I'm starting to think I've had enough of the wet, slippery white stuff for this winter. Maybe two more weeks, and then it'll be about right...?
We got another 2 or 3 inches last night... the main roadways were "solid snow floor," but it fell on a lot of frozen slush-piles and such, along the sides (just where bicyclists normally like to be). So, it was white-knuckle riding again this morning. Spoze to be another storm tonight. (Followed by 3 or 4 mild, warmer days... that will be NICE!)
Those poor folks out in Suburbia need a break. This morning the radio traffic-report guy said, "Pack a breakfast, pack a lunch, because it's a long commute today." Jon the radio guy added, "And be sure to go to the bathroom before you leave home." And Christina, the radio babe, cracked me up. She said, "That depends on where you're going." (Get it? Get it? I thought about the crazy astronaut lady.)
Actually, if all my riding were absent of motor vehicle intrusion, the snow days would be fantastic! There may not be a better way to improve one's bike-handling skills, than on a tricky, unpredictable course. (And the "powder cruising" - away from traffic, for example, through Ann Morrison Park - is sublime!) Winter on slippery days is really the only time I'm uncomfortable sharing the road with those 4000-pound MSDCs. (Mobile Sensory Deprivation Chambers)
I've been praying for an end to the drought. And my people have been doing the same. Let me know when we should back off just a little.
(-;
[NOTE: The photo was actually taken a week or so ago. Click on it, as always, for a bigger view.]
9 comments:
Sorry, I say bring it on. The powder skiing has been great. But the frozen slush does suck.
That radio show is humorous like that.
OK, enough, back off -- you AND your people. I can't ride in this stuff.
Steve - I've been trying to reach you by email but it comes back undeliverable. Can you contact me at greasyregs at clearwire.net? Astounding new info on the Riverside Village Greenbelt.
Yes, I have had enough and I hope that the milder weather continues.
Although I've found that studded tires are a tremendous help on compact snow and ice they seem to be no better than my normal tires on tracked snow when there is nothing solid for them "bite" into. I've found that I don't have the nerve to deal with the constant front and rear wheel diversions that these conditions cause.
On Friday morning, it was almost a strange experience to ride into work on dry pavement! It felt so solid and predictable!
Hard to say if the winter precip. is mostly over. But one thing is fairly certain... we need to exercise caution on the sand for the next couple months regardless. (It's unfair that they lay down sand for the sake of the motorists, but all the sand quickly drifts over to the less-traveled part of the road.)
Yes, the sand is annoying and can be dangerous to cyclists. Today on my commuting route at times it felt like I was going through a layer of mud. Hopefully the ACHD will be able to pick-up the sand quickly. While walking yesterday I noticed that quite a bit of sand had been thrown up on the sidewalks.
Do any of you long-time Boise residents know if snowplowing has ever been practiced here or has it aways been sand / deicer?
Bob T.,
I have lived here since 1987 and to my knowledge the ACHD has never snow plowed the roads. Of course for the last 10-12 years or more the winters here have been relatively mild. Snow has never lasted more than a couple of days. I am glad that it has finally melted off. I rode to work this morning and it was great, I had a tailwind and made great time.
There is a "readers view" from ACHD Maintenance Chief Errol Morgan on the Statesman website today; he explains ACHD's procedures and policies. (Evidently they have a dozen snowplows, but they don't see much use.) Click here to link to the story.
I've lived here my whole life; as a general rule (with occasional exceptions, such as 2007-08), the snow rarely lasts more than 48 hours, because the daytime temperatures get above freezing and it melts.
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