FAIRMONT — There’s always this span of time when the snow melts and the beauty of the landscape suffers for it. Bare trees once frosted with snow are just bare again. The streets and sidewalks are covered with cinders and dust.
The brighter the sun shines, the uglier it looks.
Of course, who can complain about lack of snow when we’ve been pummeled with the white stuff and all of its variations for three months. A 42-degree day, like we enjoyed Saturday, with bright blue skies and an even brighter light from the sun is a welcome relief.
The sunlight has one more added benefit — it shines a light on potholes that are big enough to bathe in. The freezing and thawing of a seemingly endless amount of precipitation wreaks havoc on roads. Scraping snow away takes chunks of asphalt. Little cracks become bigger cracks, which mature to holes before too long.
And so the game begins. You’re driving down a road, which has essentially reverted to a one-lane roadway because three feet of plowed snow is piled up on either side of the street. A car comes along traveling in the opposite direction. There may be enough space for you to eek by the other car as you both go on your merry way in opposite directions.
But you’ve got a problem. Unless you come to a dead halt in the road, you’re gonna hit a pothole big enough to hold an entire legion of angels.
So choose. (I know, it sounds like one of those adventure books from our childhood where you get to decide which door Johnny takes and then flip to either page 26, 49 or 75 based on your decision.)
Page 26: Swerve to miss the pothole and hit the other car. The deductible on your insurance policy is much less than it would cost to replace the front axle anyway.
Page 49: Come to a dead halt, skid on the cinders and hit the pothole anyway. This time, maybe the damage would be limited to a bent rim.
Page 75: Hit the pothole. Cause enough damage to your vehicle that it would be considered a total loss. Have to visit the doctor to repair your shattered teeth from the impact.
Well, might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. Potholes are a huge problem. And when there’s a huge problem, we like to discuss it online through our poll question that can be found each week at www.timeswv.com. Last week, we asked “How are you dealing with this winter’s crop of potholes?”
Looks like about 8 percent of our readers are hitting the holes. Those voters said “I’m spending a bunch for tires and repairs.”
For 19 percent, sounds like driving just isn’t as fun as reading an adventure book. Those voters said “I’m ready to quit driving and start walking.”
By far, the winner here are those that swerve to avoid the holes that could rival craters on the moon’s surface. Those 73 percent of the voters said “I’ve slowed down and dodged them so far.”
Well, here’s to dodging for at least two more months until the hot asphalt plants open and permanent repairs can be made.
This week, let’s talk about the health care legislation no one seems to be too happy about. What do you think?
Log on. Vote. E-mail me.
Misty Poe
Managing Editor
mpoe@timeswv.com
