jholbrook
11.02.2008, 01:26
Friday I drove from Dayton Ohio to Grand Rapids Michigan to spend the weekend with my son. Normally when I do this I leave Grand Rapids on Sunday around 3pm and I'm back hom around 7 or so as it's about a 4 hour drive. Knowing the weather was in question this weekend, I drove my wife's Acura TL as it is front wheel drive and is truly impressive on ice and snow...for less dangerous than my rear wheel drive Bimmer. :laugh:
When my son and I walked outside on Sunday morning, I was extremely pleased I brough the TL. The temperature had dropped to 0 degrees F., and about -25 degrees with the wind chill, and Grand Rapids got hit with lake effect snow that was to continue throughout the day. So unfortunately, I had to cut my visit short as more snow was coming.
I started heading East on I-96 and here's what the roads looked like:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr1.jpg
I was the only car on the road for many miles:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr5.jpg
It was bitter, bitter cold...worse than I can ever remember feeling:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr4.jpg
I saw several cars that were in the ditch:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr2.jpg
The further East I went, the better the conditions got (as I got further from Lake Michigan and the "lake effect" snow. Eventually I caught up with a few other drivers:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr3.jpg
It even began warming up a little....heat wave!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr9.jpg
Soon I actually found some black top road underneath the ice and snow:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr6.jpg
It wasn't until I'd been driving for a good two hours that I hit Lansing and clean roads:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr7.jpg
The closer I got to Ohio, the better the conditions got:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr10.jpg
By the time I got back to the Dayton area, it was sunny and no snow...but still only 20 degrees F. with a nasty wind chill. I called my son to let him know I made it back safely and my ex-wife told me she'd been quite worried the last several hours...there had been an 8-car pile up on I96 not long after I left.....
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr11.jpg
I had to snap this wrist shot in my wife's car - the Acura TL is absolutely amazing on snow and ice! It never baubled once, and I passed every other car on the road.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr12.jpg
When my son and I walked outside on Sunday morning, I was extremely pleased I brough the TL. The temperature had dropped to 0 degrees F., and about -25 degrees with the wind chill, and Grand Rapids got hit with lake effect snow that was to continue throughout the day. So unfortunately, I had to cut my visit short as more snow was coming.
I started heading East on I-96 and here's what the roads looked like:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr1.jpg
I was the only car on the road for many miles:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr5.jpg
It was bitter, bitter cold...worse than I can ever remember feeling:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr4.jpg
I saw several cars that were in the ditch:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr2.jpg
The further East I went, the better the conditions got (as I got further from Lake Michigan and the "lake effect" snow. Eventually I caught up with a few other drivers:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr3.jpg
It even began warming up a little....heat wave!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr9.jpg
Soon I actually found some black top road underneath the ice and snow:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr6.jpg
It wasn't until I'd been driving for a good two hours that I hit Lansing and clean roads:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr7.jpg
The closer I got to Ohio, the better the conditions got:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr10.jpg
By the time I got back to the Dayton area, it was sunny and no snow...but still only 20 degrees F. with a nasty wind chill. I called my son to let him know I made it back safely and my ex-wife told me she'd been quite worried the last several hours...there had been an 8-car pile up on I96 not long after I left.....
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr11.jpg
I had to snap this wrist shot in my wife's car - the Acura TL is absolutely amazing on snow and ice! It never baubled once, and I passed every other car on the road.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/jholbrook/Grand%20Rapids%20Blizzard/gr12.jpg