SNOWPOCALYPSE!!!

[tac]

I was just watching cars and busses up in Montreal,on you tube,sliding down the hills.
Can't wait to see the vids from Seattle

I wouldn't be TOO smug, I remember seeing the same thing in Portland a few years back.....taken from somebody's balcony.

tac

 

[Camelfilter]

I wouldn't be TOO smug, I remember seeing the same thing in Portland a few years back.....taken from somebody's balcony.

tac

I think it was that 2008 storm.

Was working out at Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro overnights, fellow on the opposite nights couldn't make it in from Vancouver. I made a bunch on overtime that storm.

The last morning commute home of ?20 nights in a row I put my Pathfinder into a ditch/snowbanks going 15MPH. Because I wanted to get out of the ruts. Bad idea!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Well we have a little bit more than a dusting of snow my way today.
Very windy and icy however.
My school hasn't been called off or delayed ... So for those who have to drive in ice or snow , drive a bit slower and give a little extra space and time for following cars and stopping.
Andy

 

[The Heretic]

Anyhow, besides the ratio of "go-anywhere" vehicles today, the other issue this century is crippling overpopulation.

Exactly, from traffic to pollution to urban sprawl and density, to slob hunters/poachers, to slob shooters - we can pretty much lay it at the feet of the fact that there are a lot more people now.

I grew up in Scholls and with the urban growth boundary it is still pretty much the way it was when I was a kid. The big and very noticeable exception - one I have noticed for decades now whenever I went back to the farm for Thanksgiving and Xmas - the traffic.

Us kids (3 boys) would play in the road (I remember popping tar bubbles in the road snakes during the summer) - although our mom would yell at us - cars would come by maybe every 5 to 10 minutes.

Now you can't cross that road on foot without waiting for 5 to 10 minutes for a break in the constant traffic of cars coming from Hillsboro to Beaverton or vice versa.

I still drive through Scholls every day (I live on Mt. Chehalem) and no backups until I get into the urban boundary (now at Roy Rogers Road) and then it is a slog through urban traffic until I get into downtown PDX. I am going to be so glad to not have to deal with that commute anymore when I retire (or get laid off - whichever comes first).

 

[etrain16]

I'm up on the hill in Oregon City. 500' elevation, which does make a couple-degrees difference. We got 2 or 3 inches today, but it never got above freezing, so the snow is intact. Tonight it's raining, and still 28-degrees at my house. It's kind've an ice rink.

I grew up in Portland. And in the 50's and 60's, we had more snow. As a young male driver in the sixties, every time it snowed we jumped in our cars to go drive in it. And we learned to drive very well in the snow and ice. Seems folks are not expected to know how to drive in the stuff now, as when there's a pileup, the news says it was caused by the slippery conditions. No, it was caused by folks not knowing how to drive in slippery conditions, or driving beyond their or the vehicles capabilities.

I love the snow. I enjoy road trips in the snow. When my kids were home, we took lots of trips into the mountains in the winter just to play or ski.

Today in town was nice. Folks stayed off the streets and traffic was scarce. Like traffic was in the old days.

WAYNO.

I'm a little younger, but I can still remember having more snow, more ice, than we have today. I think that's partially climate change (though I still don't buy into man-made climate change, but let's not start that debate here ), we're definitely seeing fewer events, sometimes taking several years between more significant events like the big one we had Christmas 2008 when we had snow/ice/snow/ice - even my 4 wheel drive with chains had a hard time in that one.

But learning to drive myself, we spent a lot of time going up to ski on Mt Hood, so I learned to drive in snow on old rear-wheel drive cars with old style chains. My dad wanted to be sure we learned how to drive in that stuff. These days, I don't think many of these younger folks are getting a lot of chances to practice, plus, around here, many seem to prefer bicycles over cars. I'm surprised at the number of young folks I've run into that don't even know how to drive - just never learned.

 

[The Heretic]

 

[etrain16]

I was on call last night and got a page from a customer, almost had to go out and respond, but thankfully was able to remedy the issue with the system over the phone. While I'm confident in my ability to maneuver a car on snow and ice (though I hate driving on ice, snow doesn't bother me), the other drivers are what concern me - there are a lot of nutjobs out there that have no business being on the road in those conditions and simply exist to be a hazard to the rest of us. For that reason, when the ice hits, I get home and stay home until it's over. Nothing is worth letting some moron slam into my car.

