Winter Driving

     Snow was coming down like crazy yesterday as we made our way down the Gunflint Trail.  It wasn’t snowing quite as heavily when we turned onto Highway 61 to head to Silver Bay.  The roads were quite slippery with thick slush in both of the lanes but we had over two hours before game time and it only takes an hour to get to Silver Bay.

     One of our investments we made when we joined the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department was to put an emergency radio in our vehicle.  It comes in quite handy when you’re driving to an incident.  Yesterday it alerted us to the fact there was a two car accident on Highway 61 just south of Cascade State Park.  We were heading straight for the scene of the accident and realized we would probably be one of the first responders on the scene.

     We pulled right up to one of the vehicles where a Deputy was the only person on the scene.  He pointed to the car with the passengers in most need of attention.  There we were for the next hour as Fire Department members cut away doors of the vehicle and we did our jobs as First Responders.  We arrived at the arena just as the game started and Josh was in the game before more than 4 minutes had passed. 

      It’s always a good idea to leave plenty of time to get somewhere when you’re traveling in the winter.  It’s also smart to have a pair of good boots, hat, mittens and a warm jacket in case you find yourself outside in the elements.  Keep your gas tank filled so you can keep the vehicle warm in case you’re kids are ever stuck in the car at the scene of an accident for an hour.  A small shovel, an ice scraper, some kitty litter and some food can also be put to good use during winter travel. 

     Travel safely this Thanksgiving week and all winter long.