Especially a cute southern town, right?
Nazzo fast:
That's the main drag through town. A neighbor took 3 1/2 hours to drive the 6.5 miles from Alpharetta. I pushed the car of a grandmother who had picked her grandkids up in Alpharetta six hours earlier; they were trying to make it to Marietta, another six miles or so.
Note to gun grabbers in Yankeeland: nobody pulled his heater at the intersection and went all Rambo. As a matter of fact, people banded together, giving each other rides and pushing cars up frozen hills. My neighbor spent 3 hours warning drivers not to turn down a main cut-through street because a hill was frozen and nobody could get up it.
Of course, the News is all over the baby that was born in the traffic jam on I-285. Mom and daughter are doing fine, and no doubt will look back on this as a story to tell in the future. I didn't see that but did see the Roswell Police Department dispatch a Humvee to take kids stranded on a schoolbus home.. Didn't know they had a Humvee, but actually don't think it's a bad idea. At least, if it's not up armored.
And the punchline? There wasn't that much snow.
That's the view of the Camp Borepatch Observation Deck. Maybe two inches of snow. Maybe. Me, I have no problem getting around in the Jeep in 2" of snow. I do have a lot of trouble getting around in Atlanta traffic with 2" of snow.
Everybody keep safe out there.
UPDATE 29 January 2014 13:34: Seen on Facebook, the real cause of the traffic panic:
You are right, in Maine people are not hospitable and helpful under those same circumstances the way you describe it down in Georgia. Of course, in Maine people wouldn't likely notice that it had even snowed if there were only a couple of inches. Hospitality does surface if there are a couple of feet, however. It still doesn't take 3.5 hours to go 6 miles, but they are helpful nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteA family in Milton took my daughter in for the night after her car got stuck and the tow trucks couldn't get to her. Not sure that would have happened when I lived in Michigan.
ReplyDeleteIt's the south - people as well as the weather are warm.
ReplyDeleteSaw pics of the horrendous mess of traffic.
Well, you know from living here BP, that 2" of snow is just 'partly cloudy'.
ReplyDeleteGlad other parts of the country are experiencing what Fort Worth got in December. Southern states and Snow/Ice just aren't good combinations.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your traffic issues aren't as bad as ours but we really didn't get snow; just about an inch of ice that didn't melt for 5 days.
Glad you folks are doing okay.
By the way ---- Getting the bug to do a little community organizing for some reason.....any time better than the others for a DAB IV?
As a truck driver, I've had a markedly different experience with Atlanta area drivers during snow and ice.
ReplyDelete2 inches is not a problem even for a Toyota Yaris subcompact. Paulding county, no issues really.
ReplyDeleteYah, my Honda did GREAT on the back roads in Cobb, although the traffic getting there was a bear. Had to walk the last mile because some hills were iced up. Folks along the way were remarkably patient and friendly. Joe, I'm sorry your experience as a truck driver was bad.
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