A couple of friends and I took Sugar for a little drive to Southern Utah, not too long ago. The end of my summer is always signaled by a jaunt to the Utah Shakespeare Festival. It’s the perfect little getaway and the last chance to get in on Utah’s gorgeous sunny weather. This year, though, Mother Nature had made other plans. It was a little rude of her not to consult me, frankly. I was planning to work on my tan.
Nevertheless, off we went, into our blue sky hopes. But somewhere around Beaver, UT, Mother Nature started to get a little cranky. It rained. It blew. It howled. No big deal, right? I’d just had my tires checked and one replaced. We were riding on easy street.
We arrived safely in Cedar, a little wetter for the wear and settled in for a weekend of amazing plays. It drizzled and spit most of the weekend, but not enough to dampen our spirits. The drive home, however, was another matter. You know all that nasty, torrential, house flooding, monster rain that’s been moving across the state? Well, I got to drive Sugar home through that just as it was ramping up over the southern half of the state. I know I shouldn’t be such a pansy, but I’m from Utah. THE DESERT. WHERE THERE IS NO RAIN. Usually.
We set off for home in a deceptively light sprinkle. Everything was fine, I assured everyone. It looked like we’d be driving right out of the storm. But somewhere around a place called Meadow, the freeway turned into a river and we were driving blind. I couldn’t have been going more than 55 mph on the freeway (in the slow lane, of course) and was still not really in control. I felt my tires suddenly floating on top of the flood drowning I-15. With the skill of a (very frightened) ninja, I got to drier ground and headed for the nearest exit. I may or may not have been in a full blown panic and saying kind of creative things. It happens. Three cheers for the Chevron station where I nursed my pride and a Vanilla Coke. We waited for about 30 minutes for the rain to ease up before I let my friend from Connecticut (where they know about REAL rain) take the wheel and get us home.
So let’s be honest, it seems like we’re in for a seriously rainy Fall. Which is great because we need it around here, but tricky because we’re desert dwellers and rain is usually an occasional affair. So let’s take five and brush up on our rain driving skills. The video below from DefensiveDriving.com has a great little movie about rain safety. And don’t forget your new teenage drivers. Anyone in Driver’s Ed? Make sure they get some serious rain practice, too!
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