We got buried today

[Sailariel]

Been out three times today to clear away 20 inches of wet snow. The snow blower earned its keep. Tomorrow I`ll have to shovel off the boat. The weight of all that snow will bring her down considerably on her lines. We are scheduled for another couple days of snow--hopefully this will be it. Our post light in front of the house is level with the snow. The berms around the driveways are six feet. This winter has been a bear.

[OldGuy]

:

I'm sorry I couldn't resist. Hope you have a warm spell coming soon.

[kkim]

Snow??? whazzat??

[c_anglada]

that sucks... i got 3" the other night and was crying about it.

[Alex]

So this wouldn't be the thread to talk about my 300+ mile ride to Coalinga and back today in 60+ degree sunny weather? I did see a sprinkling of snow on the mountain tops near Clear Creek, if it makes anyone feel better.

[kkim]

60 degrees??? brrr.....

[darkknight49]

Originally Posted by kkim

60 degrees??? brrr.....

haha, you are spoiled out there my friend.

[ninjabrewer]

I would have to agree with you, this winter seems to have been really bad, more of that white stuff than usual. Always seem to hearing on the news about another major storm moving across the nation.

nb

[ScraitT]

Its supposed to dip down into the 50's tonight :-( No way in hell I'm going out of my house until the sun warms things up tomorrow morning!

[00v_Lucky]

Originally Posted by darkknight49

haha, you are spoiled out there my friend.

don't forget about wind chill.

[TrueFaith]

We got the bottom edge of that storm here in Mass., Alex. Only resulted in 4" of snow this time, which will hopefully be melted away before the next storm comes in, which may be as soon as Sunday.
I don't know if it's global warming or what, but if we're going to keep having winters this stormy I may have to trade in the Ninja for a Ski-Doo.

[OldGuy]

Originally Posted by TrueFaith

We got the bottom edge of that storm here in Mass., Alex. Only resulted in 4" of snow this time, which will hopefully be melted away before the next storm comes in, which may be as soon as Sunday.
I don't know if it's global warming or what, but if we're going to keep having winters this stormy I may have to trade in the Ninja for a Ski-Doo.

Nooo - better idea. With the knowledge and innovation we have on this site we come up with a mod-package that adapts a sky to the front wheel (something like the out-rigger used by amputees) and a small snowmobile belt drive that the rear tire supports (you get all the suspension work) but you re-route the chain to drive the belt and you've got all six gears.

May have to move this to the Farkles section though.

[Sailariel]

Don, I think you are losing it. Too much winter. We got another four inches overnight which had to be dealt with. If we get any more, I`ll have to hire a front loader to move the stuff so that I have room to put more. Took three hours to shovel the deck and cabin top of the boat. At least there you can shovel it into the water. It was a two Scotch night.

[OldGuy]

I hear you my man.

So which part of the mod don't you like the sky or the snowmobile belt?

[Sailariel]

Don, Actually, I like living in Maine a lot. Things here are not extreme. We don`t get tornados, hurricaines are usually blown out by the time they get here, and we have much less crime. There are people here who don`t lock their doors. Everybody knows everybody and there is a real sense of community. During the winter we socialize and enjoy less traffic and no lines at our restaurants. In the summer, all this changes with the influx of tourists. Then we spend time on our boats , riding mororcycles and bicycles, and enjoying a great but fairly short season. A lot of people winter in Florida. We did that with the boat for about ten years, but now have a house and other responsibilities. I also have a bike shop which is open primarily in the winter. In the summer I only work on racing machines by appointment. I tune the recreational folks in the winter. With me it is strictly a part time business. I primarily like working on racing bikes and really love restoring classics. I restored a 40 year old ItalVega and upgraded it with 105 components for my wife. The bike is a head turner with its hand brazed lugs and classic Italian Lines (even though the frame was built in Japan with Tange Chromemolly) ItalVega outsourced in those days. It is the same frame as the Bianchi Corsa which was the bike to beat in the Tour de France back then. With the 105 Group, the bike really screams. Wife is still afraid of it. She won`t try my Merckx. We both ride 56cm bikes. Don, Winter will be over soon. I love your new SE. In a few weeks we will all be riding again. Had my three month check on Tuesday and am still in remission. That yellow bracelet really works.

[OldGuy]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

Don, Actually, I like living in Maine a lot. Things here are not extreme. . . . Had my three month check on Tuesday and am still in remission. That yellow bracelet really works.

The 3 month check is the best news I've heard.

We lived in New London for ~6 years and really enjoyed the time there. If we had to pick a place it would most likely be the San Jose area. Of course that could be because that is were 2/3 kids and the grand daughter are but hey ...

Stay warm, spring is coming.

PS I love you description of your wife's bike. I build my Serotta up with 105 components and love it. I just hope I can get back into shape this Spring and take the the long rides. I love those 30-40 milers after work on a nice summer night.

