Keepin It Between The Ditches

As much as I am enamored of New England and bestow my love for her so eagerly, there is one predicament I must face throughout the winter months, that befuddles me to no end.

You see, while Massachusetts is very proactive during the winter months, treating the roads in preparation for any storm that might blow through. Connecticut, on the other hand, is neither proactive or reactive. They wait for nature to takes its course, and then after some period of time they might crank up the snow plows to scrap the snow into a shimmering sheet of ice. At least this seems to be true for Interstate 84.

Last week, I arrived in Haverhill, Ma, to unload my final stop. A storm was approaching which was forecasted to dump 10-12 inches of fresh powder by noon.  When I awoke at 4 am, there was not a single new snowflake to be seen. Of course there was several feet of snow piled along the edges of the parking lot from the weeks previous storm. But nothing new. I rolled over and when I answered the call of my alarm at 6am, I noticed a good 2 inches of the fluffy stuff. Steadily falling, I feared the snow might make my homeward bound journey a little more frustrating. I needed to get back for those much needed repairs. But sometimes Old Man Winter has other plans for you.

It was not surprise when I pulled out that the road before me was not plowed , it is after all a small industrial area, well off the beaten path.

Once I got back to the Interstate, it was just as I had expected. Salted and plowed, the road was ready for the morning commute into Boston. 

The further south I travelled, the worse the road conditions became as the snow accumulations showed a definite increase. So, my dilemma is this. Do I attempt to head south down I-95 and face multiple long icy bridges in Connecticut, with no weight on my wagon, and a higher volume of traffic. Or, do I head west on the Mass Pike, in hopes that Connecticut has finally taken to preparing for winters worst.

I opted for heading west, and much to my dismay, the roads continued to progressively get worse. But it was not until I hit my exit at Interstate 84, that I felt as if I might just possibly have made a mistake.  After passing through the tollbooths, it was quite obvious that Connecticut was at home with her feet propped up, drinking hot chocolate in front of a nice roaring fire, and she couldn't care less about those crazy idiots who just happened to be out driving on her roads.  Not a single snow plow has made its presence known, not a single piece of salt had braved the blustery cold. It was nothing but white as far as the eye could see.  At this point there is no such thing as maintaining your lane position. You just got to keep it between the ditches. Aim for the flat white surface.  I know, I know....this happens all over, but we don't run chains over here. If the roads are bad enough, we shut down!  I was really hoping that Connecticut had learned from previous winters just how important it was to keep the roads ready.  What was I thinking!!

After many cautious miles, I finally hit paydirt. Back to wet roads and excessive speeds!!  Woo Hooo!!  I did hear that in the end, I had actually made the right decision as there were several multiple vehicle collisions on my alternate route. Remember those icy bridges that I was avoiding...Yep, you guessed it!