Road leads to adventures in the ditch

We may have had a slow start to winter, but December recreated a real North Fork winter. We now have an above normal amount of snow – almost four feet at Trail Creek before it started to settle with a little warmer weather. We have also had enough below zero weather to encourage reducing the wood in the wood shed.

Real winter always affects road conditions. At best, packed snow creates winter paving that smooths the road and makes for a pleasant drive to town. At worst we have water on ice which creates a real challenge for drivers. Although January still has a few days remaining we have already had both and county grader operators have been tested.

As usual experienced North Fork drivers have done pretty well, but newcomers have faced some difficulties. An insulation company found Vance Hill exciting and it took two wreckers to get their trailers back on the road. A semi, stopping to help a car in the ditch, rescued the car but then had to “walk” a skidder for miles to pull the semi trailer back on the road. I’m sure there were others but I have not heard of any injuries or badly damaged vehicles. I hope there were none and that it remains that way.

My advice is drive slow and avoid hard braking or spinning out due to too much gas. In the winter I try to avoid the North Fork Road if the temperature gets up to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you must drive the road under those conditions you had better be well supplied with tire chains.

Also, as usual, we inevitably have North Forkers who pass over The Great Divide. 2021 was even worse than usual for deaths. I have ten in my memory and hope I did not miss anyone. Not necessarily in order we lost Dennis Groebe, Dick and Charlotte Sapa, Ginny Suiter, Paul Muellar, Larry Meece, Walter Roberts, Alice Caldwell, Annie Konkler and Penny Ramon.

As far as I know only Penny Ramon died of Covid and the others were a variety of causes including age. The community is poorer for their passing but richer for the time they were here. Each provided something positive to the community and to their friends and neighbors. My heart goes out to their families – we will remember them all.