As I write this, I’m looking at the weather radar map online. To the South there are some nasty-looking storms, complete with lots of rain, high winds, and talk of tornado warnings/watches. To the North there are hefty swirls of blue and pink, meaning snow and, everyone’s favorite, ice. To the East of us are the rain and high winds that we experienced earlier this morning. The West looks clear at the moment, though there’s what looks like another storm system developing off the western seaboard.
All that’s to say, we’re now in the winter months which can bring weather that’s as crazy and unwelcome as your coworkers’ ugly Christmas sweaters (they are supposed to be ugly, right?). And because people tend to travel during the Winter, we wanted to give a friendly reminder to make sure your vehicle is properly prepared for the unexpected.
The winter months often take us North to Illinois and/or Iowa, both of which get more than their fair share of ice and snow. Coincidentally, they tend to get that weather right around the time we’re traveling. Neat, right? No? We didn’t think so either. So, before we head out on the road there are a few things we do, just in case.
First, make sure people know when you’re leaving, the general route you’re taking, and when (approximately) you should arrive. Even if you want your arrival to be a surprise, make sure someone knows. Then, should something happen or you aren’t on time, at least someone knows where to look or even that they should call for an update.
Second, make sure you have a few important things in your vehicle to make life easier, for example, if you break down or get stuck in the midst of a snowstorm. When we travel in the colder months, we always have a heavy blanket in the car – the pretty and extremely durable one your grandma made that no one knows what to do with, you know the one. Also be sure to have a coat, hat, and gloves somewhere, unless you’re keen on wearing them while driving (ugh, weirdos). It’s also good practice to make sure your phone stays charged (keep a charger in your car) and you have at least half a tank of gas, especially if you’re driving through some relatively remote areas.
For particularly long trips, or through areas where we aren’t likely to see people for a while, we’ll also make sure we have snacks and water bottles in the car (PSA: don’t keep the water in your car as it might freeze). If you’re really prepared you’ll also have some sand or cat litter in the back of your car; it can help give your tires some traction if you end up stuck in the snow or ice. We often have something heavy in the back of our truck (mostly because we never road trip North without a ton of stuff) which helps give the rear-wheel drive some extra traction if we don’t really need to drop it into 4-wheel drive, yet.
Oh, and while you’re at it, make sure you have an ice scraper in the car, too. Preferably somewhere easily accessible (i.e., not in the trunk). And, if you stop into a hotel for the night, take the ice scraper with you! Nothing worse that having to break into your car to get the ice scraper you needed…to break…into…the car. And please, for the love of all things holy, don’t use your credit card to clear off your window (we’re looking at you, college students!). Also, the pot of boiling water you might think about throwing at your car door to unfreeze it (yes, we’ve actually seen this happen). Just…no.
The main idea here is that if your car breaks down, you’ll want the things you need to keep you comfortable. Oh, and alive. I’ve had to get out and change a tire in the middle of winter, in Iowa, with no gloves and believe me, it’s not something I’m interested in repeating (checking your tools is helpful, too – we needed a hammer to get that tire off and didn’t have one). And check your spare tire is fully inflated before you head out. You do have a spare tire, right? Hopefully, you’ll never need to use any of the above, but just in case you do, it’s good stuff to have around. You know what they say about an ounce of prevention…
