Driving 130 Miles in a Blizzard...

...is not something I can recommend. For various compelling reasons I had to get home to St. Paul on Sunday so I drove down Interstate 35 from Duluth. Against the advice of Minnesota's sheriffs' departments and the Weather Channel who spent the day pulling cars out of ditches and forecasting 8-12 inches of snow respectively. It was the first time I've driven any distance in a blizzard, but some of the other drivers scared me more than the weather. Visibility was practically zero, and still cars raced past, overtook, and in a couple of cases, skidded like crazy. I saw four vehicles in ditches, two accidents, and plenty of skids, fortunately none more serious than fender benders.

There's more snow forecast this week. Take care, drive slowly and safely, stay at home if you don't need to go out, keep your car prepared for winter, and keep a winter survival kit in your vehicle just in case.

• Preparing your car for winter
• A winter survival emergency kit