Worst storm you ever drove in?

[Marv's Neighbor]

Born & raised in BUF, but have not lived there since '70.  Drove up for a wedding, mid December 2016.  Dreading crossing Pennsylvania, but it was fine.  Once we crossed into NY, the snow began, and didn't stop, till we left NY state, going home.

 

I know doppler radar is much refined/improved since then but WTF is a Snow Band??  Never experienced anything like that before.   I know where all the roads are/go, but how wide are they now?  Can't see; pavement, curbs, signs..nothing!   Am I on ; the road, the shoulder, someone's yard, just run over a large BILLS sign, etc.?

 

If I'm ever there again, and hear that snow bands are in the area, I'm not driving!

 

 

[Simon]

On 3/18/2022 at 11:51 PM, Augie said:

I was married just a few years and was living in Hilton Head, SC.

Wondering how long you spent in Hilton Head.

I'm heading to Daufuskie in a couple weeks; any tips if you know the island?

[Augie]

42 minutes ago, Simon said:

Wondering how long you spent in Hilton Head.

I'm heading to Daufuskie in a couple weeks; any tips if you know the island?

 

GOOD FOR YOU!

 

I started going to HHI in 1977, moved there after college in 1982. Met my wife there and our kids were born there. Moved to Sarasota in 1993, but get back maybe every other year. I will be buried there (hopefully no time soon) with much of my family. 

 

I would have been a great source decades ago, but I’m not your “up-to-date” guy now. I’m certainly good for general questions. Daufuskie is beautiful, but remote and quiet. I’m sure you know it’s only accessible by boat. There were two main developments back then, Haig Point at the north end of the island and Melrose Club (?). Melrose was proud of their international membership showing their list of members to prospects. Unfortunately, the people from Japan and Finland rarely dropped in to buy a burger.

 

The monthly minimums rose to cover expenses went up so much you could’t give Melrose memberships away. They started at $35K (maybe 1985), rose to about $65k because it was so “cool”, then they jacked up the minimums and my parents eventually bought one for $500. A lawyer buddy I used for bank forecloses, etc would take us over for golf,  tennis, food and drink trying to meet the minimums. “WAIT! Don’t you need a hat and maybe a putter?” 

 

Melrose was awesome but is now known as something else. It’s beaches looked across Calibogue Sound to Harbor Town and South Beach. I’d go there tomorrow for a vacation. Cabanas along the beach were great. 

 

Bloody Point came a little later with what I think is a Jack Nicholas course I think I played once. Outside the plantations, it was rough, and the roads were not all paved. Pat Conroy wrote the book The Water is Wide, turned into the movie Conrack, with Jon Voight. 

 

It’s a beautiful place. I don’t know the current version, but I’m sure you’ll have a great time. They have water taxi’s over to Harbor Town still, I believe.  Harbor Town is awesome, and quintessential Hilton Head. It’s not huge, but it would be a mistake not to visit once. The 18th Green of the Harbor Town course (the week after the Masters every year) goes right up to the harbor and is a classic golf venue. 

 

If you get to Harbor Town, I highly recommend dinner at CQ’s. I hope it lives up to what it was for decades, but, restaurants…..you never know. 

 

 

.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Augie

[Beerball]

I once had to dive in HS and the weather outside was frightful. Ohhhh, sorry I read the thread title incorrectly. My bad.

[Rockpile233]

One that continues to stick out in my head was actually coming home from

a Bills game. There has been a few bad rides home with weather, but this one was an out of town trip.

 

I forget the exact year, 07 or 08 against Cleveland. Both teams had a playoff chance still and I was desperate to be at the game. Drove in the night before because they were saying we were getting a bad storm and slept at some dock we later tailgated at the next morning. Storm eventually came and if you remember it was a brutal unplayable game in Cleveland the Bills lost.

 

The drive home still haunts me. I was on very little sleep and shot and soaked from standing in the blizzard. Drunk Browns fans were torturing us as well. If took nearly 8 hours to drive home from Cleveland in a total whiteout. By far the worst drive I’ve had to take.

[DrW]

For three years in the mid-1990s my then-girlfriend, now-wife was a postdoc in Montreal while I worked in Rochester. About every other weekend we would alternate visiting the each other. Several times each winter there were nasty storms. Especially bad was the lake-effect snow on the I-81 between Pulaski and Watertown. Often the best thing to do was to wait for the next snow plow and follow it. Well, I should not complain too much as I was protected by several tons of metal in the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, while she did the trip in an old Ford Escort.

