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Even before I moved to Maine, I was forewarned of the climatic conditions I would soon face. In California, my brother and I wore socks on our hands when flurries fell from the sky. Having never seen snow prior to this experience, we were delighted - yet unprepared. We wore over sized sweatshirts and socks for mittens; the snow accumulation was very minimal.
When my father sent photographs of our new home in mid May, my brother and I were shocked to see snow! Not merely snow, there were foot high banks around our new home. Having lived in Idaho for the past several years, where school was canceled if an inch accumulated, this heavy snowfall was unimaginable. Shortly after moving to Maine someone explained to me the workings of Northern Maine climate.
"There are three seasons," he explained matter-of-factly. "There is winter, which is longest of all. Then before and after winter is mud season, and for a short-lived period mid way through mud season you will find the third season- July."
So there you have it. Winter, Mud season, and July. Some years we really don't even have July, or as some would refer to it, "summer".
Our winters are hard for some faraway-living people to grasp, and hard for some Northern Maine inhabitants to withstand. Winters can certainly vary. A few years back, in the winter of 2007-2008, Northern Maine broke record snowfall. In Caribou snow fall for the season was 182.5 inches! In the spring it caused a great deal of damage in the north part of the county when flooding destroyed homes and businesses. This is not how all winters are though.
This year has proven to be an oddity. Without bearing strict statistical values, let's just say it's been quite warm and snow-less. This bears many diverse reactions among those living in Aroostook County. Some individuals are having the best winter in years: feeling in great spirits, full of energy, and not terrified to drive. Others are devastated by the loss of time to pursue their beloved winter activities. Sled Heads still today cling to the dirt ridden trails, scarcely sprinkled in snow. Ice fisherman still take residence in their ice cabins over weekends, stirring little over the creaking, shifting ice at night. Those who love to ski and snowboard felt the loss by way of rugged trails: grass poking out in random places and snow thinly packed over rocks and ice.
While the lack of snowfall has made this winter less than exciting for most, it bears the fact that mud season is nearby. With mud season occurring so early in the year this could mean huge things for Northern Maine. It could mean the addition of something that has not been experienced in the area for quite some time-- a fourth season. At this quickened rate of seasonal change, Aroostook County could see its first August in years! It will be interesting to see how this situation develops in the coming months. This could mean big things for summer enthusiast who call Maine home.
At virtually any location in the United States bad drivers can be found by the handful. They aggravate us and make us late on a daily basis. We honk. We cuss. We hold up our middle fingers in dismay. Yes, bad drivers are universal, and there is nothing that will change this. What is not likely to be found everywhere in the country however, are the terrible driving conditions occurring in Northern Maine.
The biggest menace regarding road conditions is the notably inclement weather faced every year. Snow is piled high along both sides of the road, appearing like bumper lanes in a faded, old bowling alley. It stretches itself in tendrils across roadways in windy areas, creating drifts sometimes a foot high in places. The drifts jut across the lanes, daring approaching vehicles to crash through them, often jerking cars about as they cross the way. Beneath the snow is most always ice. Black ice, scarcely noticeable across the dark tarred surface. It causes many accidents yearly, sometimes fatal.
Often when the snow really comes, it comes hard and long. It will snow for many hours and when the flakes cease to fall, varied thicknesses of snow claim the land. It takes effort to even leave the house. One must plow or shovel to leave the driveway at all, and then the conditions that greet them thereafter are not always smooth.
It is really not an unusual occurrence to come upon multiple vehicles in the ditch or snowbank on the way to a destination, following a snowstorm. Most individuals who have lived in the area have ended up there at least once in their lives. Routinely people pull each other out of the ditch rather than call for a tow truck which will cost them.
Aside from snow, other dangers await the northern traveler. Moose will make their way into the middle of the road regardless of who is approaching. Then, they will continue to stand there, or run further into the way of traffic. Typically they are not considered, by locals, to be the brightest members of the animal kingdom. Aside from moose there are deer and skunks and raccoon, which increase the likelihood of colliding with an animal.
Though conditions arise in all areas that create dangerous situations for drivers, Aroostook County citizens must tirelessly watch for moose and icy conditions. Anxiety fills many when leaving the house each winter day, or when driving at night in the case of moose. Yet commuting is an essential part of the lives of people in Northern Maine. Locations are more distant from one another, towns often spread many miles apart as well. Drivers in Maine must drive smart to avoid the hazards that await them every day.
In almost every geographic location, horrible drivers and horrible driving conditions can be found. Whether the circumstances are blamed on the weather or not, it can be incredibly frustrating to find yourself stuck behind the individual who is driving twenty miles below the speed limit. From the time I first found myself taking residence in the area I was impressed by the great number of wildlife and natural conditions. What I did not realize was that the area of Aroostook County is also heavily saturated with terrible drivers and driving conditions. To begin this short series regarding the wondrous conditions of driving in Northern Maine I touch upon those who take to the roads daily, seemingly in effort to irritate the heck out of all those who share the road with them.
There are several "types" of drivers who can be easily spotted roaming dirt roads, interstates, and town roads alike. They are the ones who pull over at the slightest inconvenience. Usually they are seen pulled to the side of the road (breakdown lane), still driving, as if it were an actual lane to be used for regular traffic. Sometimes it is rainfall that causes them to sideskirt, other times it may be snow or sleet, but often it can also be caused by fear in general. An older woman becomes frightened by the rapidly increasing number of cars following closely behind her, as she drives fifteen below the speed limit. In a storm it makes it much more difficult to swerve around unsuspected cars that slightly loom into the lane.
My least favorite type of driver in Maine is the person who rides an inch from your bumper the whole way home. A friend of mine from out of state pointed this out incredulously after dwelling in the area for a few months.
"I've never seen anything like it!" He said, "there are miles and miles and miles of open road, but the only TWO cars on it MUST ride on top of each other?"
Yes, I'm the terribly spiteful car in front of that driver who taps the breaks to scare the daylights out of them. Although I do not recommend this practice for safety reasons, it has proven to be immensely helpful in providing a hint. They usually back off for fear of ending up in my back seat. :)
On a side note the way people park in the winter time is quite ridiculous as well. Just because there is snow does not mean one can not use common sense when parking a vehicle. Instead, when pulling into a parking lot, it appears that chimpanzees were responsible for parking the cars. Several vehicles end up diagonal, spread across three lanes. It is excruciating to see many many parking spaces that are just barely not wide enough because someone couldn't park slightly to the left... a foot perhaps.
I don't mean to sound like I believe the driving customs of Aroostook County are anything severely profound. These drivers exist everywhere, annoying thousands of other drivers like myself. Perhaps, if we work together, we can rid the roads of these terrible drivers by encouraging them to revisit driver's ed, or take the bus or taxi. As one mass, we have the power to change the world of driving, one parking space at a time.
