No one has to remind me how troublesome travel can be over Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas. The first time I ever slid into the ditch was on my way back to Wichita State from a holiday trip to the family farm back in central Kansas in the early ’80s.
I knew the roads would be slick, so I tried to be careful. But I must have been traveling a bit too fast for one of the curves on K-96 east of Hutchinson, because I suddenly started a slow spin as if my car had decided to do a skating maneuver…and I was just along for the ride. The car spun a full circle and came to stop just off the edge of the road.
K-96 was just a two-lane road then, and my car was sitting on gently sloping grass. If anyone had seen me, they might have thought I simply pulled over for a break. I was instantly aware of how fortunate I was – that there was no other traffic on the highway at that time and that my car didn’t flip or hit anything in the ditch.
I put the car in park for a moment to collect myself, then shifted it into low. The tires took hold and I pulled back onto the highway. The rest of the trip passed without incident, but I’ll never forget that little holiday spin.
It’s just one reason I have never taken trips of any consequence for granted in winter.
Be careful out there.