How the hell

But if you are in a bunker, you do not have to deal with the snow.

I read it aloud, and my wife and I were both in stitches...

I think our dear deluded snow shoveler mispledded "November."

THIS is where the guy should be comitted. The white pills, started at this point, would have saved his house and marriage. I love snow????

As I look at the weather channel, I see snow forecast for 6 of the next 7 days. I HATE SNOW!

Hah! Our town has absolutely no concept of plowing "as needed." When it snows a half inch, they come by

5 or 6 times. (After all, there's not much to plow, so they've got plenty of free time to run over the bare pavement repeatedly.) When it snows 3 feet, they come by twice... after all, they're way too busy plowing the important streets to bother with the outskirts.

To the original question: The way I do it is

4WD, a 10.5 hp/29" snowblower, and mittens... and yes, as alluded to in the snow shoveler's diary, a woodstove and a generator. Also yelling out, "I HATE SNOW!" at the top of your lungs helps relieve the frustration, thereby obviating the need for the little white pills... though just knowing there *are* some little white pills in the medicine cabinet helps loads. ;-)

Only if you build a bunker you can remain in for the entire duration of snow season i.e. several months or more. A tornado bunker is only needed for an hour or two.

Thanks, amdx. I forwarded it to several people. Funny.

1958, I came to the family home for Christmas and my first project was to go get a suitable tree. Snowshoes on and axe (I still use that one) in hand I started out. Didn't have to worry about 4' wire fences - none were visible - only the occasional post top thru the surface. Apparently I crossed over a Hazel brush bush because, even wearing snowshoes, I sank to eye level with the snow surface; I was able to beat down the snow with the flat of the axe to form a ramp enabling my escape from the (snow) sinkhole. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

A couple days after the above mentioned incident, we got another warning so everyone gathered at the (cinder block) rec. centre and watched the passing weather through the oversized picture window! Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Also known as a spruce trap. A friend and I were camping in the White Mountains in NH for New Years. We had piled snow for a snow cave a hundred yards or so off the trail and while waiting for it to set up enough to dig out we went exploring on snowshoes. We wandered into a grove of young evergreens overlaid with snow. While we were goofing around going in over our heads and pulling ourselves out, a larger group on skis with full packs, who had followed our tracks instead of the trail, skiied into the spruce grove and got thoroughly stuck. We left them swearing and flailing trying to escape.

I got stuck up on the top of the Grapevine Wed. when they closed Interstate 5 when the rain turned to ice, then snow. Almost 24 hours in a Jack in the Box parking lot at about 4800 feet elevation with winds going as high as 50 mph.

I had Carhart insulated coveralls, a down filled sleeping bag, my normal BOB with water, SVEA stove, food, the usual. I was wearing work jeans and a nice thick cable knit turtleneck sweater. Also had a 20 lb bag of dogfood for the two aussi pups I travel with.

As an exercise, I cooked 3 meals out of my BOB, romped with the dogs in the snow, read a lot, rearrainged the sideboxes of my service truck etc etc.

I didnt run the engine but a few hours, and then only to recharge the battery as I was doing Stuff on the laptop, connected via inverter through the cig lighter plug. Watched some DVDs, kept the cell phone charged etc.

I did however use the potty in the JITB, but had butt wipe, baby wipes etc just in case of a real emergency. I hate taking a dump in the snow when wearing coveralls. I tend to shit in the neck by not getting them low enough and in a full parking lot...propriety and all that.

CHP came by a couple times, checked to make sure I was ok.... Comments were made that they were tickled shitless when they pulled up, as I was sitting in the falling snow on a tool box, cooking Spam and beans in my East German cook set, the dogs stretched out on a piece of carpet, reading a paperback and listening to talk radio, with the CB and police scanner were running in the background, while most of the others in the cars around me in the parking lot were freezing their asses off, listening to whimpering kids sniveling bout being cold/bored/no tv etc etc. I did loan a small am/fm/tv to a group who were clustered around the back of a pickup truck in a semi state of panic/befuddlement.

When it was time to sleep, I simply laid the front bucket seat back, crawled into my mummy bag. and nodded off. I woke up about 9 peaceful hours later, with the dogs cuddled up to me, the inside of the truck fairly warm from the body heat (only got down to about 15F outside, probably 45F inside (Id turned the truck when it got dark, with the back of the work shell facing the WIND! intentionally), stepped out, took a piss next to the truck, the dogs doing the same, dug out the stove, fired up coffee again, and fed and watered the pups, and finished the book I was reading, then out of boredom, rearrainged the service shell, organized my tools, ate another meal of Spam and rice and the leftover baked beans. I didnt find out till a few minutes before they opened the freeway again that there was a WIFI access point at the truckstop a 1/4 mile away, else Id have camped there, upwind of the idling big rigs and spent my time farting around on the net. If you ever get stuck in the cold in a truckstop...stay upwind of the trucks, else you will be sniffing diesel fumes for the duration. Been there, done that. Uggg.

I did discover that Id been remiss when I packed my winter BOB...I somehow misplaced my insulated gloves. So I had to wear a pair of lined welding gloves as Ive a bit of arthritis in both hands and cold tends to stiffen em up unless I stick em in my pockets.

