Nawthern vs Southern

[Ridgerunner]

When I was a kid in the ridges of East Tennessee the school superintendent would call my school bus driver and two others on snowy days and ask if the roads were passable, then decide if school was cancelled or not. These were old grizzled veterans, the superintendent trusted their judgment. Practically every school kid in that county rode a bus. Most did not live close enough to walk.

My wife grew up in Topeka Kansas. She said they almost never had snow days in her school district. But she also said that everyone walked, no busses. Sometimes where you live is not just about climate.

I regularly watch the 5:30 Central Time national news on TV. I realize they are more about entertainment and ratings than actual news. Sometimes when they discuss the dangers and how rough it's going to be when this system comes through, I think "You are in the north in winter. What do you expect?"

 

[seedcorn]

I think "You are in the north in winter. What do you expect?

I agree as no self respecting Nawtherners would even consider anything less than 6” a storm. Transplants they are from the south.

 

[majorcatfish]

growing up in north lake tahoe it had to be a major blizzard before they called a snow day, it could be snowing 3-4" per hour the highway looked like sh!t could not see more than 50' in front of you, but here comes bus 17 right on time.

of course there were times during a blizzard you could hear him coming when one of the cross links broke on the tire chains clank clank clank, nobody sat in the seats over the wheel well when that happened the new kids learned real quick.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think a lot of it had more to do with ice than snow. We might have school if 6" of snow fell, but if it melted enough to turn to ice overnight, we may not have school the next day. Some of those twisty ridge roads were shaded so they didn't always melt off as quickly as areas hit by sun.

Some flatlanders might call those ridges mountains but nope, mountains were even more serious.

 

[seedcorn]

Everything is relative. In southern KY where folks retired, what they called roads, we called cow paths....

 

[Ridgerunner]

Everything is relative. In southern KY where folks retired, what they called roads, we called cow paths....

What do you think I learned to drive on? Actually once every four years just before the road commissioner election they'd put gravel on them. That loose gravel on the hairpin curves could be fun.

I've been wondering, where in southern Kentucky. You've mentioned that before. I grew up across the border not that far from Williamsburg - Middlesboro area.

 

[Xerocles]

School closings? HA! We had school closings here today because of the rain yesterday. If the weatherman says there's a 10% chance of snow next Thursday, they announce on Monday that school is cancelled on WEDNESDAY.

 

[seedcorn]

Burkesville, KY. About 10 miles north of TN in center of KY. 60 miles SE from Glasgow, KY

 

[Dirtmechanic]

When I was in 3rd grade a whiteout came to Bethel, AK while we were in school. A decision to get the kids home asap was made. The schoolbus had a snowplow on it, and it was throwing heavy snow above the hood on the way home. The snowstorm had dropped more than expected. This was a long time before they would invent weather radar. There was a real long boardwalk connecting the hospital compound where I lived with the only paved road that connected the airport on one end and the school on the other with the hospital in between. The boardwalk was long enough you could barely see the end of it on a nice day. The driver realized he could not get me home via the usual stop, and to this day I am not sure how a 3rd grader connived the driver into letting me off into that storm. But the boardwalk was sorta famous and was a good trail of bread crumbs in the windy blinding storm. I made it of course but I had snowburn on my face arms and legs when I got home. Could not see a thing. Southerners wont register snow crystals are abrasive when blasting winds hit you. Think sandstorm I guess, but cold. I knew enough by then to not stop walking though. I would not have done that again if given a chance.

 

[flowerbug]

What do you think I learned to drive on? Actually once every four years just before the road commissioner election they'd put gravel on them. That loose gravel on the hairpin curves could be fun.

I've been wondering, where in southern Kentucky. You've mentioned that before. I grew up across the border not that far from Williamsburg - Middlesboro area.

the most scared i've ever been in my life was when i was coming down a mountain road in CO and there was a section of washboard holes in the gravel. i was not going fast at all but when i hit those holes there was absolutely no control of the car as it skipped along those bumps and it sent me over towards the edge of the road which had no guard rail at all and about a foot of clearance before i would have gone over.

had i been going slightly faster i'd have been over the side.

i had to pull over for a while after that one...

i don't know what people driving that road would do in the winter, but i suspect it wasn't being used much at all to be in that condition.

was some good fishing though.