment…

Now, if only all my friends hadn't run off to Nashville!-- we could have an ice day together. (sigh) I should have gone with them! Wish I'd have known I didn't have to work today. :)