Lazy Daze Owners' Group

Black Ice

January 04, 2010, 08:57:53 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 109013

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I should have addressed this subject in my first message.  Black ice is a different type of phenomonon than snow or rain ice - it generally is caused by vapor freezing on the roadway and being completely transparent.  Your first indication is a loss of traction - like starting to slide down a moderately crowned road.
 We used to get this fairly often in mid-Idaho in the early 60's when I lived there for a time.  In winter, we were always on the lookout for it and drove at really slow speeds where we suspected it.  When we found it, we slowed to a walking speed and learned our own ways of keeping forward traction.
 In my case this December, I noticed some slight fog across the freeway, and slowed in the event it got thick, which it did not.  But it was indeed freezing on the roadway, and it was soon after entering the thin fogbank that I lost control.  I felt like a fool and still do.  The fog must have recently come down, for it was not until after I capsized that I noticed cars had been sliding off the road.  Luckily, I saw no rollovers among them and the snow slowed them all down. When the troopers arrived, they shut down the freeway for department of transportation sanding, and thereafter led convoys very slowly along that stretch of freeway.
 Anyway, you all be aware of the danger and be especially careful.  I also ought to add something else; in driving I-70 across Utah, in Fishlake National Forest, about 15 miles before I-70 joins I-15, the mountain pass is quite high and in every snowstorm becomes slick and dangerous.  The first time I drove it I got stranded for a few hours when an 18 wheeler a few vehicles ahead of me lost traction and jacknifed across the freeway.  When he was cleared, I drove about a steady 7 mph until we were down the other side.
 This Christmas, after the upset, we had to see our family for Christmas so we flew to Los Angeles.  As our continuing bad luck would have it, we both got terrible colds and congestion (I had to take Shirley to the emergency room Christmas evening because she thought she broke a rib coughing, which fortunately was not the case.)  But we could no longer go visiting family and friends for fear of infecting them and there were no flights available to home until New Years day, so we were forced to book Greyhound to get home.  When the bus got to Fishlake pass, it was icy.  But bless that driver, he slowed to about 20 mph and just let the big rigs and cars pass as quickly as they wished.  We got home a few hours late, but safe, and saw how a careful driver handled the ice in the mountains.

Good luck on the roads to all of you.

Gus Weber

Re: Black Ice

Reply #2 – January 05, 2010, 03:42:53 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 109029

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"Sounds like 'MR. PBLITZTIK' is following you guys around."
 Sounds as if you mean Joe Btfsplk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Btfsplk>). I wonder... was he any relation to Mister Mxyzptlk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Mxyzptlk>), the character in the Superman comics who caused mischief wherever he went? Second cousin, maybe? ;-)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/

Re: Black Ice

Reply #4 – January 11, 2010, 09:02:06 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 109153

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When I was a development and test engineer for Norton Motorcycles, I was deathly afraid of black ice. After all, the slick patch that caused you to fall off is the same one that the 18-wheeler is trying to stop on before it squashes you!
 I learned from an expert trucker that there's a way to tell whether you're on a wet surface or an icy one. Crack the driver's window open and listen.
 If you can hear "swish" you're fine - if it's not making any sound, you're on ice. I switched my full "bone dome" helmet for a skinnier one that didn't cover my ears so I could listen. It saved my tail several times.