Edited March 25, 2022 by DrW

[Augie]

10 hours ago, Beerball said:

I once had to dive in HS and the weather outside was frightful. Ohhhh, sorry I read the thread title incorrectly. My bad.

 

We don’t want to hear about your swimming history! Try to stay on topic, would you? 

[Simon]

21 hours ago, Augie said:

 

GOOD FOR YOU!

 

I started going to HHI in 1977, moved there after college in 1982. Met my wife there and our kids were born there. Moved to Sarasota in 1993, but get back maybe every other year. I will be buried there (hopefully no time soon) with much of my family. 

 

I would have been a great source decades ago, but I’m not your “up-to-date” guy now. I’m certainly good for general questions. Daufuskie is beautiful, but remote and quiet. I’m sure you know it’s only accessible by boat. There were two main developments back then, Haig Point at the north end of the island and Melrose Club (?). Melrose was proud of their international membership showing their list of members to prospects. Unfortunately, the people from Japan and Finland rarely dropped in to buy a burger.

 

The monthly minimums rose to cover expenses went up so much you could’t give Melrose memberships away. They started at $35K (maybe 1985), rose to about $65k because it was so “cool”, then they jacked up the minimums and my parents eventually bought one for $500. A lawyer buddy I used for bank forecloses, etc would take us over for golf,  tennis, food and drink trying to meet the minimums. “WAIT! Don’t you need a hat and maybe a putter?” 

 

Melrose was awesome but is now known as something else. It’s beaches looked across Calibogue Sound to Harbor Town and South Beach. I’d go there tomorrow for a vacation. Cabanas along the beach were great. 

 

Bloody Point came a little later with what I think is a Jack Nicholas course I think I played once. Outside the plantations, it was rough, and the roads were not all paved. Pat Conroy wrote the book The Water is Wide, turned into the movie Conrack, with Jon Voight. 

 

It’s a beautiful place. I don’t know the current version, but I’m sure you’ll have a great time. They have water taxi’s over to Harbor Town still, I believe.  Harbor Town is awesome, and quintessential Hilton Head. It’s not huge, but it would be a mistake not to visit once. The 18th Green of the Harbor Town course (the week after the Masters every year) goes right up to the harbor and is a classic golf venue. 

 

If you get to Harbor Town, I highly recommend dinner at CQ’s. I hope it lives up to what it was for decades, but, restaurants…..you never know. 

 

 

.

 

Thanks for the tips.

I'll probably head over to Harbor Town via kayak at least once, although I'm guessing that the nicer places would look at me askance if I walked in off the water with a paddle on my shoulder. I'm thinking the Salty Dog sounds more like a place I might fit in ; - )

[Augie]

5 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

Thanks for the tips.

I'll probably head over to Harbor Town via kayak at least once, although I'm guessing that the nicer places would look at me askance if I walked in off the water with a paddle on my shoulder. I'm thinking the Salty Dog sounds more like a place I might fit in ; - )

 

In the WAY BACK, I’d take my dogs to the beach down by the Salty Dog, then go drink at the bar while they dried out and dropped some sand before riding home in my convertible. Those were the days. I didn’t even own leashes. It was a bunch of regulars avoiding the tourists in Harbor Town.

 

Now? No dogs allowed near the Salty Dog. Bummer, but it’s so crowded it’s hard to even park nearby. Can’t add dogs to that mix. We banked the guy who built the big expansion down there. He sold well, the next guy thinks it was a bargain. 

 

If you can get to Harbor Town there is a trolly shuttle that will take you to the Beach Club, the Plantation Club (golf courses and a nice restaurant) and down to South Beach, home of the famous Salty Dog. I am positive you have seen one of those tee shirts somewhere, some time. A bartender down there told me he’s made more on the tee shirts than selling food and drink. All I know is he’s a VERY wealthy man! 

 

The shuttle is seasonal, but it should be available. If you have time, I’d recommend it to see the highlights of Sea Pines. Also, if you like golf at all, the Harbor Town clubhouse is open (with a nice restaurant) and you can walk thru the locker room where all the PGA players have their names on lockers. Pretty cool. 

 

Have fun!