In 1977 my wife and I had an unusual experience driving down a one-lane road in the Canyon Area of Ruidoso, New Mexico. It is an area full of lodges and ski resorts. We had just been married the day before and we were on our honeymoon staying in the mountains at one of the many cabins situated high in the canyons above the small town below. The day we arrived was sunny, bright and chilly but it began to snow that night and the morning in question was found to be full of about six inches of white fluff.

We had no food in the cabin and we both decided to just drive down into the valley to get some groceries. Our mode of travel was a large metallic blue Mercury Marquee. I had never driven in newly fallen snow in the mountains and it was a new experience trying to control the large vehicle. As we started rolling down the one-lane farm to market road, we immediately began to lose the brakes and began to slide. On my right there was nothing but rocky walls and on my left there were drop-offs exposing some roofs of cabins and tall pine trees here and there. I struggled to gain control but nothing seemed to work