The Snow is Falling

[Tunnelcat]

Aren't you in the Mary's River flood plain down there Grendel? At least the rain let up today though.

I've started noticing all sorts of tree damage around town from the snow and ice. My neighbor's pine tree lost 20 feet of it's top, which smashed the other neighbor's fence. Didn't hear it fall either. But during the wind and rain last night, I did hear a long lasting buzzing noise, like electricity arcing somewhere, then a big BANG. Somebody lost power, but not me.

[Krom]

I did hear a long lasting buzzing noise, like electricity arcing somewhere, then a big BANG. Somebody lost power, but not me.

Yeah, pole fuse goes off like a bomb usually.

[Tunnelcat]

It's REALLY scary if one goes off when you happen to be right under it. I had that happen to me one time years ago riding my bike on a sidewalk. I heard the bang above and looked up to see sparks flying. I damn near had a heart attack as I took off for the hills.

[Ferno]

hehe Don't listen to him TC. He's not driven in NW snow before.

I'll put canadian prairie snow and bc interior snow up against pacific northwest snow any day.

Is that s slipperiness or stickiness contest?

Here's a 4WD truck trying to get up a hill in Seattle. All four wheels are spinning too.

[youtube]Y8oPHwRQ7s8[/youtube]

Then you have these drivers trying to get around in just 2 measly inches of snow fer crying out load. We definitely win for slipperiness.

[youtube]r6zlkP8thkk[/youtube]

LOL @ the F350. what a tool. giving it MORE throttle to climb when the wheels are turning. I got two words for him. Throttle. Management. Every time he goosed it, he broke traction.

That mini, ford and subary were funny. I'll bet ya ten bucks they either had summer tires on, or really crappy all-seasons. That u-haul driver had the right idea.

Since we're posting videos... THIS is how you get around in snow. [youtube]oXDk4DMhH40[/youtube]

[Scoundrl]

Now thats some snow!

[Grendel]

Aren't you in the Mary's River flood plain down there Grendel? At least the rain let up today though.

Technical I believe I am, yes (and the Willamette.) Haven't had any problems so far, knock on wood. Even when 99 was closed (a year ago ?) there wasn't any thread for this neighborhood Although no being able to get into town for a while was pretty annoying..

[Tunnelcat]

Good one Ferno. But tires that tall and aggressive would work in ANY snow. Ice, I bet not so much. Studs are much better.

Scoundrl, where was that picture taken?

Floating down the street yet Grendel? It rained buckets all day today and the wind howled this afternoon. Hope the rivers stay put yet again. The confluence of the Marys and the Willamette tend to block the south part of town when they flood. We got .78 inches of rain just today and 5.16 inches for February so far. I said we needed some rain, not a royal hosing.

Corvallis Weather Home

[Ferno]

Ice, I bet not so much. Studs are much better.

Any tires will work. It's all in knowing how not to lock up the wheels.

funny thing happens when you have a lot of surface area and when one goes slow. any water that forms will re-freeze almost instantly. ergo, traction on ice.

[Scoundrl]

Scoundrl, where was that picture taken?

Out past Molalla OR, on the way to Rhody Lake.

[Tunnelcat]

Ice, I bet not so much. Studs are much better.

Any tires will work. It's all in knowing how not to lock up the wheels.

funny thing happens when you have a lot of surface area and when one goes slow. any water that forms will re-freeze almost instantly. ergo, traction on ice.

I guess that idiots who keep spinning their tires trying to get moving haven't figured that fact out yet.

Out past Molalla OR, on the way to Rhody Lake.

Well, we did need A LOT more snow in the mountains. Impressive looking.

[Ferno]

I guess that idiots who keep spinning their tires trying to get moving haven't figured that fact out yet.

haha, nope. they figure "more throttle=more go".


take winter tires for example. they work for two reasons. softer compound that stays flexible when the temperature drops, giving a larger contact area, and a higher count of sipes that lock the tire to the ice by way of frozen water inside them.

