Tire chains go on the drive wheels. I know this concept and being the daughter of an auto mechanic I am familiar with cars. The problem is that when you are under pressure and stressed about decisions, your brain doesn't always process information correctly.
It was a winter afternoon and the snow had started to fall as I busily finished up a few assigned tasks at work; I looked forward to an hour long commute in less than ideal conditions. As 5:00 approached, the snow fall increased so I made the decision to put on the chains that my husband had lovingly put in my trunk. Interestingly enough, growing up in snow country, I have never had the experience of putting on tire chains. Intellectually I understood the mechanics, but to actually perform the task was beyond my current scope of comprehension. So, I proceeded to pull out the instructions and read them carefully as the snow continued to fall around me. Struggling with the chains, I finally got them attached to the rear wheels. Of course these are not the drive wheels on my vehicle, but for some reason at that moment, this very pertinent fact was escaping my extremely overtaxed brain. Feeling enormously proud of my latest feat and after scraping 2-3 inches of fluffy white stuff off my car windows, I hit the snow packed roads. Finding nothing in downtown Vancouver to quench my appetite, I slowly braved the ever ominous SR 14 freeway. It was slushy, but I had chains on, and slow going to the 205 (I heard that I-5 was a parking lot and the entrance in Vancouver proved the theory). I jumped onto the I-205, crossed the Glen Jackson Bridge and right after the airport exit, traffic ground to slow and stopped conditions. I crawled along for about 2 1/2 hours and decided to stop and get something to eat. The nearest exit was Milwaukie and it took nearly an hour just to exit the freeway! My nerves were starting to fray not to mention the fact that when talking with my husband, I realized my error in putting the chains on the wrong wheels! I had front-wheel drive! I knew that! Where was my mind? I wonder if this is how clients feel when they are overwhelmed and still have to make life-altering decisions! My mood had changed from feeling vulnerable and energetic to embarrassed and exhausted. What remained of my commute all of a sudden grew into more of a mountain than a mole-hill. I exited the freeway struggled taking off the chains and felt positively stupid and defeated. I deserved something special, Wendy's frosty was just the ticket and for an extra special treat I splurged for fries! I really don't like fast food, but in the interest of wasting time and trying to pick up my spirits, it was needed.
A little shopping at the local Freddie's and I was back on the road. I couldn't believe it, the freeway was clear… wait… I spoke too soon! A grinding halt at the Oregon City exit and a flashing sign that 99E exit was closed. Just my luck, the back road was the only way I knew around the traffic nightmare. But the night was still young, only 9:15 and I had renewed energy from my tasty meal. The traffic went from crawl to stop to crawl and back to stop again. It took three hours to go 10 miles. My mood in the car had turned dark and John Tesh had signed off the air an hour ago. It was midnight, nothing positive about life at the moment. I made a quick phone call to my work and then got the idea to circumvent the traffic by going through Tualatin (I5 northbound). I got into the right lane, which was moving at almost the speed of crawl and proceeded toward the exit, which was only about a mile down the road. When I got to the 205/5 split, I noticed cars and trucks littering the I5 northbound onramp and the conditions were slick and treacherous everywhere. Semi's stalled out, cars and small trucks spinning wheels in an effort to make it up on to the southbound on ramp. I made an impetuous decision. I jumped the line and quickly worked my car onto the I5 southbound lane. The traffic was very slow on the on ramp and we all crawled along the slick, icy, washboard roads toward the clear sanctuary of I5. I was home at 1:00 am, tired, beat, exhausted, foot hurting, but I was home! It was the best feeling in the entire world. It didn't matter that Emily was sacked out on the couch and all the lights were out, I was home! Bob had waited up for me and I was able to tell him the whole miserable story! It helped, but I was still wired from having to drive through icy conditions and avoid crazy drivers. Sleep finally overtook me around 2:00 am.
