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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Question: Do You Have A Hair-Raising Winter Story?

Bearable Bob: That (1990) front hit the whole state of Wa ... I was in Seattle at a meeting when it started snowing with lightning cracking at the same time ... left around lunch time ... took me 12 hours to get to Moses Lake where the freeway was closed. ... subzero whiteout blizzard conditions across the whole state ... I felt fortunate to have survived that trip ... ryegrass grade was thick solid ice ... semis jacknifed everywhere ... I've never been more scared of the elements, except the one time we got lost skiing out of bounds on the backside of Mt. Spokane, New Year's Day in 1973 and night came ... but that's another story ;)

DFO: I was never more frightened than the time I was headed back to Kalispell from Spokane, driving my young family around Lake Coeur d'Alene in a VW Rabbit. We were driving on the old Highway 90, which is now the eastern end of the Centennial Trail. For some reason, I accidentally tapped the brakes on a snowy surface, sending my car spinning 360s across four lanes of traffic. When we came to a stop, I was faced in the opposite direction. We didn't hit anyone, fortunately. If we'd spun the other way, we'd have gone in the lake. It took a bit to regain composure.

Question: Have you ever had a hair-raising experience as a result of the winter weather?



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.