Video: snowbound motorists in Eastport

Here’s a video of what Deep Cove Rd. in Eastport looked like yesterday afternoon, after the snow stopped falling from the sky but while the winds were still howling. This section of road is at the southeastern end of the municipal airport, where the wind was roaring down the runway before it blew over the road.

It took me more than three hours to drive from Ellsworth to Eastport yesterday – a trip that under normal conditions takes about two hours and 15 minutes. The drifting conditions on Deep Cove Rd., which is a dead-end road and is not heavily used, were the worst I saw yesterday but other roads were not great. Route 1, the main highway along the coast, was narrowed down to one lane just west of Machias due to drifts blowing into the southbound lane and, where the road crosses the Middle River, visibility was about five feet when I drove through there around noon. Conditions were better last night when I drove home, after the winds had subsided a bit.

Chris & Ashley Scott, whose vehicles were stopped ahead of me on Deep Cove Rd., said a tow truck driver was coming to help them out. They seemed to be taking their situation in stride, with a combination of amusement and awe. The wind was blowing like crazy and the whipping snow made it hard to see, so we didn’t talk long. I tried to kneel next to their van to get away from the prolonged blast of wind, but when that didn’t work I stumbled back to my car.

A plow truck pulled up and I drove off back toward downtown Eastport. Chris has since posted about the experience on social media, so they seem to have made it out OK.

This video is a good reminder of why officials recommend that people do not drive in significant snowstorms. The storm was over yesterday when I set out for Eastport and, though the roads were mostly in decent shape, I proceeded cautiously. Had the snow still been falling, and if conditions similar to this section of Deep Cove Rd. been more prevalent, I doubt I would have made it more than a few hundred yards from my house.

Bill Trotter

About Bill Trotter

A news reporter in coastal Maine for more than 20 years, Bill Trotter writes about how the Atlantic Ocean and the state's iconic coastline help to shape the lives of coastal Maine residents and visitors. He writes about fisheries, marine-related topics, eastern coastal Maine communities and more for the BDN. He lives in Ellsworth. Follow him on Twitter at @billtrotter.