Witer time again.... and the yearly fight

[Carol Dee]

As a school bus driver I often am the 1st vehicle down an unplowed secondary road. It can get scary. Knock on wood I have yet to get stuck!
@dewdropsinwv , do you have a neighbor with a plow on tractor or 4 wheeler? You might have to ask them to make a quick pass, just enough for you to get out. Then bake a batch of cookies if extra cash is a problem.
(Cookies work wonders with the mechanics and grounds crew at work, often get extra sand/salt leading to my bus in slick parking lot!)
Yep, bribery can work.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have a lot of respect for school bus drivers @Carol Dee ! As if it wasn't nerve racking enough driving a bus full of squirrely kids, you have the added ulcer of negotiating a dicey road. I'm not tough enough to do that.

We are on a private road, about three quarters of a mile in from the county (semi) maintained road, which is about 5 miles to the better maintained highway. We pay a road maintenance fee for the private road, which unfortunately about a quarter of the people refuse to contribute to.
Several kind neighbors have tractors with buckets and blades, and if the snow gets too bad and the regular guy that plows gets bogged down they all pitch in.

 

[Carol Dee]

I have a lot of respect for school bus drivers @Carol Dee ! As if it wasn't nerve racking enough driving a bus full of squirrely kids, you have the added ulcer of negotiating a dicey road. I'm not tough enough to do that.

We are on a private road, about three quarters of a mile in from the county (semi) maintained road, which is about 5 miles to the better maintained highway. We pay a road maintenance fee for the private road, which unfortunately about a quarter of the people refuse to contribute to.
Several kind neighbors have tractors with buckets and blades, and if the snow gets too bad and the regular guy that plows gets bogged down they all pitch in.

Good Neighbors are priceless.

 

[so lucky]

@so lucky, is there any possibility of getting a local snow removal guy (around here there are lots of private individuals, mostly the guys that have a lawn service ) to dig your driveway out after plowing?

Thistle, last year...or was it two years ago, I asked a man who lives down the street from us, but we haven't had a big snow since. I don't know if he still has my number, but I think I will stop by that house again and re-introduce myself. If it's not over 3 inches, we can handle it, but anything over that gets too piled up to drive over.

 

[dewdropsinwv]

I called the state road last night and again this morning about my road being plowed and cindered....... of course I haven't seen a truck yet. We have had several snow showers today and about another inch of snow. It's a shame that I have to deal with this every year. Thee are about 5 families that live on our little road. Two of them have elderly parents in the homes..... they just don't seem to care. One time I had to threated to sue the state if MontyJ lost his job because they wouldn't do theirs.

 

[Nyboy]

Dew you might want to think about getting a 4 wheel drive. You willn't believe the snow I have driven in with my all wheel drive.

 

[Carol Dee]

I have never really liked 4 wheel drive. Experience shows you can just get stuck deeper and farther out!!!

 

[Carol Dee]

Well school was at usual time today. Bad idea! About 1/2 the busses had problems. District put out a call that buses where going to be running late. REALLY?!?!? So by the time I got going (About 20 minutes behind schedule) I only picked up 8 of my reg. 48 or 50. Winter bites.

 

[Carol Dee]

 

[thistlebloom]

I have never really liked 4 wheel drive. Experience shows you can just get stuck deeper and farther out!!!

We have three 4WD's in the family. Kid#2 works nights and I feel better knowing that he's got a chance of staying unstuck. He has slid off the road a few times into deep snow and was able to extricate himself without help.

When my sister and BIL came last January and we three drove down to clean out our parents house the weather was cooperative and very nice. On the long drive back to my home it began snowing (we were in a rented van ).
When the time came for them to get to the airport (55 miles away) at 4a.m. the weather was nasty, the roads were terrible. Kid#2 let me use his SUV to get them there because it has 4WD. I drove with confidence knowing I had a slight advantage if the roads got worse.

Come to find out later, the 4WD wasn't working! Some doodad or other had come disconnected (?) so all that confidence was totally misplaced. The placebo effect I guess.