Today we had our first real dose of winter weather. We've had plenty of gloomy days and cold temperatures, but no snow so far. We've still not had snow, but today we were treated to several hours of sleet and freezing rain, which left everything coated in a quarter inch layer of ice.
I was suppose to drive to Berea after work to meet someone who wants to buy some of my photography gear. I decided to go out at lunch to test the roads, which turned into much more of a challenge than I expected. The steps were completely covered in ice, and impossible to safely walk down. I ended up sitting down on the top step and then scooting down. I then poured hot water over the steps and used an ice scraper to chip the ice away. I had read that using hot water was a bad solution, since the water would just freeze back. With some of the icicles starting to melt, I thought it would be fine, but I was wrong. Within 30 minutes the water starting freezing back, making it difficult to get back into the house.
Once I had the steps clear I chipped the ice off of the windows of the truck then took a test drive. I drove a mile up the road, which was more than enough for me to know that it wasn't safe to be out. It was impossible to stop without sliding for 20-30 feet first. I nearly got stuck trying to turn around, and had to use four-wheel drive just to get back up the driveway. Since I didn't have to be on the roads, I decided there was no reason to risk it.
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