We had a break for a few days. The temps got up to the high 30s and one day we had 44. But winter came back it seems.
-7 this morning. I’ll take it because it’s better then -49 (which is how cold we got at the lowest) In our 3 days of “non-cold” our snow settled down a lot, and the wind melted a lot more away, so now the snow here looks like it does every other year. Meaning we have a solid blanket from about 6 inches to about 16 inches, depending on where you stick the yardstick in. The places that were hip and chest deep are not so bad now. You can walk over it and not wade through it now.
February is usually our “snow month” so we are standing-by to see what we get. So far we have had only small snows, and so this Feb is not bad so far. If we were to get a series of small snows through February it would be good. More snow in the mountains to supply water for the summer.
The snows we got in December and January were more then most years in those months. What made it bad was how cold it got and it was combined with some stiff winds for a few days. I looked on line to see what the wind chill was supposed to be, but when I looked I almost wished I hadn’t. My worst day here it was -42 true temp, with a 35-38 MPH wind on top of that, and I and a few neighbors had no choice but to go out and work in it.
We had 4 trucks and 1 farm tractor all stuck in snow drifts blocking EVERY road in and out of the area. Knowing such cold can cause emergencies, we had no choice other then to get the roads un-blocked.
So I and a few other men were out running tow ropes and wench cables pulling and moving the stuck vehicles in that cold and wind. I can’t even tell you all how much fun that was.
I am REALLY looking forward to the time I can be out on the water in my kayak.
Yes that’s true.
I and several friends are in the planning stage of a 2 week long trip in late spring to the flaming gorge and green river. I also have a plan to go on another 5 day trip with another friend but that may not be until July.
I relate it to being a kid in the 60s and the only time of the year we had strawberries was just a couple weeks in the year and then you started your 11.5 month wait until the next year. Some people froze them and made jelly and that was great but nothing like strawberry shortcake with fresh berries. Now I can get them all 12 months and the imported ones are starting to taste as good as home grown. Without the waiting it just isn’t quite the same.
Maybe we tell ourselves that as living in the south around this point in the winter always sounds like a good idea as well. Lots of our friends are snowbirds and that is likely the best of both worlds except they miss seeing the grandkids and wont leave until after Christmas etc. The thing I actually hated the most about northern winters I never really realized until I retired. I hated getting up in the dark and having to try and fight my way to work only to have to drive home in the dark and start all over. Once I took work out of the equation a weeklong snowstorm wasn’t as big of a deal. It was an occasion to make soup or chilly and dream about spring and yes planning to make the most out of boating months we get.
I have friends that live in SC and had moved from up north and I had to laugh when I was down there he asked if I would help him winterize the pool. I found out he goes thru this whole process like we would up north but then in two months he ready to open the pool. Same thing with the boats they pull them out of the lake and put them in storage and then put them back in.
I like my seasons. Yesterday it got up to 68f here and they are predicting snow by tomorrow. I got outside and took a hike and picked up the yard and even trimmed a tree. Mini vacation day.
Earlier in this thread I predicted the deep cold was gone and not likely to return.
Well---- it’s -28.
Now that’s not as bad as what we got in January (as cold as -49 near by and here I got -43) but I was not expecting that much of a drop in February. We also got about deep layer of snow 2 days ago. I got the road opened up and plowed out yesterday.
When I am getting deep snow and wind together it can be a concern because if we don’t get the snow moved before it settles and packs it becomes impossible to move even for big farm equipment. The trenches get deeper because the berms we make with the plows have to get to the top of the snow blanket.
After 6 weeks of trying to get through, we had to get a bulldozer trailered over to open our main road from the big storm in December and January. Now we have another one that put down about 16 more inches. Winds blew it into drifts up to 42 inches deep. I worked all day yesterday to get that opened up and had the blessing of a good friend with a BIG 8WD John Deere too. So 2 of the 3 roads in to this area are now open again. The main road we may have to give up on. The tractor with 8 wheel spinning could not punch through those drifts. The biggest set is 3.5 to 4 feet deep and it stretches for about 400 yards.
But I work at my own shop, so no commute is necessary for my work.
