I guess people born and raised in a warm climate just don't know the pleasures of living in cold country:
- Like being a kid standing in line waiting for the school bus and it's 16 degrees out. And one of your "friends" flicks your nearly frozen earlobe.
- Your face is so cold that you don't even know your nose is running because your upper lip is numb.
- Ever lick an icecube and have your tongue stick to it? Well when it is REALLY cold and your hand is moist, it will stick to metal objects like hand rails. On some cold nights, you will REALLY regret not having gloves when you stop for gasoline and grab that pump handle.
- The hairs inside your nose can freeze to the inside of your nostrils.
- Sometimes the air can be warmer then the ground and rain will instantly freeze upon hitting the road surface. Sometimes the ground is just barely warm enough to be wet, and then an instant later the wet road is ice. Nothing like spiraling down a roadway doing 360s and absolutely NOTHING you can do about it.
- Snow looks great in photos. After about 10 minutes of shovelling, it doesn't look so great any longer.
- For some reason, the road departments use salt to help melt ice and snow on the roads. Ice and metals don't mix well. Parts of your car, being metal, don't last long when splashed with salt water frequently.
- Some people go insane when it snows or the roads ice up. I have seen people just barely able to walk to their cars without slipping on the ice get into them and then try to drive like they thought the cars would get more traction then their feet are getting.
- No matter how careful you are driving there will be 10 other vehicles around you whose drivers are less careful and likely to lose control of their vehicles at any moment. The most common cause of an accident is when someone feels their steering getting loose because they are on ice and they slam on the brakes in panic. If they are able to stop or slow down, you, being behind them, probably won't be able to. If they are beside you, there is a good chance that their car will start spinning the rear towards the side of your vehicle. Your skill will be no match for bad luck and fate.
- What might normally be a 15 minute drive home from work could wind up taking you 4 or more hours in a major snow or ice storm.
The last few years I lived in Maryland, I had a full sized 4WD Bronco. This was REAL 4 wheel drive as I had limited slip differentials front and rear. Even with that, and some rather aggressive tires, there were still a few instances where the roads were SO slick and I was on a slight incline that I just could not move at all. I had to find alternate routes that were more level. The biggest problem was getting around other vehicles that were STUCK but good.
Honestly, I don't miss that crap even one little bit. I haven't seen snow (except maybe a couple of flakes a couple of times) in about 15 years and have absolutely NO desire to ever see it again as long as I live.