I am a total failure at avoiding snow!

In fact, by going what I thought was out of my way to avoid snow, I ran into more snow -- and more dangerous driving conditions -- than I can remember seeing during any of my numerous drives across the country.

The drive from California was largely uneventful, and I wasn't at all concerned about winter driving until the day before yesterday when I learned of a snowstorm from Lake Erie, which was headed for much of Western Pennsylvania, particularly the Pittsburgh and PA Turnpike area. I thought it might pass, but ominously, it was snowing in Indianapolis yesterday morning, and it just got worse. By the time I reached Dayton, Ohio, snow was piling up and the blizzard was interfering with my driving. I was not about to drive north to Columbus, and then climb the horrid mountains to the PA Turnpike on Route 70 (already the subject of ice warnings). So, it occurred to me to look at a map, and I saw that if I headed south to Cincinnati I could pick up State Route 32, aka the Appalachian Highway.

I was much relieved by the fact that Dayton seemed to be on the edge of the snow line, and just 40 miles south it was ten degrees warmer and the snow was nonexistent to harmless.

Obviously, I thought south equals warmth. It all comes down to latitude. This thinking seemed confirmed by the beautiful scenery and serenity of the Appalachian Highway. Almost no cars, and even fewer trucks. I highly recommend the drive. I drove through Ohio Appalachian towns of Jackson, Athens, and all the way to the West Virginia border town of Parkersburg.

In addition to being a beautiful four lane divided highway with no traffic, Route 32 has an interesting history as an actual Indian trail:

With several slight deviations, a one-time Indian trail is now a section of the James Rhodes Appalachian Highway. Before then, the quickest route from Jackson to Athens went via McArthur -- a difference of about 30 miles by car.

It is no accident that the most direct route from Athens to Jackson is an Indian trail. Jackson was probably the spot most visited by Indians and early settlers in all the Ohio Valley. They came for the salt, which was very important to the early development of the United States. Before more sophisticated means were devised for extracting salt from the earth, settlers relied on deposits that had already risen to the surface. Consequently, all the routes leading to Jackson went directly to the salt springs. The settlers learned the way from the Indians, who had used the spring for countless generations.

To this day, one can view the petroglyphs (rock carvings) made by the Indians on the cliffs behind the Jackson salt spring. In the swampy area in front of the springs, Indian artifacts have been found as deep as ten feet. They include pottery, stone tools, and bone of various animals that had been used for food.

The goal was to avoid snow, and Route 32 was clear all the way.

Next was Route 50 from Parkersburg to Clarksburg, West Virginia. Another beautiful drive with no problems, and via Clarksburg I could connect to Interstate 79 North to Morgantown with no problem. From there, according to my map, I'd have a "straight shot" all the way to Hagerstown, Maryland on Interstate 68.

At no point did I suspect that this "straight shot" on a "major interstate" would take me through a snow area to rival Anchorage, Alaska!

You think I'm kidding? Route 68 runs smack through an alpine ski area in Maryland which boasts as follows:

The general manager of the Wisp Mountain Resort and Hotel, Rolland Palmer, said that the resort opened in the mid-1950s. "It’s the only ski resort in Maryland because we have the only mountains in Maryland," he said. "We’re at 3,000 feet. We get a couple of hundred inches of snow each winter."

Those who promote the area like to point out that the county has the highest elevation in the state and Deep Creek Lake gets heavier annual snowfall than Anchorage, Alaska.

There will be a blizzard at Wisp when it is raining only 40 miles away. Somehow Wisp gets snow, and lots of it!

Somehow I kept going in this white-knuckled state, and all of a sudden I ended up in Cumberland Maryland -- with shockingly clear skies and not a flake of snow. From there to Hagarstown it was almost flat and completely uneventful, and from Hagarstown I headed North on 81 to the harmless remaining stretch of the PA Turnpike.

Route 32 is highly recommended.

Route 68 is not -- unless you're into daredevil driving. Or skiing.

Lesson?

Latitude means nothing without taking into account altitude.