Seattle is absolutely treacherous with ice. The grade on those hills precludes anything short of a ski lift to get to the top with.

Back when I worked there, it was a real pain. Combine that with rush hour and non-stop work on the 405 and a 15 mile drive could take 2 hours or more.

Denver was just as troubling, but more entertaining. One day we got a snow storm and everyone got sent home early. I caught a ride with two older detectives who worked downtown with me. These were old beat cops that had done their time on patrol and had done and seen it all. One of them had driven in and since they lived near me, we carpooled it home.

Needless to say, there were a lot of people who had no business being out on the road getting stuck and causing all sorts of traffic snarls. These two old cops were getting so worked up screaming at everyone, I just sat back, blended into the upholstery, and listened to them rant all the way home. I hadn't heard language like that since I had been aboard ship.

I guess when you've spent a lifetime dealing with driver stupidity, you run out of patience, compassion and understanding. Not too sure I would have wanted these two to stop and help were it me stuck in the snow. In most any other situation, these fellows were pretty cool to be around. But on that day, I was glad to get home and out of that mini van.