I headed up to Price County Thursday afternoon to clear my access drive so I can get in and out with the snowmobile trailer, and to attend an evening Town Board meeting for the Township where our property is located.
All started well enough – a pleasant 3 hr. drive, got my generator and heater going, and got to the shoveling, with a warm cabin waiting for when I was done.
An ominous silver-grey winter sky started moving in, and a heavy, wet sleet started as I was shoveling to provide a first hint of what is to come. My chore finished, I headed in to warm up, beard, hair and eyebrows coated in an icy coat. The meeting was to be held just 5 miles down the road, a 55 mph. county highway, but by 6:30, the snow was coming down thick, so I geared up and headed out a bit early. Out on the road, it was near white out conditions, with little visible but a ridge on the right of the road indicating where the banks from previous snows vaguely revealed the track I needed to stay on. Needless to say, I was not traveling at the posted 55 mph, and my focus on those little visual cues available was intense. It took a full 15 minutes to make the 5 mile trip, and I don’t believe I topped 25 mph the whole way.
As I was sitting in the meeting, my mind wandered a bit, and I started to calculate how long it would take me to get home … if it normally takes me a little over 3 hours, and the speed limit for most of the way is 65 and 70 mph, and I’m going to be going 25 … and the meeting ends at 8:30 p.m. … (almost like one of those math problems from middle school!) Well, I concluded that no matter what way you do the math, I would not be getting home until Friday.
Well, as it happens, a little luck was on my side. The really heavy, vertically blowing snow had subsided by the end of the meeting, so I faced only an average snowstorm to drive home in. Not optimal, but nonetheless, not as bad as the 20 foot visibility I experienced on my white knuckle jaunt to the meeting.
I have to admit, it’s been many years since I’ve driven in these conditions. Being a bit more of a planner now than I had been in my youth, and, likewise, being more willing to alter a plan where unforeseen and unreasonable risks arise than I may have been in my youth, in weather like this, I usually just stay home. Yet, here I was, a bit caught out. Despite the reduced snowfall, it was still slow going – approximately 35 mph as a top speed for the first 70 mile leg, then, once on Highway 51, with a little more visibility, space and physical barriers between oncoming lanes of traffic, and a better visual cues of where the road is, I was able to make a little better time, or so it seemed.
About 3 hours into it, the intense focus and swirling snow and shadows started to play tricks on my mind. This is when driving can be a little scary! and I started to doubt my earlier self- assurance and confidence that this was a simple task, just matter of taking the time and being cautious. I seem to recall thoughts along the lines of “what the h*ll am I doing out here?” crossing my mind in those moments where I had to just let up entirely on the gas pedal and for a split second are was not quite sure I was still driving on planet earth! After the expletive, and a momentary sense of awe at the mesmerizing swirls shimmering in headlights and drifting, dancing, shadows, another little epiphany struck me:
Isn’t ironic, I need to slow down – I mean really, really slow down – I need to slow down, to live. Now, I’m wandering off on a metaphorical and philosophical tangent about the frenetic pace of contemporary society and the causal connection to nearly all of our physical and psychological ills … we. need. to. slow. down … Then again, right now, I need to keep my focus on the road!
Once through Stevens Point conditions improved, there was a track of actual pavement to drive one rather than just ruts and tracks of vehicles that happened to traverse ahead of me, and, again, I was able to make a little better time. Or so it seemed.
Well, did you solve the math puzzle yet? As it turns out, when I got home at 1:57 a.m., and reflected on that math, and the fact that I thought I was making better time out on the open freeway … Nope. 5 hours and 43 minutes to go 207 miles. That puts me at an average of 35 mph the whole way home.
The good news? Well, I really am grateful to have made it home safely, and I’m not too worried about how long it took given that most important outcome. It was an adventure, to be sure, and though I have driven in many a good Wisconsin blizzard, I no longer do so voluntarily. It was a slow start this morning, but I’m here finishing up my Friday, just wrapped up our Podcast post-production edits, and writing this out for you before heading home to get a good night’s sleep.
I realize we didn’t share any specific estate, finance, or other related tips or topics this week – we’re just in a sharing/storytelling mood this week. Thanks for being there – thanks for being you. Whatever your next adventure, planned or unexpected, be safe, and remember to slow down. It is said that what is important in life is the Journey, and not a destination. So, if this part of the journey takes a little longer, that just means it may last longer!