[TrueFaith]

Time to gas up the snow blower again. Big storm heading this way (and then up to Maine) this Sunday! Weeee....this is so much fun!!

[CC Cowboy]

I was talking to the Chief of Police (Media Mike Jr., if you know Media Mike Sr. from Portland ME.) yesterday at the gym. I was telling him I think this year "Bike Week" should be huge due to the bad winter up north. He said I was the third person to tell him that yesterday. As a matter of fact the bikes started showing up for speed week. If you guys are tired of snow and cold you should be headed down to FL with the other 750,000 bikers to enjoy temperatures in the 70s and 80s and a good time. I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it.

[Sailariel]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

The 3 month check is the best news I've heard.

We lived in New London for ~6 years and really enjoyed the time there. If we had to pick a place it would most likely be the San Jose area. Of course that could be because that is were 2/3 kids and the grand daughter are but hey ...

Stay warm, spring is coming.

PS I love you description of your wife's bike. I build my Serotta up with 105 components and love it. I just hope I can get back into shape this Spring and take the the long rides. I love those 30-40 milers after work on a nice summer night.

Don, Only two more three month checks and I will have 5 years in remission. The reason that they do three month checks is that should the cancer return, it comes back with a vengence. Seems to be a trait of Agent Orange caused cancers. The good news is that after five years of remission there is a 98% chance that I am done with it. Checks then go every six months. Yes, San Jose is beautiful--bicycle friendly and MC friendly. Our daughter lives there and loves it. Glad you like the 105 group. I just finished modifying mine by swapping out the plastic bushed jockey wheels to aluminum with needle bearings. The difference in shifting is dramatic. The Serotta is a beautiful bike to do 30 and 40 milers with. Seems like the high line bikes don`t beat you up as much. The difference between my Merckx and Fuji is like night and day.

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I was talking to the Chief of Police (Media Mike Jr., if you know Media Mike Sr. from Portland ME.) yesterday at the gym. I was telling him I think this year "Bike Week" should be huge due to the bad winter up north. He said I was the third person to tell him that yesterday. As a matter of fact the bikes started showing up for speed week. If you guys are tired of snow and cold you should be headed down to FL with the other 750,000 bikers to enjoy temperatures in the 70s and 80s and a good time. I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it.

Damn. I should have thought about heading down to Bike Week about 6 snow storms ago. My luck I'd get socked in at Logan Airport for 3 days because of snow and end up spending all my money at the bar.
I think I'm doing it for sure next year. Even if I have to cruise the Daytona strip in a Honda Fit rental. It would be great to be able to ride down to it with a few bikes, but with this winter we'd end up like the Donner Party somewhere in the vacinity of South Of The Border.

Enjoy yourself and don't get arrested...or appear in a Girls Gone Wild video that you have no memory of...

[camaroz1985]

Sounds like a good thing I didn't come up there then. Although if I got stuck I might not want to leave haha.

[TrueFaith]

Just sitting here this morning waiting for the next round in this Winter From Hell. Supposed to start snowing any minute with 6-8" on the ground come Monday morning. This is really getting old...

Sounds like you better run out for another bottle of scotch, Alex. We may be getting 6-8", but they're predicting massive amounts of snow up your way from this storm.

[Sailariel]

True Faith, No need to get a bottle of Scotch---the Single Malt lasts a long time since one drinks it neat and in small quantities. This upcoming storm looks like a bear. The snow blower has plenty of gas and is good to go. I do worry about getting down to the boat and clearing the snow off the deck and cabin top. The weight of that much snow can drop the boat down on her lines and create a siphon situation with the bilge pumps. Worst case, I can always walk down with my plastic shovel. I only have one valve open and that is to the automatic pump. I still like to check things daily. I do have the feeling that this winter will not last much longer.

[TrueFaith]

Dodged the bullet! Only an inch of snow actually landed here instead of the 6-8" they were forecasting. It all went to Maine, where they're measuring the snowfall in feet instead of inches. More fun for Alex!

[noche_caliente]

We didn't even get a inch, but it was enough for schools to be on a delay - go figure
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sailariel]

Wayne, We got two feet of heavy wet stuff. I have two driveways with three curb cuts. The plow left three feet at the end of the drives. We have a tenant-so that drive gets done first. They had three foot drifts. Then it was off to our circular drive--no place to put the snow. We already have 20" down that had not thawed--ended up doing a lot of moving, repeating sweeps, etc. I started out at 8:30 this morning and stopped at 5:30 with a one hour break for lunch and a change of dry clothes. Used three tanks of fuel for the snow blower. It started snowing again when I stopped. I still have not cleared the two decks or the way to the front door. Everybody comes in through the door between the two garage doors. I`ll probably put in at least three hours at the house and three hours shoveling off the boat. Hopefully this nightmare winter will end soon.

