It took me two hours to get home last night and twice I considered ditching my car. As you may have guessed Seattle was dusted by snow last night. Silly me, I was still in my Colorado mode, where you don’t even think about snow in terms of anything to get freaked out about. It snowed, you got to work, that’s the mentality in the Rocky Mountains. Josh and I had at least one car that was four wheel drive hanging around; I learned how to pump my breaks, go slow, and watch for snow plows.
We watched an enormous black cloud envelop Seattle in a matter of thirty minutes outside the huge windows of the chi-chi studio I work at. I left an hour early, preparing to take Airport Way and avoid the highway…how foolish I was to think the north part of downtown would be unaffected by Seahawks traffic. I sat on the James exit off ramp for a half hour cursing and swearing and calling Josh periodically from my cell. I finally cut over to Cherry and made the arduous journey uphill in increasingly heavy snow conditions. I found myself terrifyingly creeping up an enormous hill praying I wouldn’t have to stop and be stranded. I’m not great with using the parking break to keep my stick shift car from rolling backward…I usually kill the car and I knew that if I ended up having to stop I would roll right back into the car behind me. Ice had begun to collect on the roads, and everywhere I went there was traffic sitting around trying to get home like I was. All the back roads were clogged with ill equip cars skittering around and the main roads were a parking lot. I ditched Boren for James, I left James for Marion, I slid down most of Marion, pumping my breaks furiously and yelling into my cell phone at Josh, “I’m sliding! I’m sliding!” I finally cut across to Jackson and 22nd, only to get stuck behind a lady who simply turned her car off and walked away! The rest of us had to creep around her car as we made our way to Jackson and 23rd. I sulked inside a Starbucks for fifteen minutes before tackling the trip home.

Once I hit Rainier things became immensely better, the roads were barely covered with snow–although that didn’t stop a cab from driving down the center of the road instead of opting for the two lanes. I finally started picking up speed from my tedious one mile and hour pace and cruised the rest of the way home. There was a point where I was buried in the Central District thinking I was going to pull over and hike to Kris’ house. Kids were throwing cheerful snowballs at my car; good Samaritans were directing traffic and pushing at the tails of sliding cars. Josh was a saint, coaching me through the neighborhoods via Google maps over the phone.

Last night I ate a pot pie and drank hot chocolate and watched the Bachelor with my sister-in-law (who is currently living with us while she transitions to her new job at Boeing). Ice coated the roads this morning so we remained home.