My wife works in a nearby town so she has to drive a 36 round trip Monday -Friday. She skis down to the highway when we can’t get her 4WD in, so that is something that many would not like, but she is quite athletic and actually likes doing it as long as the temp is not REAL cold. Most of January is was REAL cold however, so this year she was not having as much fun.
Well February is 1/2 over and march is not far off. We were talking about getting the bulldozer trucked over again, but I think if we don’t get another big snow or more wind at low temps it would not be too long a wait for spring to simply melt down the drifts. If we do get any more, THEN we’ll call out the “Biggest Guns” and get the D8 Cat to plow out the main road.
But as you may guess… again no kayaking for me any time soon.
(Okay, so maybe that’s a little too drastic/not desirable/not practical.)
But here’s what my wife and I do, going on almost two decades in the snowy cold mountains of upstate NY, after living in warmer places/cities points south:
The day after Christmas/New Year’s Day, start a Holiday fund for the NEXT year. This is a fund not to buy family/friends gifts, but to PAY YOURSELF FIRST! The amount contributed week-to-week can be as little as one dollar, or ten percent of household income after monthly bills.
The gift? One week’s vacation(btw. Jan and March) to anywhere that has moving water and above freezing temps…Just throw a boat/two atop a car and go–Doesn’t mean necessarily flying off to the Bahamas!(Although that’ll work well too )We use a tape closed coffee can for this cash only slush fund. And some years, we only accumulated a few tanks of gas to drive a couple states south and camp,/stay in cheap motels. Better years, we’ve flown somewhere nice and warm.
None of it requires cutting in to our regular home expenses/or resorting to a credit card.
Point is, even one week cutting your frozen-in winter to get out and paddle/swim, etc. goes a long way to shortening the winter blues. (Even if you’re someone who likes different winter activities like skiing (as I do.)
Added bonus: A change of scenery/road trip makes one appreciate home sweet home all the more. Because “wishing” is an empty desire…And this, can get really old…
Hey Sing, my sister lives in College Station too. My brother in law used to work for the University/State emergency services for many years after retired from the Army. I too have never made it to visit her there. Every year or so we plan a trip and she has family emergencies to deal with and goes to help with grandkids etc. She has had lots of kids living in lots of different states. My wife spent a week in Houston one summer and refused to go back to Texas for about 20 years. My Brother in Law and I have planned a canoe trip if I ever make it out there.
Winter vacations to warmer places definitely help break up long winters. My husband and I used to do that when we lived in an even worse wintry zone. Here, winter normally is not too bad, but this year…SHEESH.
My sport consists of shoveling snow and chopping ice, and that’s in spite of hiring guys with tractors and front end loaders to do the main part of the driveway. Also the county road that the county never plows, period.
I’d love to hop on a plane to somewhere like HI, kayaking or no kayaking. At this stage of life we can actually afford to do more travel. First have to get over my intensified aversion to airports and crowded airplanes. Not gonna happen soon.
We’re going to southern Illinois next week. I won’t bring a boat this time because I need the rack space for the used boat I’m picking up on the way back, and I don’t have an iSUP. We may rent a canoe for a day if the outfitters are open. I like to go just a little bit south where the weather is great for paddling and you can enjoy a different environment and the local people vs going to snowbird destinations.
We lived in Houston for 8 years and my wife won’t go back either. I don’t know if it was the 95/95 summers, the copperheads found frequently in the yard, or the hurricanes and frequent flooding.
Winter is tough right now it is only getting up to the mid 70s with the water in the mid 50s. On the plus side the days are getting noticeably longer. I might have to head to FL for a week.
You guys are really pushing the envelope down there with those long sea kayaks.
Not only the hideous intemperate weather, but that fearsome and deceptively placid water–I’ll bet there’s some kind of nasty submerged rock gardens or lawd help us…gulp…alligators even!!!
–So concerned, I’m gonna send you down one of my spare helmets…
)We use a tape closed coffee can for this cash only slush fund. And some years, we only accumulated a few tanks of gas to drive a couple states south and camp,/stay in cheap motels. Better years, we’ve flown somewhere nice and warm. 
