Wheel-well Snow

There's something strange about the snow that gets stuck and compacted into a car's wheel-wells. 

I was at the grocery store, yesterday, and realized that there was snow so massively impacted into the areas both behind and -- and this is simply more evident of how much snow we've been driving through -- in front of the tires that I couldn't even get it to fall when I kicked at it. 

** sidenote ** If you haven't ever lived in a snow-prone area, you may not realize that carefully kicking the panel of your car immediately adjacent to the snow-filled area will often result in the snow falling in a massive chunk onto the pavement. ** end sidenote **

** sidenote sidenote ** If you practice this procedure in your own garage, there is a good chance that a massive chunk of snow will land directly behind your tire. Not a big issue if it's warm-ish, but a huge problem if it's cold enough out that it re-freezes there. Basically, in this situation, you've just created your own ice tire block. (You know, like the rubber stoppers you shove under a door to keep it from sliding.) This is why you do it in a parking lot, instead, so you can back over it and leave before it has a chance to harden. ** end sidenote sidenote ** 

Okay... So there I was in the parking lot, yesterday, and the snow from behind the tires falls out, but the snow in front of the tires in the wheel-wells won't budge. I figured it was no big deal, since we're supposed to get above freezing this week, and it should soften and/or melt and fall out of its own accord in no time.

Tonight, having not driven anywhere during the warm and sunny-ish portions of the day, I was on my way to meet up with a friend of mine for a movie (Revolutionary Road -- we'll talk about that later), when I hit a bump and heard the snow hit my back right tire. It was kind of a horrible sound. If this hadn't been winter -- and if I hadn't seen how packed in the snow was, yesterday -- I probably would have immediately stopped the car and gotten out to check on it. Instead, I kept driving and listening for any changes. 

A block later, a pothole apparently jarred the chunk of semi-petrified snow loose from where it had been attached to the car. I know this because I suddenly started hearing it rub up against the tire. Not just when I hit a bump, but constantly. I sped up. Same noise (but faster). I slowed down. (Same -- but slower -- noise.) Finally, in the middle of a block, with no one behind me, I alternated between the brake and the accelerator for about 3 cycles. With a strange sliding noise which sounded oddly like a metal snow shovel cutting through a snowbank, the snow released its hold and fell to the ground. 

Or at least I'm assuming it did. For the rest of my drive -- even driving over bumps -- there was no more noise of protesting snow from the right rear wheel-well. 

Now if only the rest of our snow could go away as easily.