Its a good idea to warn people. Also keep in mind that snow is forcasted
for western Washington this weekend. It probably won't stick here, but
it probably will over there.



Michael Dossett
Shoreline, Washington
mpdossett at Juno.com

On Wed, 31 Dec 1997 13:21:32 EST PAGODROMA <PAGODROMA at aol.com> writes:
>Those of you rushing off from the We't side to the Okanogan for the
>White-
>winged Crossbills and other winter birds, and if via U.S. 97 / Blewett
>Pass,
>BEWARE!!
>
>**WARNING!!** The north-side down slope winter roadway can be and IS
>extremely treacherous and dangerous! I nearly lost it on that stretch
>in snow
>during my rush to Twisp and the winter birding gold mines of the
>Okanogan on
>the 26th. Compact snow and ice, good ol' and reliable "ICEBIRD" (my
>AWD
>Subaru) went'a fish-tailing on the down slope, then completely out of
>control.
>Tapped the breaks ever so slightly at first sign of trouble -- even
>that was
>too much, and I was off on a thrill ride that lasted a full mile at
>the very
>least. Sliding sideways, facing one way then the other, then a slow
>360, and
>still sliding, and just trying to keep the car in the road and not hit
>anything, never touching the brakes again. I was remarkably calm
>through this
>whole thing -- to panic was pointless! -- car sliding all the way down
>and all
>over the road, miraculously making all the twisty winding curves.
>Finally, I
>did another 360 plus 180 more and was then going backward as I saw the
>shoulder approaching over my shoulder. At that point, I just kind of
>calmly
>shrugged thinking to myself, "Well, this is it, I guess"...and started
>off the
>road backward. The instant the rear wheels hit the fresh plowed
>powder on the
>shoulder, the car came to a sudden but gentle stop, "poof" -- almost
>as if
>caught by someone or maybe it was 'my guardian angel'. I never hit a
>thing --
>extremely lucky!!! Then, I just pointed "ICEBIRD" north and drove
>away -- a
>lot more slowly and cautious!
>
>Having owned AWD and 4WD Subaru since 1978 and accumulated lots of
>experience
>driving snowy icy roads, this was the FIRST time *ever* that I had
>ever so
>much as slipped or skidded at all and have never gotten stuck.
>Overconfidence
>maybe? Maybe. Just be careful! The north-side down slope of winding
>Blewett
>is a notorious trap for unsuspecting, poorly equipped, or just plain
>over
>confident and careless motorists. I've encountered more
>winter-related
>accidents along that stretch than anywhere else in the state. If you
>have one
>of those big and powerful 4WD SUVs, don't think for a second that you
>are
>invincible. It is those exactly that I routinely see more often than
>any
>other crashed in the ditch and overturned. The 4WD SUV's can be
>especially
>unstable and hard to control, especially so if you're already out of
>control.
>If you lose it on a slippery down-slope there (or anywhere), just keep
>your
>foot OFF the brake, keep the wheels pointed in the direction of the
>skid as
>best you can, and just hope for the best, and stay calm.
>
>I prefer to drive Washington's mainline winter routes (EXCEPT I-90
>Snoqualme!!) at night / early dark wee hours, even when it's raining
>or
>snowing since there is usually little or no traffic meaning fewer
>vehicles to
>be bothered with, or have to be worrying all the time about the other
>driver,
>or deal with the heavier travel volume constant splatter of dirty
>mist, slush,
>or snow. Also, other vehicle's distant headlights give you an early
>warning
>of a shared roadway which you don't get by day until suddenly being
>confronted
>in rounding the curve. If it's snowing and not a full-blown blinding
>downburst, often there is a layer of powder on the roadway to provide
>better
>traction, at least until you catch up to the snowplow which has
>scraped it off
>often leaving an exposed layer of slick compact snow & ice. Then I'll
>carefully try to pass and thus back on the unplowed fresh snow again.
>
>So, just be careful, be safe, wear your seatbelts (at least for the
>transit)
>and have a great Washington winter birding experience!
>
>Oh... Here's another tip. Stop in for gas and coffee at the Conoco
>station
>and mini-mart on the right as you enter Tonasket. The coffee is the
>best
>bargain in the state... it's free with fill-up, and FREE for all on
>Sundays
>regardless! And a gas fill-up there, even to just 'top off' is a good
>idea
>before launching forth to explore the Okanogan Highlands where you
>won't find
>another gas station until you return to Tonasket (or Oroville). Don't
>count
>on Wauconda (Rt.20), the 'Wauconda Cafe'; sometimes they have it,
>sometimes
>they don't. But the 'cafe' there is a Highlands classic; local,
>colorful, and
>friendly, and great food.
>
>Richard Rowlett (Pagodroma at aol.com)
> 47.56N, 122.13W
>(Seattle/Bellevue, WA USA)
>