Since pressure is what causes the ice to melt between the surface and tire, one must keep in mind that too much speed will cause an excess of water to build up in front and underneath the tire causing slippage.

[Tunnelcat]

You're forgetting that we get triple point snow and ice here. The snow or water will freeze at night, but during the day, it usually warms up to around freezing, so a layer of water will form on top of the ice. No amount of sitting still or starting up slowly is gonna refreeze it enough to get traction. It's like snot on top of grease.

I watched some guy park his car on a hill one time, get out and start unsteadily walking away on a really icy day. Just as he got 3 feet from his car, it started sliding the the hill on it's own accord. He tried getting behind it to stop it, but it took another neighbor jamming a peice of wood under one tire to stop it.........from sliding into some teenager's nice shiny Mustang parked lower down the hill, which it would have creamed out of course.

[Ferno]

been there, done that, TC.

I can't help but wonder how that guy parked, though.

[Sirius]

Being pedantic, to hit the triple point you'd need to be living at an altitude of roughly 21 miles above sea level...

[sigma]

Four of the most memorable moment of my experience of winter driving .
1. Once in Bashkiria strong snowstorm at night. Snow was so much that I could not even see the road. The road disappeared under the snow. Only around a snowy field and not a single car or around the village. Waited until dawn, until I saw the first car.
2. The road was solid ice. My car skidded and spun on the road. At this time, the mountain riding a juggernaut, and he had no chance to stop in time. Truck at high speed flying a meter away from my car.
3 . Again the night in the vast steppes in my jeep froze gasoline. Fortunately for me , I saw in the distance a point of light. Walked into the light , he found the village. My car was towed tractor in the village. All night shooting , thawed and put back the entire fuel system. Outside it was -34 Celsius.
4 . Also at night on a country road icy brought my Passat and I flew into a ditch. Car overturned and burned to the ground . When I got out through the broken window , I saw in the light of the flames , that there are a few around the grave crosses drivers who died earlier this place.

[Tunnelcat]

Being pedantic, to hit the triple point you'd need to be living at an altitude of roughly 21 miles above sea level...

Oops. I looked it up. I've been using the wrong term. Sorry Sirius. What I meant to say is when water is just at or near freezing, around 32F, there can be a film of liquid water overlying the ice layer underneath. We seem to get conditions like that quite a lot. It will freeze solid at night, then during the day, it will warm up and create a layer of water on top of the ice. Nice and slippery.

Ferno, the guy couldn't get up the hill, so he slid backwards into the curb and parked it. He had time to get out before the car started sliding. Maybe when he slammed his door, that was enough impetus to get it moving. Once it got going, it was hard to get stopped. I remember it was almost impossible to even walk on concrete that day without slipping.

sigma, one night I was driving back down to college. It was right at freezing, but it was raining. I should've taken a clue and stayed off the roads. I got about 15 miles from home, going 40 miles and hour, when all of a sudden, the road noise changed from wet sounding, to a very quiet bone dry. It wasn't dry however, but a solid sheet of ice. It was also on hilly a curve that had been in the shade all day too. So before I even had time to say "Oh sh*t!", my car was spinning in circles, with headlights from the cars behind me glaring in my eyes. Fortunately, I didn't slide over the steep embankment and into some farmer's field. I did hit the hill on the other side however, but thankfully, it didn't damage my car. So after that little thrill for one night, I turned the hell around and went back home before the rest of the roads froze over. It turned out to be one of the WORST ice storms in Portland's history. I should have stayed home that night.

[sigma]

tunnelcat, I see you also have to remember that sitting in front of the fireplace during the long winter evenings... Especially for women. You're a woman, right?

[Ferno]

Ferno, the guy couldn't get up the hill, so he slid backwards into the curb and parked it. He had time to get out before the car started sliding. Maybe when he slammed his door, that was enough impetus to get it moving. Once it got going, it was hard to get stopped. I remember it was almost impossible to even walk on concrete that day without slipping.

heheh. sounds like a lot of things. Temperature of the surface, like you said; temperature of the tires (will be warmer if garage kept); and moments of inertia, like the door slamming shut.

