Thursday, December 10, 2009

4WD Season Begins


Exactly as I expected, the town snowplow avoided the log skidder, and as a result, also my driveway.  If the skidder weren't there, the plow would have made a nice big turnaround which would have cleaned off about half of my driveway.  Last year, this helped tremendously and I managed to make it through the entire season without a snow blower or plow.  I still don't have either of those things - was hoping to make it through this season the same way as last season. 


Here's the start of the troublesome dropoff that means people without 4WD won't make it to my house in the winter.  It's about 1/4 mile long.  Today I drove the 3/4 mile to my mailbox in 4WD and then 2WD the rest of the way (on dry roads).  I do the same on the way home - change to 4WD at the mailbox, and then 4-wheel it up the hill home.  When the weather and the roads get more consistently bad, I'll use 4WD for the 6 miles to and from the nearest highway.  Twice last year, I was so nervous, I drove all the way to work in 4WD.  Once last year, after an evening of fun in Albany, I wasn't paying enough attention on the way up the hill and ended up in a snowdrift.  Had to have a neighbor with a bigger truck pull me out.

Only one person has said they didn't need 4-wheel drive to get here, but that was the plumber and he has a heavy van full of plumbing equipment.  The folks that installed the invisible fence last winter would call before they came up to ask what condition the road was in, so they could choose which car to bring.

I don't like driving the truck if I don't have to.  It gets 10 miles to the gallon, 1/3 the mpg that the car does.  The daily 50-mile commute to work and home will use up 5 gallons of gas.  At $2.78 a gallon, that's $13.90 just to drive to work and back.  I'm happy to spend the money though, when the alternative is not being able to get to and from my house at all!

1 comment:

  1. Yeah, we live on a town road. People who trying to get rid of/and complaining about gas-guzzlers have probably not spent a whole winter glad they can get to and from home... It would be OK, not to need them, but better safe than sorry.

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