[Sca-cooks] freezer burn and black ice

[Siegfried Heydrich]

    You know, I've never really appreciated being a Trimarian enough . . .

    Sieggy

----- Original Message -----
>
> 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'