Fog Ahead

I took a short drive over Afton Mountain today as I traveled from Crozet--where I'm staying this weekend--to Staunton, a small town on the other side of the mountain. With a slight mist in the air I didn't expect to have much of a scenic drive. What I got was pretty much no visibility at all.

There was a blinking road sign on the highway warning of fog on the mountain. "Drive with care," it said. I didn't think too much of the notice, but made sure my headlights were on just because I'm usually a pretty obedient driver. Do speed limits count?

The first light wisps of fog didn't bother me too much, but as the road continued its incline up the mountain the fog got thicker...and thicker...and even thicker. The car that was just two or three car lengths ahead of me disappeared into the white cloud like an object in a Stephen King movie. It was 12:30 in the afternoon, but it felt more like the set of a late night horror show.

I knew Waynesboro, the town on the other side of the mountain, was a mere five miles away; so if I could get through the worst of it there was sure to be clarity in six or seven minutes. I made out a road sign that announced my arrival in Augusta County. As my car left Nelson County the fog began to disperse, almost as quickly as it had thickened. The cars ahead of me came back into view and I let out a sigh of relief.