Wintertime
 

Well, here in the Pacific NW we just got smacked with our first

Line storm of the winter. Second wave hit about 3 this afternoon.

High winds, rain, down timber, local flooding, traction devices in the passes, etc.

I do a kind of prep subset each year for winter:

Woodroom loaded up (holds 2 cord comfortably).

5 more cords split and stacked under cover outside.

Move woodsplitter under cover in shop.

Coleman Lanterns and Stove brought into house from shop, and

Pick up a case of propane pounders.

Check all flashlight/smoke detector batteries & replace as needed.

Tune medium chainsaw, sharpen chains.

Couple weeks quick and dirty food, outside the normal stock.

Insulating caps over all exterior hosebibs. Move hoses to shop.

Change genny oil, do due diligence, run full tank of gas thru it. Check spares.

Various and sundry gas powered equipment winterized.

Swap out to studded tires on vehicles. Load chains stored in shop.

Change out gear in pickup box from summer kit to winter kit.

Clean gutters.

Put away veg gardens, cover with 8" clean straw mulch.

Clean and oil garden tools.

And a whole bunch of other little stuff that goes with

Switching from summertime operation to winter.


I start all this, October 1st each year.

Anyone else run a similar routine?


scyth

Re: Wintertime
 

Still waiting to see if storm makes it past the Cascades. Been boring. Had some wind a few days ago, but nothing like the Chinooks. Bye bye roof.....
As for maintenance....sorta. Tires, wood, other fuels-yup. Food stock, nothing out of the ordinary. Big thing in my book is battery maintenance-both big and small. Nothing sucks more than rrruuurrrrr rruurrrrrrrr when you need to GO!
It is a different mode, but little in the way of massive DOING. Flick the pipe heaters on at night and keep flashlights and a different kind of heater nearby. 'Yotes LOVE this frozen still weather.

Re: Wintertime
 

Not boring here.

Last night starting about 8 o'clock

We got smacked hard.

I'm running on genny as we speak,

And no rumors as to when the PUD will get the system up.

I've got a 90' doug fir tipped over in the front yard,

And chainsaw sized limbs everywhere.

The weather liars said 25-35

Gusts up to 45.

Bullshit.

We got pounded.

Last night, about midnight, because

I was kinda worried, I was out there in the yard,

And the winds were gusting 80 minimum.

And that was all the way from Neah Bay to

The South Sound.

But it is all right.

Got a snakeweb of 12/3 extension cords running here and there,

The fireplaces are burning.

We are warm and dry and well fed.


scyth

Re: Wintertime
 

...and THAT, my friend, is REAL preparedness.

Today is 50 degrees, very overcast and a wind is picking up- 2:10 ish PM. Still waiting.

Brought my genny papers with me to work today. Wanted to ID the replacement parts. (after HOW long?) PITA. Have to go bit by bit on the rig at home. Another thing to do.

Noticed a fairly large number of Westsiders over here over the summer woodcutting. Word was that westside regs for cutting are a little - what- foul? Lots of drysiders getting plucky about it, though. I suppose it's an "our wood" kind of thing, though I haven't the foggiest what westsides rules are or if they're different.

At the previous burn rate I'd say I have 4 years layed up, not counting this years. Established a new rule in-house. Six-oh is good to go. No fire starting above 60 degrees.
Aside from weather I've noted a distinct uptick across the websites I frequent of topical info. The kind of info we were seeing in '07 and '08...failures, collapse, etc. My nervous hat is back on....spent the summer in a somewhat relaxed prep/paranoia state.

I hear you on the weather liars. Seemed to happen after 9/11. I seem to recall wind drift maps got spirited away. No matter. An unsure future is why we prep.

Apple country at a White Pass chokepoint.

Re: Wintertime
 

Still on gen,

As of 5:35 pm Friday evening.

Apparently the Elwha River crossing is busted.

Funny, they did a major fix on it when it

Broke last winter.

Our tax dollars at work.


scyth

Re: Wintertime
 

Wow you are not far from me. I have been thinking of building an Arc.

Re: Wintertime
 

So, scyth, if you put studded tires on, is that a substitute for chains?

Re: Wintertime
 

Power is back on as of 4:00 pm today, Saturday.

Nice little 72 hour exercise..........

What I learned.

1.) 25 gallons of stashed gas way too little. 50 gallons better. If I had not been able to get into town I would have been screwed re running the genny.

2.) Coleman rocks. But I knew that anyway. I'm gonna get another 2-3 lanterns.

3.) Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors. Bill and Marian, Larry and Judy, Steve, and me and my wife. Now it just so happens that we are all pretty like-minded, so no one was hurting for food or water or heat or power. The road was filled with the sound of gensets. Everyone was out clearing storm trash, some pretty good sized. Larry was out with his Kubota, taking out the potholes. He buys a half dozen yards of 1 1/4" pit run every year, and we all contribute. The most cool thing was/is that everybody simultaneously checked on the welfare of the others first, before digging into their own damage. Well worth a chuckle, and a salute.

And about studded snows. They are not a replacement for chains, at least on a 3/4 ton Ford 4x4. But they purely help on those mornings when the frost/ice turns the hiway into grease.


scyth