I went into winter knowing that somebody had to keep our half-mile gravel road and driveway clear. What I didn’t necessarily know was how much I’d enjoy being the one to do it.
The equipment: an F-250 with a plow. The assignment: learn what you’re doing, ideally before the next storm decides to teach you itself.
A half mile is longer in February
On paper, a half-mile road doesn’t sound terrible. Under snow, with turns to make and places to put everything, it becomes a real job. Gravel adds its own personality. You want to move the snow without rearranging the road underneath it.
You learn to pay attention to the edges, to where the snow will go after the next storm, and to how conditions change from one section to another. Fresh powder and wet, heavy snow are not the same problem. Neither is ice.
And you learn patience. Or at least you get regular opportunities to practice it.
The part I didn’t expect
I loved plowing. Really. There’s something satisfying about starting with a buried road and working your way toward a clear route home. It became one of those winter jobs I looked forward to instead of just tolerating.
I did also manage to give myself whiplash once. I’ll spare you a made-up dramatic explanation—I don’t need to embellish it. The injury was real, and a good reminder that heavy equipment and winter conditions demand attention even when you’re having fun.
I’m still learning. There are things an experienced plow operator probably knows without thinking that I have to figure out deliberately. But that’s part of taking care of this land, too.
The farm isn’t all cozy photographs and jars lined up on shelves. Sometimes it’s a truck, a long gravel road, and the satisfaction of being able to get out again after the snow flies.