laupäev, oktoober 16, 2004
First Snow
Here's something I was planning to write about on Monday, the night we got back home from our weekend away. It was overshadowed by the break in, but I'm still thinking about the first snow we had since we arrived in Estonia.
On Saturday of last week, we went to the Tallinn Kopli Corps picnic and on the way, drove through just about every kind of weather imaginable, including sleet. The only thing we didn't see was snow, but then Mario said he had heard on the radio that snow might come in the evening.
We spent the night at the Army's camp in Loksa, and when we woke up in the morning sure enough there were a few flakes in the air. I thought, "What a nice way to ease into winter, with a few light flurries." We left a short time later to head to Narva, where we were doing the meetings at the corps. As we traveled along the road, the snow got heavier. It was big, wet flakes--the kind that is perfect for making snowballs. It was clinging to the trees and sticking to the ground, making the woods and fields we passed through look like postcards. But the snow was also sticking to the ground and as I drove along I occasionally felt the wheels slip, which caused me to go far slower than the 100 km/h speed limit. At one stretch where there were several inches on the ground and a good coating of slush on the road, I felt the van gently sliding to one side and had to brake carefully and steadily steer back toward the center of the road. Shortly after that, we saw quite a few cars that had gone off the road. I was so thankful that I wasn't one of them! We stopped to see if we could help one of the cars that had skidded into a little ravine about 10 feet lower than the road surface. You could see mud all around the car where he had tried unsuccessfully to rock himself out. He asked if we had a rope, and since we didn't, told us he had a friend coming to help and he would be fine. Estonians seem to take going off the road in stride, like it is just a part of life. As Mario and I stood there talking to him in full uniform, a big semi truck roared by, splashing us with at cascade of slush which soaked our backs!
Once we were back in the van, as I tried to keep steady and not have the van slip again while I drove, Mario said, "You know, it is almost the time that you are supposed to have snow tires on the van or else you get a ticket." I'm so glad he said that; I don't feel like skidding around all winter--and I'm not so sure I would take going off the road in stride! But I never would have known if he hadn't told me.
The most incredible thing was after driving in this tricky weather for around 40 miles, within a mile or two the snow got lighter, and then there was nothing. The roads and ground were all clear and we saw no more snow the rest of the way to Narva! I think winter here will be full of surprises.
I know: I can gush about the fun of the first snow now, but what will I sound like in mid-February when I've had nothing but snow and sub-freezing temperatures for months? We'll see, but it is fun to enjoy it while it is a novelty.
--Tim
On Saturday of last week, we went to the Tallinn Kopli Corps picnic and on the way, drove through just about every kind of weather imaginable, including sleet. The only thing we didn't see was snow, but then Mario said he had heard on the radio that snow might come in the evening.
We spent the night at the Army's camp in Loksa, and when we woke up in the morning sure enough there were a few flakes in the air. I thought, "What a nice way to ease into winter, with a few light flurries." We left a short time later to head to Narva, where we were doing the meetings at the corps. As we traveled along the road, the snow got heavier. It was big, wet flakes--the kind that is perfect for making snowballs. It was clinging to the trees and sticking to the ground, making the woods and fields we passed through look like postcards. But the snow was also sticking to the ground and as I drove along I occasionally felt the wheels slip, which caused me to go far slower than the 100 km/h speed limit. At one stretch where there were several inches on the ground and a good coating of slush on the road, I felt the van gently sliding to one side and had to brake carefully and steadily steer back toward the center of the road. Shortly after that, we saw quite a few cars that had gone off the road. I was so thankful that I wasn't one of them! We stopped to see if we could help one of the cars that had skidded into a little ravine about 10 feet lower than the road surface. You could see mud all around the car where he had tried unsuccessfully to rock himself out. He asked if we had a rope, and since we didn't, told us he had a friend coming to help and he would be fine. Estonians seem to take going off the road in stride, like it is just a part of life. As Mario and I stood there talking to him in full uniform, a big semi truck roared by, splashing us with at cascade of slush which soaked our backs!
Once we were back in the van, as I tried to keep steady and not have the van slip again while I drove, Mario said, "You know, it is almost the time that you are supposed to have snow tires on the van or else you get a ticket." I'm so glad he said that; I don't feel like skidding around all winter--and I'm not so sure I would take going off the road in stride! But I never would have known if he hadn't told me.
The most incredible thing was after driving in this tricky weather for around 40 miles, within a mile or two the snow got lighter, and then there was nothing. The roads and ground were all clear and we saw no more snow the rest of the way to Narva! I think winter here will be full of surprises.
I know: I can gush about the fun of the first snow now, but what will I sound like in mid-February when I've had nothing but snow and sub-freezing temperatures for months? We'll see, but it is fun to enjoy it while it is a novelty.
--Tim