[CC Cowboy]

I hit the White Eagle yesterday for the free BBQ. If it is any indication of "Bike Week" we are in for a huge one. Over 1000 bikes at the Eagle and "Bike Week" doesn't start for another week. It might be the weather (upper 70s for the week) but I am seeing bikes everywhere already.

I think I might have to sell the snow shovel. I might never get to use it again. Any offers?

[Mista Bob]

Winter has really sucked here too...
Usually here you can ride somewhat frequently during winter as it will get quite warm often (mostly thanks to chinooks).
But not this time.

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

Wayne, We got two feet of heavy wet stuff. I have two driveways with three curb cuts. The plow left three feet at the end of the drives. We have a tenant-so that drive gets done first. They had three foot drifts. Then it was off to our circular drive--no place to put the snow. We already have 20" down that had not thawed--ended up doing a lot of moving, repeating sweeps, etc. I started out at 8:30 this morning and stopped at 5:30 with a one hour break for lunch and a change of dry clothes. Used three tanks of fuel for the snow blower. It started snowing again when I stopped. I still have not cleared the two decks or the way to the front door. Everybody comes in through the door between the two garage doors. I`ll probably put in at least three hours at the house and three hours shoveling off the boat. Hopefully this nightmare winter will end soon.

That story reminded me of how I spent the "Blizzard of '78" down here. Hasn't anyone started building one of those 100' snowmen up that way yet? If not it sounds like you have a good enough supply of snow to start one!

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

I hit the White Eagle yesterday for the free BBQ. If it is any indication of "Bike Week" we are in for a huge one. Over 1000 bikes at the Eagle and "Bike Week" doesn't start for another week. It might be the weather (upper 70s for the week) but I am seeing bikes everywhere already.

I think I might have to sell the snow shovel. I might never get to use it again. Any offers?

You keep rubbing our noses in that 70-degree weather down there and I'll tell you what you can do with your snow shovel..

[kkim]

Originally Posted by TrueFaith

You keep rubbing our noses in that 70-degree weather down there and I'll tell you what you can do with your snow shovel..

yeah... the nerve of that guy!!

[Sailariel]

Right now we have 46" of snow on the ground. The berms around the driveway are around seven feet. We can just see over them with the Suburban. A lot of people are without power--about 150,000. We have been lucky since our home is located about 100 meters from the only shopping centre in town and on the trunk line to the hospital. We have only had three short outages since 2004. There is no more snow predicted for a while. They expect rain on Thursday or Friday followed by a thaw. We will need to make sure that the end of our foundation drain does not clog with ice causing a flood in our cellar. The next few days should be interesting. Whatever happened to global warming? Our foundation drain feeds a small pond in our yard. Thank God our house is uphill from the pond. It will really fill up fast if we get a rapid thaw.

[OldGuy]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

Right now we have 46" of snow on the ground.

Alex I can only imagine what you are going through right now.

The last time I saw that much snow on the ground was when we lived in Idaho Falls, ID in 1971-1974. Blizzard came through on Halloween Night and we never saw the ground until April 23 the next year. Snow drifts got so tall in the back yard it was hard to believe. We were in the living room one Sunday reading the paper and heard a dog barking at the front door. We looked at each other and said "that sounds like Taffy (our basset) but . . ." Went to the door and there she was. She had walked up the drift by the fence, over the top and and took an unsupervised walk.

Are you sure you have enough Scotch?

[Sailariel]

Don, Got two bottles of Glenlivet--should last about a year. I used to live in Idaho as well--Bonner`s Ferry--66-70. Did Vietnam 69-70. Lots of snow and COLD. Came to Syacuse NY in 70 to regroup from the war and a divorce (not many Nam Vets had their marriage survive--am seeing the same thing with Iraq--Afganistan) Anyway, Syracuse averages 200" of snow per winter. They have a pretty good University and I had a pretty good job. Left Syracuse in 91 and lived on our boat till 2004. We are now landbound taking care of my wife`s 86 year old father who has a blood cancer and does chemo every other week. His doctor also put him on steroids which makes him euphoric and a touch irrational. We can`t really leave him alone because he may do something dangerous--one of us has to be home at at all times. He wanted to run the snow blower the other day. Not a very good idea.

[OldGuy]

As my late mother would say, you and your wife will have some jewels in your crowns for the love and compassion you show.

The one thing I have found about this site is that you get to know someone more as a person than just a name and with that comes a caring and sharing that is painful when we can't reach out and help or just give a hug.

Take care and stay warm my friend.

