The retired snowbirds all get first dibs at everything!

[IT Grunt]

The SUV is only safer if you understand how to drive them and know that just because it is 4 wheel drive doesn't mean you can drive fast and go anywhere you want to.

Exactly, and that's the only reason I got a pickup with 4WD. I live 'off the beaten' path as it were, and yes, the instructions to my house include 'turn off the paved road.' After one winter where the snow was so deep my compact was stuck for three days until it melted, I bought myself a truck that will allow me to get to work and back, as well as to the store for necessities. Even with 4WD on, I do not drive any faster than the road will allow. (Unlike some morons who I inevitably see with the front of their car buried under the snow they plowed up as they slid into someone's yard.)

[Antisocial_Worker]

God bless you, greensinestro! We just got rid of the snowbirds up here, so I understand your plight. The roads are now clear of the blue-haired old ladies driving WAY TOO SLOW in their gigantic boat-cars. (Oh no! A curve! I better take this one at 10 mph!) Of course, we rarely get a break up here. We're currently in leaf season, which will be followed by ski season, which will end just in time for the annual migration of the snow birds in the spring.

Every native of the mountains of North Carolina worth his or her salt knows how to pass someone on a curve. You have to learn or else you'll go insane.

Sometimes you'll still come close when you see a car with a tag from some flat place putting on its turn signal to indicate that yes, it is going to take the curve instead of perhaps plowing a new trail straight through the woods instead.

[SuperB]

The SUV is only safer if you understand how to drive them and know that just because it is 4 wheel drive doesn't mean you can drive fast and go anywhere you want to.

We see that a lot up here. SUV's, driven by people with zero knowledge of how to drive in the snow, are the number one cause of accidents. It's just like the idiots who put chains on and think they can now drive as if the pavement is dry and black.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Here in Florida, we call them snowbirds for obvious reasons, and the bulk of them are from areas of New York state.

When I spent my year-and-a-half there, I ran into a lot of people from Michigan and Ohio, in addition to NYers.

I had no love for any of 'em.

[Luna]

My aunt wants me and DH to visit her in FL. Not in the winter I'm not! For exactly the reasons mentioned.

Plus my MIL told me she keeps her heated indoor pool piss-hot becasue she says she's cold all the time. Ew.

[mattm04]

I live in Connecticut. Ia ma always amazed at the number of people I see driving around with Connecticut or Massachusetts plates, looking at leaves. Lake they can't look out their own window. I know some could be rentals, but not all of them.

[ArenaBoy]

My grandparents moved down to Florida to get away from the snow. They said that unlike most idiots they just said screw it and move down there and enjoy themselves. They've lived there for nearly 10 years now.

[Jack7957]

The natives of south Texas have a love/hate relationship with them down here. These snow bird types usually cannot drive, so one of their adult kids drives them down here. Then leaves them the car. The streets can get scary! When the wreck happens, they are quick to blame anyone but themselves and their lost ability to control a car.

I was eating at a fast food place one day and saw a woman with her elderly parents out for lunch. Watch them leaving, the woman helping the mother into the passenger seat while the father slowly (2-3 minutes to make it across the parking lot) made his way to the car. The father then gets in the drivers seat and drives off. I'm glad I wasn't on the road with him driving. If his reaction time is anything like his walking time, there's an accident bound to happen soon.

... it's like, come on people, I drive a subcompact quite safely, yet these can't handle anything less than an SUV. I hate it when they say that 4-wheel drive is safer in those conditions... guess what, no it's not... at least once a week I'd have to fill out incident reports from idiots who thought that 4-wheel drive was safe, got going to fast, and couldn't STOP.

For about seven years I drove a Toyota MR2 to work through snow country, about 40 miles on the highway. I never tried to keep count of the number of people off the road when they tried driving their SUV too fast for conditions.

[Rine]

Yes, I have all ready ran into a few snowbirds (all from Canada) down here. There's more out of state tags than usual and you can spot an outta towner because they freak out when they drive through the construction zones. Also, there was a Canadian pair (from Quebec, actually) I met the other day in the store and they complained to me that it was cold here (Fifty was the low the other day; sort of rare for this time of the year, actually). Well, if they are all ready complaining...this does not bode well for the rest of the winter snowbird season.

[greensinestro]

That's funny, I live next to the ocean and winter is when all our annoying yuppie tourists leave! But I am very sympathetic to your plight. Tourists may bring in a lot of money, but they are a pain in the ass for the locals.

Not to poke at any nationality in general, but the attitude with these people is "We're doing you all a favor by coming here." I don't think so. Why I would think these people are doing us a favor by spending their money here? They're the biggest amount of tightwads around, yet have buttloads of money to spend. The only favor they do here is when they leave.

[Boozy]

I like winters here in Canada because the elderly tightwads all go south to bother greensinestro instead of me.

I live in a city where it seems like half the population is retired, and the other half are students. It makes for some truly hilarious traffic-related incidents, given that seniors seem to drive 10 miles under the limit and students about 20 over.

[blas]

There's ONLY 3 reasons to enjoy winter around here:

1) Christmas
2) My bday
3) The old lady downstairs and however many other countless senior citizens head down South for the winter

So sorry to all you CSers from down south that have to deal with our cranky old farts.

[greensinestro]

3) The old lady downstairs and however many other countless senior citizens head down South for the winter

So sorry to all you CSers from down south that have to deal with our cranky old farts.

That's where I'm at, and I think that's why gas has hit over $3 a gallon once again!

[ArenaBoy]

Winters in Michigan and Canada are always fun but they aren't for everybody. My town is a notorious yuppie/old money town so most of the older folks disappear to the South for winter reasons. It's always amusing though seeing the yuppies bitch and moan about winter here.

An amusing story I heard from a family friend a few days ago: For clarity this person's name is M. M was down in Florida visiting her friend T a few years ago. T and M were driving down a 3 lane highway and were going to lunch. They're in the middle lane. In the lane next to them is a car with a driver (We all know who's driving these cars) that can be barely seen and is going slow. The same applies for the right lane. M suggests to T to speed up and pass them. T says nope and to watch what happens. The two cars begin to drift closer to the middle, it got to a point that the cars nearly bumped each other. T looks at M and says "That's why."