Tough Day for Travelers
By: Tim Johnston
Updated: January 6, 2009
Blake Dennard admits he likes the Texas country-side, but with the ice on the roads he's not able to enjoy it as much. Dennard was 20 hours into his 21 hour trip from South Georgia, before he hit the icy weather. He says it's been tricky because this is his first time to drive on ice. "We've been a little nervous coming across, especially pulling a trailer. It's been trying to slip and slide on us a little bit."
So he and the others with him, played it safe it and put the truck in 4-wheel drive. "All we need to do was let off the gas and coast over the bridge. When we didn't see ice we'd get back up to 50 MPH."
Althought, Dennard wasn't the only out-of-state driver braving these conditions. Edward Hamlet, from Wisconsin, is making his way through Abilene in his RV. He says that he is used to these conditions but he wasn't expecting it in Texas, noting that there was a difference in road management. "We're more used to it, and our plows are out immediately."
Furthermore, with college starting up soon, some students were forced to hit the icy roads. Becky Fischer and Natalie Hansen, students on their way to Texas Tech, say this drive has been kind of scary.
"It was scary, I could feel my car skidding and my windshield was iced over," says Fischer, "I couldn't see anything, it was really scary."
She and Hansen say they're playing it safe and eliminating some distractions. "We're not texting or anything, which is kind of a bummer. But we keep two hands on the wheel and I [Fischer] am only calling her [Hansen] if I get nervous." They add that they've also had to slow down, which they admit is no fun going half-speed on the highway.


