Drove my car to the end of the street
I already know this car (21 Rogue) is no good on snow. It has no wheel drive. I haven't driven it since last Sat. before the snow. I have a storage rental at the end of the street and thought I'd try to get out and drop the Feb. payment off. I was surprised and delighted to get the car out from where it was parked, behind a pile of plowed snow, onto the shy pavement, peeking out from a thin layer of the icy remnants of whatever you want to call the stubborn reminder of a sleet-snow-rain-ice storm. I heard that Eskimos have 1000 names for snow. I bet they don't have one for this crap!
I got down to the motel safely. My residential street is just barely passable. I turned into the lot, which hasn't been treated. The place used to be a motel that the owner converted into low-income housing and the tenants park their cars in the lot. I go in the entrance off my street, near the storage units and drive past most of the units to the drop off box. I was basically wishing my car along, because if I gave it gas, it slid. Maybe it didn't want to be out either. After I put the payment in the box, I usually go out the entrance onto Rt. 7,and turn onto my street, but that entrance is slanted, and I had nightmare visions of sliding into oncoming traffic, or across 4 lanes and on to the mighty Ohio River. So, I put my car in reverse and backed almost all the way back the the entrance I used. I was surprised and delighted to learn that the car is better on ice in reverse than in drive, and if I could get away with it, I'd drive in reverse until the streets are clear! As I reversed, I successfully avoided all of the parked cars, and the porch supports. I got to a space big enough to do a 3 point turn (thank you, my driver's ed. teacher for schooling us on that!) I got turned around and again, wished my car forward, maneuvered between a dumpster and the storage rentals, and back to the street. Naturally, a car was approaching, but I got stopped before the patch of ice that was almost the final hazard between me and home. I got back to my house, and it was a nail biter getting my car parked on the other side of the pile of plowed nightmare rock ice. But we did it, old unreliable and me. I am in, and I will probably reschedule my appt. Tuesday.
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That sounded treacherous
As you've discovered , only studded tires work on sheet ice....
Last year, it was stuck for 2 weeks, until the snow melted. I wanted to get new tires this fall. The place I go to said I could wait a couple months. They showed me tire options while I was there, and even with new tires, I don't think there will be much benefit.
I haven't been back to get new tires. I was caught out in early November in a surprise snowfall, about 3" in less than an hour. I was on the other side of town, and had one of my grands with me. You can't get across town without driving on hills. I picked the flattest route, but I was sliding horrible, barely missed 3 cars. I was so grateful when I got home and swore I would stay off the roads when it's like this. I did okay on the actual street, but not in the lot. I've driven different vehicles in snow or ice over the years, and this car is the worst. It's on my list to trade it in, maybe for huskies and a sled 
you need dedicated snow tires, not-all season...
So later generations can marvel at and aspire to your courage and dexterity. Did it not seem like an epic adventure at the time?
Great story, and I'm glad you made it okay.
