Leaving the hotel at 6:30am to try to beat the Chicago traffic, Clarice and I made our way home from Rockford Illinois over wet and generally clear roads. There was just a little lake effect along the base of Lake Michigan, but not anything like the day before.
I was extremely cautious as this was the first time driving anything this large and expensive; and, I-94 is not just known for lake effect snow, but is also known for very bad crashes sometimes with many vehicles involved. There have even been over 100 vehicles in one accident! Generally, those large accidents are caused from what is known in the snowy states as white out conditions (high wind blowing the snow). It can hit at any time as you drive through open spaces and it will completely blind the vehicle drivers. Some hit the brakes (that is what I do), and others plow on and this difference in behavior is what causes the accidents. It is similar to fog, but can be much worse as fog is more constant and you adjust your speed for it more easily. Fortunately, there was only light wind for the drive, so I had no white outs. Once I started heading north on I-196, the roads were clear and traffic much lighter. Thankfully, I was back in Pure Michigan!
Parking in the driveway
I knew parking Clarice in the driveway and leaving the garage accessible to two cars would be difficult. The driveway entrance is a single car width, and then expands out to the pad in front of the garage which is two lanes. Arriving home, I backed Clarice up the driveway between the snow drifts on either side and left her as close to the entrance as I could where we would still be able to get a car around her and into the garage. Although this picture below was taken later in the spring, it should give you an idea of what that parking looks like.
Parking in a garage in the snowy states during winter is very helpful. Otherwise you will get to scrape and clean off your car when you want to use it. It is also much colder when you get into it when it sits outside the garage. So, I really wanted us both to be able to park in the garage during the winter. So, I was going to figure this out!
Strategically, it seemed safer to take the parking challenge for myself and give my daughter, Victoria, the straight route in and out. So, my car sits in the garage behind Clarice and Victoria takes the other side. Fortunately, I am just able to get my car out of the garage with a parallel parking maneuver. The only downside is if I cut too sharply, my front tire hits the garage curb, rubs, and leaves black marks. I still want to park in the garage though, so I am happy to practice my parking skills and live with some black marks. I can share that the practice is starting to pay off as I’m getting better at not rubbing the tires.
The “Kids” Meet Clarice
Back to the storyline, I was relieved to be home safe and sound with my new baby! So, with great excitement, I ran into the house to drag my daughter out to see her. Strange to me, Victoria had no interest. She just wanted to know what was for dinner. She was busy on social media, afterall. Wow! Right? I was a bit hurt and disappointed as I really wanted to share Clarice and my excitement with her. OK, I do grant you that she is 23 years old, a college student, and she really has little interest in Mom’s adventures. Hmmm, I wonder could she have sibling rivalry with a van? Or, maybe she doesn’t want me to leave? Maybe not, as at the time of this writing, she cannot wait for me to leave! Finally, she acquiesced from the guilt I heaped on, and came out to take the tour. Being cold we did it quickly. She was not impressed, just miffed she had to come outside. Kids!
A few days later after the driveway had melted and dried up good, Dottie got her opportunity to meet Clarice. Unlike my daughter, she was very excited to check her out. She hopped right in and explored the entire van. She wandered around sniffing all the corners, leather, and new vehicle type smells. Dottie was ready to ride shotgun anytime I wanted to go!
I sure hope I get to drive sometime!