[Sca-cooks] freezer burn and black ice

[Laura C. Minnick]

Ted Eisenstein wrote:

> (And I thought black ice was simply ice/snow/slush/sleet that had melted
> slightly, and then refrozen clear, sort of like perfect ice cubes. If it's really
> clear, it's transparent, and you can't see it, and the road shows through.
> I didn't think black ice was black, just transparent enough to let the
> asphalt show through. Hmmm.)

I've never hear the 'frozen exhaust' explanation. Hmm. It doesn't
explain black ice in low traffic areas though.

I learned to drive in Washington state, and have been driving in Oregon
since '85. The terrain is very similar and you get alot of black ice in
the winter both places. Not much else, except for the one storm a year
that dumps 3" of snow and follows up with sleet- Portland in particular
is known for nasty freezing rain storms.

As to black ice, what I have always been told is that there's a couple
of different ways to make it. 1) light rain during the day, road is wet,
then the temp drops and you have a thin crust of ice. 2) fog, freezing
to the ground as the temp drops. This leaves a pretty, lacy covering of
ice, looking like a heavy frost, with crystals. If you stand and look at
the road, you can see it, but if you are in a moving vehicle- nope. 3)
If the dew falls just before the temp hits freezing, it can freeze up.
In your garden it looks like there's a sugar glaze on everything. On the
road you don't know it's there until it's too late.

I had one serious encounter with black ice- it was in the shade even,
and I couldn't see it until I was doing 360s in the oncoming lane. I hit
the side of the hill next to me, pointed the wrong way, and came very
close to rolling. Car was totalled, I was ok. SEATBELTS WORK!

Tips for driving on ice: 1) if you can avoid it- don't. Stay home. 2) if
you can't avoid it: KEEP YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE! use the
clutch/downshift/foot off gas, whatever, but don't use the brake if you
are sliding at all. 3) like in snow- don't completely stop if you can
avoid it. California stops are ok then- slow, roll through, and *gently*
accelerate. Drive like a wuss- it'll keep you alive. No jackrabbit-swing
that tail starts, not sudden stops, and watch those curves!

Enough for now, from she who was once dubbed by a local Laurel
'Le Mans Elaine'