Potholes are car-killers!

Record high temperatures and unprecedented rainfall amounts for this time of year combined last week to get rid of a lot of snow. Yay!

But the persistent freeze/thaw cycle has left a few calling cards; namely, potholes large enough to swallow not only a tire, but the whole front end by times and, in one shocking instance, an entire car. With me in it!

Don’t worry – I’m fine. But it was certainly a surprise, thinking I was driving through a puddle only to feel the ground disappear beneath me and the car careen into the abyss.

The chasm was in the SuperStore parking lot, directly in front of the building by the first cart-corral. The rain was sheeting, the wipers were going full tilt and I had the kiddies in the back seat. Each of them was babbling about the rain and wind, wondering why it was so stormy-wet when it was winter.

I wasn’t wearing my weatherman’s hat at the time, peering intently instead through the windshield wondering why no one was parked proximate to the corral. Sure, there was a puddle to the right of it as I approached from the north and I guessed there was no way you could park near that pond and avoid a soaker. Good enough.

So I eased ahead slowly – luckily – and then fell literally into the soup. It’s an odd sensation to have an entire automobile simply drop into a puddle, but that’s what happened.

We went in with a thud and I thought grimly, ‘man, that’s another bill.’ Fortunately, no harm done, but I marveled at the depth and girth of this particular gulch. It was bigger than the car and although I’m supportive of underground parking, it wasn’t what I had in mind when I was leaving the lot.

Elsewhere, Prospect Road heading out of New Minas is a minefield, as pocked as any secondary road I’ve traveled lately. And the right turn onto Commercial Street coming off Prospect will surely test your rally car driving skills because there’s a pothole just around the corner that will suck the rubber right off the rim if you hit it.

A strip in Coldbrook, by the fast food outlets, is particularly brutal; the Ridge Road in Wolfville is a mess; and a couple of whoppers lurk by the Agricultural Research Station that could possibly put you off the road if you’re unlucky enough to hit them. People have driven in the middle lane (not recommended!) to avoid the rifts, which fill up with murky water when it rains and become cleverly disguised. Wild!

I hear that anything out by Sunken Lake and the North River Road is disastrous, too. Trouble is, when you’re driving and scouting for potholes at the same time, you’re really not watching the road. Yeah, car repairs are costly and it makes sense to protect your investment, but let’s face it; if you have one eye out for potholes and the other on the road in front of you, you’re at risk. Period.

I’m sure Transportation Dept. and Public Works crews will get on the ball shortly if they’re not on the case already and our roads will be intact again soon, but until then, take it easy. Drive defensively and don’t obsess on the hazards.

The consequences of being distracted by potholes at the expense of someone else’s health or safety is simply too great. Try to roll with ‘em, baby. Pray for less rain, moderate temperatures and more asphalt. Trust me; we’ll get through it, one bump and grind at a time.