MilesandMiles
New member
Tug":1sdt3yjr said:
Tug, Those are great! I love old pictures from the "good ol' days"...long before I was born.
Tug, Those are great! I love old pictures from the "good ol' days"...long before I was born.
Yellowstone
New member
A few nights ago it was -30 F here in White Sulphur Springs, which has the distinction in Montana of having the longest name. But north of us it was -45 F. Funny, I never hear of our Canadian neighbors complaining about the cold. It has to come from somewhere. January was one of the warmest months on record.
Now this evening it is a balmy 32 F with rain mixed with snow tomorrow forecast with a high of 43 F. That Jim is warmer than most of Texas tomorrow. Something is really strange going on this winter. We have had less wind this winter, too. Our bird feeders are attracting birds that aren't suppose to winter in this region. Yet 20 miles to the north, a ski resort has 46 inches of packed snow.
The coldest winter I ever spent was on the Mississippi gulf coast in a poorly insulated home. Got down to 20 F and I just couldn't get warm until I moved back to Oregon that spring.
In northern Montana they had heavy snows early and then the Chinooks came and melted every thing. Next came very cold weather and put layers on ice on the ground. This was followed by deep snows and it has put the antelope and deer in real jeopardy because they can't get to their food sources. Even if they get into hay stacks, their digestive systems can't process the food and they starve to death with full stomachs.
The elk on the other hand handle the elements very well. Fence lines don't hinder them at all, and they hit the wind blown slopes for grass
and do quite well.
At least three months to go for open water for boating around here.
Think I will sell out and head to Florida.
John
Now this evening it is a balmy 32 F with rain mixed with snow tomorrow forecast with a high of 43 F. That Jim is warmer than most of Texas tomorrow. Something is really strange going on this winter. We have had less wind this winter, too. Our bird feeders are attracting birds that aren't suppose to winter in this region. Yet 20 miles to the north, a ski resort has 46 inches of packed snow.
The coldest winter I ever spent was on the Mississippi gulf coast in a poorly insulated home. Got down to 20 F and I just couldn't get warm until I moved back to Oregon that spring.
In northern Montana they had heavy snows early and then the Chinooks came and melted every thing. Next came very cold weather and put layers on ice on the ground. This was followed by deep snows and it has put the antelope and deer in real jeopardy because they can't get to their food sources. Even if they get into hay stacks, their digestive systems can't process the food and they starve to death with full stomachs.
The elk on the other hand handle the elements very well. Fence lines don't hinder them at all, and they hit the wind blown slopes for grass
and do quite well.
At least three months to go for open water for boating around here.
Think I will sell out and head to Florida.
John
Hi John,
43º? That w-w-w-w-would b-b-b-be n-n-nice. We're not going to see that for a high today.
Power was out all night last night; it's 54º in the house right now. Everything outside is covered with ice and the wind is still howling. My laptop and the Mifi have some juice left... maybe I should use my old laptop - the battery on that generates heat! ;-) Nothing on our island is moving. I brought in our generator to warm it up; if we don't have power by 8:00, we'll start generating our own... Joan is concerned about the fridge, I think we need some heat. We can always put groceries outside.
Little Izzy is sore from her shots at the vet yesterday, and is very confused about all this... especially the sound of ice pellets and ice chunks (blowing off the neighbor's palm trees) hitting the side of the house.
In 15 years of winters here, I've not seen it get below freezing and stay there for more than a couple hours, and that is rare. We're going on 48 hours with below freezing temps at this point. Some neighbors have covered plants, flowers, and bushes... I don't think that's gonna be enough.
I ran the Wallas in Wild Blue a couple times yesterday to keep the cabin temp above freezing. I put the motor down into the water to keep any water in the lower unit from freezing. I had a trouble light hanging in the cabin, but that doesn't help much when the power is out.
This is ugly in an area that never gets this kind of weather; there are homes down here that don't have a furnace (of course, our furnace doesn't help much without power), people who don't have winter coats... roads and bridges are closed because of the ice. No school yesterday or today because of the cold originally, and now the ice. For the last 3 days, our daytime highs have been running more than 40º below normal. The predictions of a day of cold and wind have turned into 3-4 days of worse than predicted.
Florida got their butts kicked earlier this winter, but this cold front missed them... I may see you there, John. :wink: If I move any further south, I'll be in Mexico.
