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Today, Wednesday, the Northeast got hit with another snowstorm. Us, being in Virginia this morning or really until 3:00 this afternoon, saw none of the snow, only freezing rain this morning. By the time we headed out of Virginia, the roads were dry and safe and we were making excellent time driving up north.
Granted we were driving towards the snow but as the miles came and went through Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and finally New Jersey, we still hadn’t seen a bit of snow. I wasn’t unhappy with that, au contraire, it made driving very easy.
We didn’t see serious snow until we got on the Henry Hudson and even then the roads were clear. New York State did an excellent job of keeping their roads safely clear and maintained. Heading into Connecticut, we were extremely lucky that all along route 84 there wasn’t any snow falling and that it had been plowed earlier, so it was still safe. We also lucked out on route 8, it still wasn’t snowing and it was only towards the very end, after we had passed two police cars with their lights on stopped, blocking a crashed car off the side of route 8, that the roads had started to get slick due to falling snow.
Connecticut is the second wealthiest state per capita, but its actual state budget is close to the red each and every winter because due to their low tax rate, they never have enough in the coffers to keep their roads plowed in the winter. As I was driving, I couldn’t wait to hit the Massachusetts line because I knew that we would be home free, even if the snow started coming down harder. And I was correct, the line of demarcation between Massachusetts and Connecticut is astounding to see, it is literally a difference of two inches in depth of snow versus clean and salted black top. I love driving in Massachusetts in the winter because our state highway personnel really take care of our roads, we may have higher taxes, but I prefer to drive safely over ending up in a horrendous accident. It is really a matter of priorities; invest together in the common good for everyone or have more money individually and have dangerous roads. I prefer safety.