Monday, December 22, 2008

Where To Put All That Snow

When you've got lots of snow and the sidewalks are at the street edge doing something with it is problematic. This is Broadway street looking west and it is ordinarily a four lane with parking. The center is now a snow berm.


Getting rid of it will depend on what the weather does. If we get a thaw they'll scrape it bit by bit back into the traffic lanes and let it melt. If it keeps snowing and cold and gets too large they'll have to start loading it into trucks, an expensive proposition.

I feel for my fellows in the Portland area, this is winter in NE OR and we have to deal with it every year unless it is an exceptional year and those are very bad for us. This is what keeps our forests alive through our summer and fall. Yes, it means owning snow tires, owning vehicles that can cope, and higher heat bills. The roads are a mess and if you don't know what you're doing you're going to have problems. Schools, road departments, and just about everything costs more because this is how this place is. It is a real good idea to keep in mind that this country can kill you and help may depend on you, yourself.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chuck- Just wanted to say Merry Christmas and keep up the good work.
We're getting hit faster than I've seen in 8 yars here in NW Montana but so far no major problems. Of course I picked this year to get rid of my 4wd Ranger for a fwd Acura. Luckily it's a light nimble little beast and w/good studded snow tires will work its way up my driveway and private road as long as it doesn't start plowing the snow w/its nose.

Anonymous said...

It never ceases to amaze me how people in different areas cope with snow. I've lived in places where there's a lot of snow, and I've lived in the tropics. The snowbirds get a ton of the stuff dumped on them, and they keep on truckin'. An inch or two in other places shuts everything down. You should see what happens with just a little snow in San Antonio--pure crisis!