Best wishes,
Jim (wearing a coat in the house right now)
43º? That w-w-w-w-would b-b-b-be n-n-nice. We're not going to see that for a high today.
Power was out all night last night; it's 54º in the house right now. Everything outside is covered with ice and the wind is still howling. My laptop and the Mifi have some juice left... maybe I should use my old laptop - the battery on that generates heat! ;-) Nothing on our island is moving. I brought in our generator to warm it up; if we don't have power by 8:00, we'll start generating our own... Joan is concerned about the fridge, I think we need some heat. We can always put groceries outside.
Little Izzy is sore from her shots at the vet yesterday, and is very confused about all this... especially the sound of ice pellets and ice chunks (blowing off the neighbor's palm trees) hitting the side of the house.
In 15 years of winters here, I've not seen it get below freezing and stay there for more than a couple hours, and that is rare. We're going on 48 hours with below freezing temps at this point. Some neighbors have covered plants, flowers, and bushes... I don't think that's gonna be enough.
I ran the Wallas in Wild Blue a couple times yesterday to keep the cabin temp above freezing. I put the motor down into the water to keep any water in the lower unit from freezing. I had a trouble light hanging in the cabin, but that doesn't help much when the power is out.
This is ugly in an area that never gets this kind of weather; there are homes down here that don't have a furnace (of course, our furnace doesn't help much without power), people who don't have winter coats... roads and bridges are closed because of the ice. No school yesterday or today because of the cold originally, and now the ice. For the last 3 days, our daytime highs have been running more than 40º below normal. The predictions of a day of cold and wind have turned into 3-4 days of worse than predicted.
Florida got their butts kicked earlier this winter, but this cold front missed them... I may see you there, John. :wink: If I move any further south, I'll be in Mexico.
Best wishes,
Jim (wearing a coat in the house right now)
http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb3 ... om2011.jpg
Jim that looks like you were hit very hard,the storm missed my area completly. This is a picture from Chicago taken earlier this week.I can not figure what all those cars were doing on the rode in the first place, they had lots of warning that the storm was coming.Tug
Jim that looks like you were hit very hard,the storm missed my area completly. This is a picture from Chicago taken earlier this week.I can not figure what all those cars were doing on the rode in the first place, they had lots of warning that the storm was coming.Tug
Jim,
From the warm and cozy northwest corner of Washington, we have cloudy high 40's. Maybe if you can get your fax machine plugged into your generator I could fax you some WA warm :hot . Seriously, I have been in Portland, for 8 days without power, and temps in the 25-35 degree range. There was a 6" layer of ice on every east facing anything. We emptied the fridge in to laundry baskets into the garage, and ran 100 feet of extension cord across the street to where the neighbors had power, sharing that with 2 other neighbors to keep freezers working. Sounds like you might want to put the fridge stuff on the patio, and move onto Wild Blue for a few days. Thank goodness for a working Wallas.
Hope you get warm soon.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
From the warm and cozy northwest corner of Washington, we have cloudy high 40's. Maybe if you can get your fax machine plugged into your generator I could fax you some WA warm :hot . Seriously, I have been in Portland, for 8 days without power, and temps in the 25-35 degree range. There was a 6" layer of ice on every east facing anything. We emptied the fridge in to laundry baskets into the garage, and ran 100 feet of extension cord across the street to where the neighbors had power, sharing that with 2 other neighbors to keep freezers working. Sounds like you might want to put the fridge stuff on the patio, and move onto Wild Blue for a few days. Thank goodness for a working Wallas.
Hope you get warm soon.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
All this is interesting for a guy from Paradise. :wink:
Why do the deer starve if they have hay; why can't they digest it? :?
Jim, I realize you're a smart guy and hopefully, I won't insult you, but please be careful w/ the generator. There was a story yesterday in the news about a couple who died when they ran their gen in their garage; carbon monoxide poisoning! He was a trooper.
I just talked to my SIL in Hawai'i; 70F and sunny. They were off to Haleiwa for a day at the beach. :evil: :roll:
Why do the deer starve if they have hay; why can't they digest it? :?
Jim, I realize you're a smart guy and hopefully, I won't insult you, but please be careful w/ the generator. There was a story yesterday in the news about a couple who died when they ran their gen in their garage; carbon monoxide poisoning! He was a trooper.