 

[The Heretic]

I am staying home at least this morning, maybe all day.

Fortunately I can work from home on these kinds of days - I did yesterday, as did most of the office.

 

[3MTA3]

Every car I buy gets a set of snow tires and chains factored into the price, and I get the tires on the way home (chains not always available year round) even if it's in summer. Rubber costs over time are the same, you just buy new tires less frequently since you are splitting between two sets. I also make sure the chains fit both sets.

 

[jbett98]

When I was working in the tire business, one of my jobs was to drill and stud all of PGE's repair service trucks front tires.
I would have to lay on my side in the freezing rain/snow and drill a small hole about 3/8" deep and then try to jab the tip of the portable hand held stud gun into rock hard rubber tires.
The studs were just a temporary fix to get them through the day and if the black ice persisted. they would all be lined up the next morning.

 

[308]

Nothing like the sound of my neighbor at the bottom of the hill riding the rev limiter while making zero forward progress. And doing it for about a half hour until the truth of his/her situation becomes apparent.

 

[11Charlie]

I never have figured out why people don't clean there car off! Driving down the road with frozen or snow filled windows is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.

How the hell are you supposed to drive safe and avoid others if you can't see your damn self!!!

 

[mjbskwim]

I wouldn't be TOO smug, I remember seeing the same thing in Portland a few years back.....taken from somebody's balcony.

tac

Oh I can be smug I don't live in Portland. In my flat little town most know how to drive in the snow
Bring it on

 

[Caveman Jim]

I am glad Portland Public closed the schools, I think they made the right decision. There is too much traffic on the roads here in Portland as it is, add a little weather event and traffic turns in to a disaster. Cars pack the wet snow, turning it into ice covered roads... The less people on the roads the better.

Good Gawd man, I had to walk 12 miles with no shoes in winter just to the main road when PA needed the mule!!!!
Wussies.....

 

[mkwerx]

I never have figured out why people don't clean there car off! Driving down the road with frozen or snow filled windows is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.

How the hell are you supposed to drive safe and avoid others if you can't see your damn self!!!

The answer - poorly - just like they do in clear, dry, sunny conditions The only difference is there is more surprise when you suddenly come to a stop, or feel that bump as you ping pong off some other object or person.

The average Oregonian, Washingtonian, or Californian driver could put a blind fold on and likely be just as effective at going down the road as they do now. The benefit may be that you won't see death coming straight at you, and thus may not be as tense when the inevitable fiery crash happens and consumes you.

 

[forestgrump]

Uh, I got gazumped, I guess. Posted a gweth about the Tillicum Bridge and snoh. Never occurred to me that 'snowpocalypse' could actually be referring to the amount of snoh visible there, y'know.

'Up there' we get more snoh in June.....

tac

What did he say?

 

[Caveman Jim]

You would think, After all those years living in Utopian Portlandia, People would have learned how to drive when there is a little something falling from the sky, BUT NOPE, Been checking in on yas up there, folks is stoopid, so crack a nother cold and frosty frothy Certaindeaf, and Pizz me a rainbow! LOL You got the best idea going. Last check, I had almost 30 inches on the ground, My Tucker had to grunt slightly to push a pile out of the way so I could get to town for Hot Cocco and a Taco.

Hope you weren't wearing yer onzie..........

 

[The Heretic]

I never have figured out why people don't clean there car off! Driving down the road with frozen or snow filled windows is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.

How the hell are you supposed to drive safe and avoid others if you can't see your damn self!!!

It is a matter of pride.

If I leave the snow on my car then I can show off how much snow I got - lauding it over you flat-landers.

Besides - it looks kewl with the snow blowing off the roof - the higher the snow load, the kewler it is. I always try for getting the snow load on the roof to slide off onto the hood when I come to a stop.

 

[Mikej]

Heck YEAH! I'd drive 5 MPH all the way to town to keep that from blowing away. Impressive!

 

[The Heretic]