A very perceptive thread about FOG was begun the other day by Leo Phillip. I am
sure that evoked blase responses from some, but anyone who has ever been caught
in FOG (as opposed to fog) will know exactly what he is talking about. It is
without doubt the worst hazard faced by any traveler. Everything else pales in
comparison. With snow and ice at least you can see the approaching ditch or
pillar which is about to cause you all kinds of headaches.In rare instances you
might even see the rapture on the face of some holy roller you are just about
to dispatch to the promised land.
But FOG! There, you can see neither approaching danger nor your way to safety.
You are just THERE. I have two personal stories to tell.
My late father, a Q brakeman, once told me of being on a local between
Brookfield and St. Joseph at first light of a spring morning. FOG was so thick
that the train was down to about five miles an hour with everyone in the cab
looking intently for the next signal board. The FOG was layered such thatthey
could barely see the ground but nothing (as in NOTHING) at eye level.Traversing
a creek bottom they knew that just after the next bridge there was a signal
board. After crossing the bridge they couldn?t see at all, so stopped. My
father had to get out of the cab, search for the signal, thenclimb the mast to
determine the indication. He then yelled that it was clear and the train moved
forward until the indication changed. At which time they stopped so my father
could reboard the train.
To be sure, fog stories can be like fish stories; they grow thicker and larger
with each retelling. But from the stories Leo and others have told I don't
doubt the truthfulness of this one. Besides, my dad wasn't given to
exaggeration.
With a railroad train at least you know the direction in which you are moving.
In a car you don't even have that. Once, on a winter night driving backfrom
Florida, I was in southern Georgia when fog began closing in. I was trying my
best to keep going until I reached an exit 20 miles ahead, planning to stay in
a motel there overnight. The visibility became so minimal thatI could not take
my eyes off the road even for the little time it would take to consult my
odometer. Ultimately, there was no visibility at all. None. (As in ZIP, ZERO,
NADA). I couldn't even see any pavement. The only thingto do was to move
gradually to the right of the road until I felt grass orgravel beneath the
tires, wait it out even if it took 12 hours, and hope no one hit me. Easing my
car to the right, of all things I found myself on the exit I was looking for!
Had I delayed the movement another 10 seconds I never would have found it. I
don't ever want to be caught in that position again. That happened 30 years go,
and it frightens me still.
Would love to hear others? accounts.
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