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Linda, good luck to your son on his move to Rapid City. It's a beautiful city... driving in snow is tricky, even for people that have done it their whole life. The key is to drive slow, and keep plenty of room between you and the car in front of you.
Ditto. This is the best advice anyone will give you.
And remember that just because a road is clear of snow, it doesn'tmean that there isn't ICE. I'd rather drive on snowy roads than icy ones because snow gives traction. On ice, you're S.O.L.
A "commute" is different in everyone's eyes. I don't consider the distance from either of those first 2 apt's you listed as a "far" distance from downtown. I consider a "commute" to be 30-45 minutes. You can get everywhere in town within 15 minutes, unless you're driving on the main roads at 8am or 5pm, then a bit longer.
I can get from Rapid Valley to K4K on Deadwood Ave in less than 15 minutes after school. That's about a 8 mile drive one way.
Linda, good luck to your son on his move to Rapid City. It's a beautiful city... driving in snow is tricky, even for people that have done it their whole life. The key is to drive slow, and keep plenty of room between you and the car in front of you.
Another good tip that I would add is if you are driving on slick roads in town is to put your car in neutral when coming to a stop. With the transmission disengaged, your brakes have less resistance and you can stop a little bit quicker. I'm not saying you need to do this at every stop, but if you're inexperienced at driving on snow/ice, the tendency may be to go a little too fast and this technique will allow you to get slowed down and/or stopped faster.
Any INEXPERIENCED winter driver needs a seasoned EXPERIENCED snow driver to take them out to a large empty snow-covered parking lot and practice. There's nothing like the real deal to get the "feel" of when the car is skidding, how to "steer out of a skid", experience the lengthened braking distances, etc. Once your son arrives and is settled, he should ask a co-worker or friend to take him out and put him into a few skids for practice.
On the trip to Rapid City, just treat snow covered roads like the torrential mega down-pours of rain that Florida gets sometimes....gotta slow down, gentle on the gas, visibility is poor and the "other guy" will probably do something dumb and you'll need to get around him. If it's blowing heavy snow, find a place to wait it out, if it's flurries, just watch out for slick spots.
~ardsley
PS:Forgot to mention....last year there were only about 5 or 6 snowy days that would impact the driving....contrary to popular Florida opinion, in Rapid City, we experience very mild winters. If we wake up with an inch of snow on the roads, it's often gone by mid morning. Shhhh, we TRY to keep that a secret!
Last edited by ardsley; 11-18-2008 at 12:57 PM..
Reason: Additional Info
Great idea about practicing on an empty parking lot. I'll pass that on to him. He and Dad begin the 3-4 day trip tomorrow. Wish them luck!!! Which internet/ cable provider do you recommend in RC?
personally, I like knology (i still like to refer to them as blackhillsfiber), I tried midco for a year and went back. The rates are about the same as they are very competitive to get your business here. It just depends on your preferences.
We signed up with www.knology.com in August. They had a special for new customers, I think it is still available, rates were good. Phone (includes local and long distance), cable internet and television (expanded basic) for $69. Free installation, free modem. Rates stay low for first year, then go up to about $99 plus tax. Currently our $69/month comes to $79.21 with taxes added in.
~ardsley
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