New Shoes

In a post last week I noted that my Scion has struggled with the snow up north.  That's partly because there is so little room under the keel.  However, my tires were not providing enough traction.  I would bog down in the entrance to my driveway, where the county plow leaves a substantial ridge of snow.  Moreover, on my drive south last Monday the car started to fishtail on almost every snow-covered bridge.

This surprised me, since the Scion managed to cope with the side streets in Detroit.  The City plows the main roads, but for side streets (other than the street the mayor lives on, of course) Detroiters must band together and contract with a private plow service.  It might be a day or more before your area's plowperson dug you out. Nevertheless, the Scion slogged through without much difficulty.  The reason, I think, was that Detroit snows tend to be damp, and my tires could get a grip.  Up north, at least this season, the snows have been dry and icy.  Although my two-year-old Coopers still have a reasonable amount of "bark," they have no bite.  Conclusion — "Baby needs a new pair of shoes."

So, on Thursday the good folks at Alles Tire equipped the Scion with a set of Nokian all-weather tyres (as Nokian prefer to spell it).  The difference was immediate and striking.  I'll continue to assess the change in handling as I drive north today.

Lots of people have advised me to buy a SUV, and I suppose that makes sense, given winter weather in the northeastern Lower Peninsula.  But I would like to put off that investment for awhile.  The Scion will be paid off in February!  I could use a few months without a car payment.

Winters in Presque Isle will be an adjustment — especially the low humidity, which keeps dermatologists' offices packed with the dry and itchy.  However, by comparison with other parts of Michigan, we have it pretty good.  In the Keweenaw Peninsula, which juts out into Lake Superior from the northern edge of the Upper Peninsula, lake effect snow never ceases.  An average winter at Houghton-Hancock produces 220 inches.  In 1979, at the town of Delaware, total snow accumulation was 390 inches!  That's 32.5 feet!  The Keweenaw Snow Thermometer at Mohawk, on US-41, keeps a running total each year and provides a gee-whiz moment for summer tourists. •••