Just because you've got an SUV doesn't mean you can fly down the ice

Winter is here in force. Every October, we almost always get a big freeze and cold for (usually) one nasty day. Today was that day, and it was vicious. November 1st is the "Don't Put Your Studs on Your Tires Until Today or Face The Wrath of Budget Striken Oregon State Police Officers" event, so I'm driving with nearly-bald tires on nasty-slick roads. To put it in perspective, my morning commute from the North-East part of Bend to Sunriver is usually a 25-minute commute. It took me over 90-minutes. Highway 97 was a big skating rink, and while ODOT claims to have been out sanding since 1:00 AM, you sure don't see any evidence of that on the highway. Before I managed to get close to Sunriver, I guess there were a few over-turned semi-trucks. It was a mess.

But I think the thing that bugs me the most is the idiots that where driving 50 MPH or more on the roads that everybody else was going between 25-30 MPH. I averaged about 20-25 for my morning commute this morning, and was passed several times by idiots flying down the road in their SUVs thinking that their 4-wheel-drive will save them and let them drive better. That just means you scream out of control with four wheels instead of two, morons. I did fell much better when I saw a Suburban that had flown by me (with his out-of-state plates) earlier stuck on the side of the road. Needless to say, many a middle finger were extended his direction.

Barney over at Bend.com has a story up about the weather. The picture was from his wife's Samsung A-460 A-620 camera phone (she works at the Sprint PCS store in the Prime Outlet Mall). Photo-phones are the next great technology for news reporting, and I'd own one if I could afford it. Don't believe me about their potential? Just ask Steve Outing, who has written a bunch of columns and articles on the topic.

Meanwhile, I'll be thawing out by the heater.

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