[ninjabrewer]

HOLY COW, that is a lot of white stuff. I was stationed at Fort Drum, about 90 miles or so north of Syracuse, 89-91, most snow I had ever seen, sometimes coming down 3" or so an hour. About 6-8 of us would always park at the back of the parking lot of the barracks, (single at the time) and we would park in the same spot pretty much all winter, by Apr, all the spots looked like revetments for acft in a war zone, the snow was piled as high as the cars. The only place that I know where ice was on the inside of the car windshield and the snot would freeze in your nose, made it a major pain to pick.

On a serious note, I can imagine what you and family are going through, before my father passed from lung cancer in 2000, I had just got back from Korea and was at Ft Campbell,KY and went home as much as I could. I remember........

nb

[Sailariel]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

As my late mother would say, you and your wife will have some jewels in your crowns for the love and compassion you show.

The one thing I have found about this site is that you get to know someone more as a person than just a name and with that comes a caring and sharing that is painful when we can't reach out and help or just give a hug.

Take care and stay warm my friend.

Don, I have to agree. This forum is much more than just our love of the sport. There are some real people on the other end of the keyboard. When I feel down, I still call the 24 Hour Hot Line run by The Lance Armstrong Foundation. That is the most incredible Cancer Organization run by a very incredible person. I send them a contribution every year. Lance has been an inspiration. His accomplishments are fantastic, and what he has overcome by sheer willpower is absolutely phenomenal. He is a person I really admire and respect. Can you believe he finished 7 in the Tour of California and rode Domestique for Levi Leipheimer? Absolutely fantastic! There are also some really super people on this forum, like yourself, Alex, Kelly, Sunny, Ryan, Wayne, and lots more. I hope this forum stays people oriented. There was a bicycle forum I was very active in which recently got infected by a bunch of "flamers" I had to quit. As much as I love bicycling, it was too much to take. I don`t think that Alex would let this forum suffer a similar fate. Too bad we don`t live closer. I would love to put my wrenches on your Serotta. It is tuned right when you forget there is a chain on your bike. I am working on applying the same to the Ninja--chain allignment AND wheel alignment together. That is my challenge for 2009 along with staying in remission. Take Care and stay warm--It`s quite cold your way as well. Your cyber-friend, Alex

[TrueFaith]

Originally Posted by kkim

yeah... the nerve of that guy!!

That's for the Peanut Gallery that lives in Paradise.

Lance Armstrong is also a personal hero of mine. I remember first hearing the buzz about a brash new rider from Texas in the bicycling mags years ago. Then to watch him come up over the years until he completely owned the sport of bicycle racing was truly amazing. I was just getting to the point where I thought Greg LeMond coming back from being shot and winning the Tour was the greatest sports story I'd ever witnessed. Pretty soon Armstrong had everybody saying "Greg who?"
I've never seen anything as inspirational and exciting as that second Tour win of his in the mountains, fighting for every inch as he was constantly being spit on and harrassed by the locals. Or the way he lapped the top seeds in the time trials. The man is the most single-minded and dedicated athlete the world has ever seen. The fact that he did it all after beating testicular cancer puts his story in a category beyond legend.

[Sailariel]

Wayne, Lance not only had Testicular Cancer, he had Brain and Lung Cancer as well. His book "It`s Not About The Bike" is one of those books that one reads in one night--It is not a short book--it grabs you and won`t let go. It is amazing to see him in action. He now has the Giro in his cross hairs, and the next big one is The Tour. I hope he wins both. He is now the oldest rider in pro cycling. If he wins the Giro, and another classic, he will be up there with Eddie Merckx.

[Sailariel]

Originally Posted by ninjabrewer

HOLY COW, that is a lot of white stuff. I was stationed at Fort Drum, about 90 miles or so north of Syracuse, 89-91, most snow I had ever seen, sometimes coming down 3" or so an hour. About 6-8 of us would always park at the back of the parking lot of the barracks, (single at the time) and we would park in the same spot pretty much all winter, by Apr, all the spots looked like revetments for acft in a war zone, the snow was piled as high as the cars. The only place that I know where ice was on the inside of the car windshield and the snot would freeze in your nose, made it a major pain to pick.

On a serious note, I can imagine what you and family are going through, before my father passed from lung cancer in 2000, I had just got back from Korea and was at Ft Campbell,KY and went home as much as I could. I remember........

nb

Chris, Were you in the 10Th Mountain Division? I always have to chuckle when I think of Ft. Drum. When I got air evaced from Nam in 70, the supply Sgt. sent my belongings to my parent`s house in Syracuse. In the baggage was my aid bag containing a box of Morphine Syrettes, a red, green, and white smoke grenade. The Morphine had a DF with it stating the syringe count and bearing my signature. I got in my car and drove to Ft. Drum and turned in the Morphine and DF. This young Lt. says to me, "Sergeant do you have any idea how much paperwork you have generated" I sort of grinned (was a civilian) and said "Yes". I think that I laughed all the way home. I was with the 173Rd Airborne Bde.(Sep.)