I can recall two extraordinarily slippery driving occasions... once in Alaska the highway was partially blocked because a school bus had slid off the road, couldn't get going again. I was in a Toyota Land Cruiser (the old FJ-40 style) and once I stopped it was so slippery that the truck just slid sideways down the very slight gradient caused by the crown of the road. When it reached the snowy shoulder it stopped.

The other time was in Oregon in 1964. It had snowed, frozen, and then rained so that Interstate 5 was black ice with water standing on top of it. I had to get from Eugene to Portland, about 110 miles, to catch an airline flight. My vehicle was a BMW and with my years of Alaskan driving experience I was the fastest vehicle out there. When I passed the State Troopers they probably looked at my Alaska license plate and decided to just let the idiot go. It was so slippery that I was slightly fish-tailing the whole time, and so nervous that once I pulled into a rest area to catch my breath. As soon as I stopped, the BMW slid and fell over. Oh, did I forget to mention that my BMW was an R-69s motorcycle? I couldn't get enough traction to pick it up again, so a truck driver had to help me slide it over so the wheels were against a curb and then the two of us were able to get it back upright. I did make the flight, but that was a memorable trip!

tanstaafl.