[Tunnelcat]

tunnelcat, I see you also have to remember that sitting in front of the fireplace during the long winter evenings... Especially for women. You're a woman, right?

Yeah, female. One of the rare ones that posts here. I must be a masochist.

As for the fireplace, that used to be fun on those cold winter days. Now than I'm past menopause, not so much. The hot flashes still give me grief if I sit near warm things. Plus, the chimney in my house is made of concrete. It loves to backdraft once it gets cold, even if the fire is fully out. The house will stink of burned wood for days after making a fire. I'd have to keep the fire going constantly to avoid it.

In one other house we had, we had a little woodstove. I loved the heat from that thing on cold days. Had to put a steam pot on top of it just to keep the humidity in the house tolerable, but it was cozy.

[sigma]

I've noticed that the girl you're uneasy
Faulty fireplace certainly needs to be repaired if it is your only shelter. I 'm in a little better situation. Our family has several apartments in the cities , as well as several country houses. I do not know how you offer the correct solution to the problem , my comfortable life. Comfort eventually boring. When life gets insipid, tasteless, I'm going to live in a hut for a month or two. And I drive only on Russian army jeeps . That is, I intentionally degrades my live. I have to carry water in buckets from a well to cook food or wash. I also have to heat water in the oven to wash my clothes or wash the dishes after a meal. After two months of village life I come back into town and enjoy the comfort. Just take a hot shower and a good car ride is already perceived as a paradise on earth .

[Krom]

TC, get a chimney damper (or fix the one that is already there).

[sigma]

Krom has in mind, of course, the TOP flap.

[Tunnelcat]

TC, get a chimney damper (or fix the one that is already there).

There's already one installed right at the top of the firebox and it seals pretty good.There isn't much airflow once it's closed, but there's just enough air seepage to get a burned wood smell in the living room when the chimney is cold. I'd hate to modify things just to install another one on the top of the flue, because it would be difficult to run a cable up to the top through the lower damper. So, I don't burn wood anymore. I wish I'd had another flue installed in the basement when I had the house built. That space, heated by a wood stove, would thoroughly heat the whole house, and the basement is cool anyway. If hindsight was foresight.

I've noticed that the girl you're uneasy

I'm not sure what you mean by that? Must be something lost in translation.

[sigma]

I meant that you are unusual, nonstandard girl in the best sense of the word. You call guys respect compared to conventional girls.
I am often annoyed damn that online translators too often completely misrepresent my phrases. I can only hope that you can understand properly.
PS I also ask you to tell me honestly about the translation. If my posts you are plagued by horrible mistranslation, I will try to communicate less here. I understand everything and I will not be offended. I see and understand.

[Tunnelcat]

That's alright sigma. I figured something got lost in the translation. Most of the time, I understand what you're trying to say. And, no insult taken. I do tend to be a little different from most females. I've always liked to do a lot of male oriented things, so technically, I am a little different from most girls, although it's not that unusual in this country. But my hubby sure appreciates having someone handy around who can fix things around the house.

[woodchip]

Got up this morning and temp here in southern MI is -16 deg. Fahrenheit. I guess a certain huckster groundhog got it right.

[Tunnelcat]

Brrrrrrr, that's damn cold! So cold the Great Lakes are beginning to freezing over. It's been in the 50's with rain coming next week here.

[woodchip]

In Detroit they were talking how the frost is 4 feet into the ground. Water mains are popping all over the place.

[Sirius]

This time next year we'll have the Laurentide Ice Sheet back?

[woodchip]

I expect we'll see mile high glacier's next winter on our northern boarders.

[Top Gun]

We just had a storm that wound up turning out to be much more of a bust than initially forecast. It's nice to finally have one go that way for a change.