I just talked to my SIL in Hawai'i; 70F and sunny. They were off to Haleiwa for a day at the beach. :evil: :roll:
Thanks for your concern, Mark. The generator is OUTSIDE, set so the !@#$%^ wind is blowing the exhaust down the canal. I went out to get more fuel for the generator... what a mess! There is a tug and barges aground by our swingbridge; probably intentional, because the bridge can't open without power. I was able to get fuel, but had to wait for the one pump that didn't have so much ice on it, so you could read the screen. The power company trucks are out in force, working on downed lines and blown transformers. The truck was an iceburg, too hard and thick to scrape... I had to let it run for quite a while to soften up the ice on the windshield. There is going to be a LOT of tropical plantlife creamed. And one of the saddest things I saw this morning: people pulling sea turtles off the north shore of our island. They are cold-blooded, so when their body temps drop more than 10º, it puts them in a coma. Not sure if they were alive, but there was an entire pickup truck full of turtles wrapped in towels. They are endangered... really sad.
I checked on our elderly neighbors; everybody is doing OK, just cold. I let them know that we can make coffee or cook something for anyone who needs it. One cafe that I drove by this morning was dark, but open. It's our favorite little Mexican breakfast place, and it was packed. As long as the grill can run, so can they... so, grilled toast for anyone who doesn't want tortillas. :wink:
The word on the street is to expect another full day with no power. The causeway to South Padre Island is closed due to the ice. No school, most businesses are closed. I realize up north that a couple days in the 20s, freezing rain and ice, and a howling wind are somewhat typical for the winter... not here. It is sad to see the damage. Some homes don't have a furnace. Kids don't have heavy winter coats. At the animal shelter (where we found Izzy), most of the animals are in outdoor cages.
At noon, the temp just clicked to 32º, the longest stretch of below freezing temps I've seen in all our time down here. One more cold day and night before the temps moderate. Four days of "winter"... whew, I have certainly become a candy-ass. It's still a skating rink out there and I am WAY out of practice.
Warm wishes,
Jim B.
I checked on our elderly neighbors; everybody is doing OK, just cold. I let them know that we can make coffee or cook something for anyone who needs it. One cafe that I drove by this morning was dark, but open. It's our favorite little Mexican breakfast place, and it was packed. As long as the grill can run, so can they... so, grilled toast for anyone who doesn't want tortillas. :wink:
The word on the street is to expect another full day with no power. The causeway to South Padre Island is closed due to the ice. No school, most businesses are closed. I realize up north that a couple days in the 20s, freezing rain and ice, and a howling wind are somewhat typical for the winter... not here. It is sad to see the damage. Some homes don't have a furnace. Kids don't have heavy winter coats. At the animal shelter (where we found Izzy), most of the animals are in outdoor cages.
At noon, the temp just clicked to 32º, the longest stretch of below freezing temps I've seen in all our time down here. One more cold day and night before the temps moderate. Four days of "winter"... whew, I have certainly become a candy-ass. It's still a skating rink out there and I am WAY out of practice.
Warm wishes,
Jim B.
Yellowstone
New member
Jim - It is hard to convince people to expect extremes when they come so seldom in your area. But as you know in Montana we have two seasons, winter and summer, so virtually everyone is prepared. Still when we have our first snows and slippery roads, we have many fender benders. Many of us run studded tires for half the year.
Local boy - a little biology info for you. Montana has two different kinds of deer called the mule deer and the whitetail deer. The whitetail has the greater ability to handle varieties of forage. The mule deer, on the other hand has evolved to depend on forbs and shrubs which differ from grass and hay. The game biologists tell us that the bacteria upon which all ruminants depend on for breaking down their food differs by species, Hence what keeps and cow or horse going will not keep the deer alive. The deer depend on fat build up during the summer and fall to provide the calories when their natural food is not abundant enough. No food stamps, social security, and heated seats for our wild life. Only the fit and sometimes the lucky survive Montana winters.
John
Local boy - a little biology info for you. Montana has two different kinds of deer called the mule deer and the whitetail deer. The whitetail has the greater ability to handle varieties of forage. The mule deer, on the other hand has evolved to depend on forbs and shrubs which differ from grass and hay. The game biologists tell us that the bacteria upon which all ruminants depend on for breaking down their food differs by species, Hence what keeps and cow or horse going will not keep the deer alive. The deer depend on fat build up during the summer and fall to provide the calories when their natural food is not abundant enough. No food stamps, social security, and heated seats for our wild life. Only the fit and sometimes the lucky survive Montana winters.
