Not quite snowed in

[Okanagan]

But almost.  Was snowed in for about 48 hours till it settled down enough to drive in our lifted Suzuki.  Views out our window the first morning of snow.  We are house sitting in a gorgeous place while looking for a permanent house.



Since a week ago tomorrow I have driven down our driveway hill twice, both for medical reasons.  We got 18 inches of snow last Friday, on top of six inches, and have had another 18 inches total, though it settles and sags.  Temps have run from 27 to 37 F and stay within a degree of freezing.  At those temps snow packs really SLICK. 

Almost no one has snow removal equipment.  I left my snow shovel in Canada.  I've seen one snow-blade on a private pickup, and two county pick-ups with snow blades working a highway.  Highway and main streets are plowed, nothing else.  The rest are deep rutted snow and potholed ice getting mushy at intersections.  Two wheel drive cars are stuck.  Schools, churches, pageants, high school basketball playoff games and everything else canceled. 

Everybody makes fun of Seattle and the NW coast when it snows.  I tease about it also, especially re the nutty drivers.  Someone told me that the last time it snowed like this was in 1996.  No wonder the county and city don't buy snowplows.  But it makes for a bad recipe:  Too many people, no snow removal gear, hilly roads, heavy slick snow that packs quickly into ice with a skiff of water on it.  It has snowed every day for a week but is supposed to rain today.  Two roofs have already collapsed with serious injury.

I lived in cold dry climate for decades, often with deep snow from Halloween to Easter and longer.  Neighbors always had snowplows on tractors, local government had snowplow trucks, and the light fluffy cold dry snow gave much more traction than this soft heavy coastal stuff.  It ain't the same.  But it is pretty.

[pitw]

Sure is pretty and if people would realize if they just hunker for a spell things will improve. 

[Hawks Feather]

Welcome to the Northern Land of liberal Fruits and Nuts (California being the southern). All of us who have paid state taxes for snow removal equipment should send our equipment out there to plow them out - or so Seattle would think.  That being said, outside of the cities there are some conservative thinking people and some very beautiful scenery.  While we have to fly into Seattle when we visit the sister-in-law at their place in Anacortes, if I was never in downtown Seattle again I would be very content.   We spent a few days in Seattle on our last visit and there were some fantastic places to eat, but the anti-conservative postings at every corner and littering the street, the signs that if you don't support gays and lesbians you don't need to come in, general filth of the streets, etc. left me not feeling the love.

[Okanagan]

Yep.  Ditto all of that about Seattle.  I haven't been in Seattle other than to drive through on a freeway for several years.  We are about 60 miles west of the city and got much more snow than they did. 

Hunkering down and waiting it out is kind of nice.  I have been cooking with my new sous vide:  practicing how to cook with this thing while using up stuff to make space in the freezer.  Also been practicing concoctions of hot spiced apple juice that my wife likes. 

Am planning to check the mountain roads tomorrow to see how deep the snow is up higher.  I'm guessing that some kids with jacked up 4x4s with tall tires have broken trail on some of the roads.   

[Hawks Feather]

One time when we left the sister-in-laws place we came through the area you are now in and it was nice.  We made that loop and then headed down along the Pacific. Beautiful area.

[Coyotes-R-Us]

Still OK.

[FinsnFur]

Those mountains though Okanagan ♥♥♥

[Okanagan]

Still OK.

Lookin good!  C-R-U, it feels like there should be a coyote's head and ears silhouetted on that hill in your pic.

Hey Jim, re the mountains, we know the names of each of them and there is a road almost to the top of the two highest in the photo.  The high one in the right of the pic is hooked on to Hurricane Ridge, in Olympic National Park.  They generally keep that one plowed for winter tourists except when the government is shut down… 

[FinsnFur]

Hey Jim, re the mountains, we know the names of each of them and there is a road almost to the top of the two highest in the photo.  The high one in the right of the pic is hooked on to Hurricane Ridge, in Olympic National Park.  They generally keep that one plowed for winter tourists except when the government is shut down…

I'd like to tour them. The rockies gave me the fever

[Hawks Feather]

Hey Jim, re the mountains, we know the names of each of them and there is a road almost to the top of the two highest in the photo.  The high one in the right of the pic is hooked on to Hurricane Ridge, in Olympic National Park.  They generally keep that one plowed for winter tourists except when the government is shut down…

I'd like to tour them. The rockies gave me the fever

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever???

[FinsnFur]

No no...mountain fever