THE MORNING COMMUTE: The first thing I noticed when I walked out the door this morning was that it was WARMER! I checked the time and temp at the bank and it was 11 degrees!! The second thing I noticed was that the one inch of snow predicted for last night didn't happen-there was a slight dusting of snow on the windshield that was easily brushed off with my handy brusher/scrapper.
On the way to work I was thinking about the things I appreciate about the morning commute in Anchorage and the things I miss about the commute in Texas.
First, I miss line dividers...you know, those solid yellow or broken white things that tell you that you are in the correct place in the road...I really miss those! We sort of take them for granted until they disappear beneath several inches of ice-to reappear, I suppose, in March-April-May ("it depends" according to my handy team in the clinic).
I also miss zipping down the relatively empty highway between Snyder and Trent at 70 miles an hour without worrying about slipping, slidding, or otherwise ending up in a 6 foot snow bank! It took me 60 minutes to commute 60 miles....here it takes me 15 minutes to go the 5 miles to water aerobics at the YMCA....with my knuckles white and my shoulders tense. So much for doing all of my phone calls and catching up with friends on the commute like I did in Texas.
Now, the things I appreciate about the Anchorage commute. You understand that Anchorage is a "big city." What do you notice about big city traffic! Lots of horn honking.....something that you just don't hear in Anchorage. These are without a doubt the nicest, most considerate commuters I have ever driven with! They understand that a blinker means you need to change lanes and they slow down so you CAN!
I imagine that all of the drivers in Anchorage get frustrated with my slow driving...but, in actuality, no one has ever honked or otherwise been rude or impatient. And this is something you don't see commonly-several times I have seen both lanes of traffic backed up for a couple of blocks, slowly creeping up to the light and waiting and waiting and waiting. Then here is a car wanting out of a parking lot. The drivers wait and let the car in-I used to try and avoid these situations, sure I will never get in the traffic-no need to worry, just put your blinker on and in you go! But, here is the real shocker!!! The first time I saw someone trying to cross both lanes to go the opposite direction I thought, "good luck, buddy." I was the one in for the surprise-both lanes of traffic stopped and let the car go through and onto the other side of the road. I have seen this repeated enough times now to know it was not just an accident-it's those Alaska drivers!
Yesterday, however, was the highlight of my "driver watching".....I was waiting in line for the light to change (I think I sat through the light 5 or 6 times before I made it). This little car two lanes over suddenly jumped forward in a strange way so I looked over to see what was up and noticed a truck backing up. I realized that maybe the truck had rear ended the little car so I kept watching (it gets really boring sitting at red lights)....sure enough the lady in the truck got out and then the guy in the car got out. He was laughing! I heard him say, "It's just a little bruise....don't worry about it....have a good evening." All the while laughing. They both got back into their vehicles and moved on....yep, these Alaska drivers are something. You wouldn't see that in Dallas-probably not even in Abilene!
So, enjoy your morning commute-I might be afraid to sip my coffee, change the radio station, or, heaven forbid, use the cell phone....but, I will enjoy sharing the road wtih those Alaskan drivers.