at first , she did n't know what had made her think about it , but then she saw that she 'd stopped in front of a shoe store that had a winter clearance sale sign hanging over a lineup of snow boots-that still might be useful in the spring in upstate new york : late april could bring all kinds of different weather from cheery sun to miserable gray rain to snowstorms ... or even sleet and freezing rain ... that turned the roads superslick and dangerous , and made stopping impossible ... and increased the likelihood of vehicular death .