John
Well, it FEELS like spring. KInda sorta. The power came back on late yesterday... made me appreciate what a lightweight I've become. :wink: We were better off than most since we're accustomed to boat/RV travel. The generator and portable cooking stuff made it livable, not to mention having a functioning head in the boat. We live on an island - when the power goes out, we lose water and sewage.
But this morning: glorious sunshine! It was 35º, which is WAY colder than a normal "winter" morning here, but it is above freezing and the wind isn't howling. Oh, and the heat is running. :wink: We'll be out on Wild Blue today. The high today will only be 58º, but tomorrow we'll be back to more normal temps, around 70º. After our 4 day "winter event", this is springtime.
But this morning: glorious sunshine! It was 35º, which is WAY colder than a normal "winter" morning here, but it is above freezing and the wind isn't howling. Oh, and the heat is running. :wink: We'll be out on Wild Blue today. The high today will only be 58º, but tomorrow we'll be back to more normal temps, around 70º. After our 4 day "winter event", this is springtime.
Yellowstone
New member
Jim - Are you heading to Jackson Hole this summer so you can experience some more cold weather?
John
John
What a difference a day makes. Beautiful sunshine!! We spent most of the day yesterday in our motor home in our garage. I propped the huge door open about 6 foot and opened the back passage door. That with the 3x3 vent at the rear of the garage and the North wind gave us enough ventilation to run the aquahot diesel heater. We ran the inverter for computers and routers. We moved most of our frozen food down the reefer in the motor home. We expected the generator to come on, but the new batteries have great reserve so we never used it. With the temperature around 50 in the house, we were comfortable in the motor home. Seems like there are a lot of leaks around town with broken pipes and valves. We lost water pressure this morning and now it is off completely. I guess I will just have go play in the tug.
Yellowstone
New member
Snowing again this evening and forecast to snow again tomorrow evening.However, no below zero weather , just low teens. The ski folks and snowmobilers are happy. Just three months and counting to spring.
Waitng for my C-Dory calendar to remind me of what lies ahead.
John
Waitng for my C-Dory calendar to remind me of what lies ahead.
John
Well,
Back from our spring trip to Poet Nook. First day was cloudy but the crabbing and prawning went well. Headed out by Cape Beale and caught some Rock cod. The next day was rainy but caught a couple fine Winter springs. Temps around plus 6 to plus 10.
Gas was 1.31 a litre but a good time was had by all.
Spring is definitely here now...
Andrew
Back from our spring trip to Poet Nook. First day was cloudy but the crabbing and prawning went well. Headed out by Cape Beale and caught some Rock cod. The next day was rainy but caught a couple fine Winter springs. Temps around plus 6 to plus 10.
Gas was 1.31 a litre but a good time was had by all.
Spring is definitely here now...
Andrew
Gorgeous day here in the PNW! The weather center in the kitchen says a balmy 61F outside!!!! :thup The sun is out, the sky is blue. 8) Got home from work, hooked a hose up to the Suzuki 150 and she started on the first try. Purred like a kitty for about 10 minutes & I shut it down. Has >3/4 tank left after last season.
It's so close...I can almost taste boating...
It's so close...I can almost taste boating...
Pat Anderson
New member
Sorry, Herb. We love you guys but you are DISQUALIFIED from talking about this subject! We have REAL seasons here, no sympathy at all for the mono-season climate on the Tropical Tip!
Walldog":21lmapug said:
Yellowstone
New member
The Sandhill Cranes have returned to White Suffering Springs. And, so have the nesting Canada geese. Below our home is a pond still frozen. In the center is a small island where they have nested for years. The geese in pairs are patiently waiting for the ice to leave before they nest.
The Smith River is ice free, so I could go canoeing. The other day driving by Canyon Ferry Lake, the sailboats were skating along, faster than if they were in the water. When the ice goes, sailboats will return. Perhaps in another month. Bad case of spring fever!
John
The Smith River is ice free, so I could go canoeing. The other day driving by Canyon Ferry Lake, the sailboats were skating along, faster than if they were in the water. When the ice goes, sailboats will return. Perhaps in another month. Bad case of spring fever!
John