Traffic could've been hell last night. 85 South from 316 to northbound 285 was gridlocked. I was fortunate enough to be able to get around it in the fast lane and get on 285 south near Tucker. There was some debauchery but nothing bad in the grand scheme of things. My commute time was doubled but for the most part I was moving, just at half the speed so I was ok with the extra time on the road.
The surface streets here inside the perimeter are hit and miss. If everyone stops on a hill, you are done. I had to drop it into 4 low a few times just to get going. If I had tires that weren't 11 years old and dried out I probably would have had better traction. Anyone in an American medium or large sedan or a non AWD BMW was screwed beyond screwed.
For gear, I dressed for it. First off, my truck is 40 years old and isn't as comfortable as modern vehicles. So inside the cab, its still cold. Second I threw in my insulated overalls and heavy jacket. Had gloves and all that crap. Threw in my jetboil and some stuff to make a quick dinner if needed. Lastly, my sleeping bag. If I had to call it a night in a ditch on the side of the road, I could at least be somewhat warm.
I made sure I had full fuel Monday night. I even got an extra 5 gallons in a gas can just in case. Experience from the last snow storm was that gas stations were hit and miss on availability. No one ever complained about having enough fuel and if there is a problem, you have a lot more options when you have gasoline.
Overall this is the third time this year I've prepared myself like this. The first two times, I kept it to myself since people would've probably called me nuts. But everything I prepared for, I would've used anyway or was gear I already had/would use for camping anyway.
The surface streets here inside the perimeter are hit and miss. If everyone stops on a hill, you are done. I had to drop it into 4 low a few times just to get going. If I had tires that weren't 11 years old and dried out I probably would have had better traction. Anyone in an American medium or large sedan or a non AWD BMW was screwed beyond screwed.
For gear, I dressed for it. First off, my truck is 40 years old and isn't as comfortable as modern vehicles. So inside the cab, its still cold. Second I threw in my insulated overalls and heavy jacket. Had gloves and all that crap. Threw in my jetboil and some stuff to make a quick dinner if needed. Lastly, my sleeping bag. If I had to call it a night in a ditch on the side of the road, I could at least be somewhat warm.
I made sure I had full fuel Monday night. I even got an extra 5 gallons in a gas can just in case. Experience from the last snow storm was that gas stations were hit and miss on availability. No one ever complained about having enough fuel and if there is a problem, you have a lot more options when you have gasoline.
Overall this is the third time this year I've prepared myself like this. The first two times, I kept it to myself since people would've probably called me nuts. But everything I prepared for, I would've used anyway or was gear I already had/would use for camping anyway.