I figured I was good for another 3-5 days before Id have to seek out resupply. I was not the only prepared individual, there were at least 5 more vehicles that apparently use good sense when traveling through the mountains in the winter time...as they were also doing pretty much as I was. Not counting those in motorhomes of course. Shrug.

Course there were at least 80 cars in the parking lot.....talked to a few people about winter preps when traveling, when they came by to chat and smell the food cooking. Chuckle...though a few hinted..I didnt offer any to anyone. Hunger is a good teacher. So is being cold and wet.

I gave a few dollars to a group of latinos and their kids to buy some food at the JITB...Guatamalans. Probably illegal. They came from some village way the f*ck up in the mountains in Guatamala, so the cold didnt bother em, but they were caught unaware that it can snow in California. Shrug. A good trial run and one that I do every couple years or so. Nice to keep the skills and preps up. Ive already found the gloves and added a couple more books to the BOB and replaced the consumed foods. It was time to recycle em anyways.

Gunner "They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..." Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

I moved from Northern Michigan to the California desert.

Least I dont have to move 12' of snow every winter anymore.

Does tend to be warm in mid summer though....

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..." Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:11:51 -0800, the infamous Gunner Asch scrawled the following:

I got really lucky coming home between storms last Tuesday. I ended up at Weed in a 50-mile traffic jam on frozen I-5, but it was just breaking up. I was only delayed a few minutes, then slowly crept up to

45mph over the next 5 miles. I only wish I could have slept an extra couple hours and avoided that altogether. I brought a head cold home from CA with me. Ugh!

Sounds like "you silly survivalists" have it made in times like that. ;)

No comment. On second thought, WTF do you do with the dogs while you're working those -long- days?

I didn't have time to break out my book, as I was busy watching all the truckers put chains on. Then a Chippie drove down our side of the freeway and used his megaphone to tell the truckers that the way had been cleared and that chains were unnecessary but OK to leave on.

Ah, DVDs help pass the time, too.

Oh, what a horrid picture that made...

Heh heh heh. I'll bet that tickled them.

Only a two-dog night, eh?

Ugh! Good tip. I ditto that when camping, to camp upwind of all the other smoky, plastic-burning fires the idiots light and corrupt.

Got checklists?

I carry enough water and granola bars for a few days, and I have a small BOB in the truck with tarp, survival blanket, compass, rope, gloves, first aid kit, meds, survival whistle, mag fire starter, and other goodies. I may start keeping the propane stove in the truck, too, at least during winter trips...Then again, I don't think I'll try that one again. I'd convinced my sister to drive her 4WD SUV up to my house for Christmases but Mom didn't feel like it this year. $150 worth of chains later, I drove down between storms, with no ice or snow on the freeway on the way down. I hit a massive rainstorm on 505 before hitting light fog and then the remnants of the snowstorm at Weed and then the Siskiyous. Truckers have a rugged existence out there.

Good man. LOL! I'll bet they all carry at least minimal BOBs from now on.

JITB tacos are a staple for me, and at 2 for a buck, cheap enough to feed a family.

Yes, books in the BOB. I have a survival handbook. I'll add the SAS book, too, and my LED book light. I have stainless camping silverware but didn't put a metal pan in. I'll add a jar of instant coffee, a tin of roast beast, a stainless mug,stainless pie plate, and 1qt stainless pot to the new food BOB.

-- It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed. -- Kin Hubbard

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:17:09 -0800, the infamous Gunner Asch scrawled the following:

Trading humidity and snow for humidity, bugs, gators, leopards, and _hurricanes_? Smart man, Mikey! ;)

Even though it gets pretty crisp on winter nights, eh?

---- Uh, you misspelled "gawdawful sweltering" there, boy.

-- It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and wealth have both failed. -- Kin Hubbard

I add a steel army shovel for icy snowbanks and a folding pruning saw to cut away fallen trees or make prying levers. Instead of a tow strap I carry a 2" ratchet strap which will pull from a stationary object such as a guard rail or sideways vehicle. My CRV has a compartment in the tailgate door to strap down emergency gear, otherwise such heavy stuff could be a hazard inside the passenger compartment.

As a test I'm munching on dry Ramen noodles right now. They taste about the same dry as cooked and go fairly well with BK honey mustard sauce.

I found out when I was a roving biker that a rain suit keeps you much warmer by stopping skin evaporation. They are dangerous if you're active but great when sitting still in the cold and wind for long periods. Jack Stevenson (Warmlite) from whom I bought my camping tent sold waterproof undershirts that left the outer clothing dry. They do work well, but I think one of those worn continuously for several active days would attract large hungry predators.

Jim Wolfkins

Works for me whenever I feel a cold coming on. And Ive not lost my sense of smell.

Gee....arent we all crazy bunker dwellers? In the aftermath of the 83 Coalinga earthquake, when I fed and sheltered my neighbors...a couple admitted that they had thought me a bit "off" for worrying about earthquakes..until they lost their homes to one.

Many shops, they go in with me. The rest of the time, they spend it in or under the truck. During the heat of the summer, they stay home if Im going into a shop they cant go into...usually one of the big megacorps that takes forever to pay their bills...

A number of my regulars look forwards to them visiting. After I lost my original dog Opie 6 months ago (damn I still miss him!), I got about 15 condolences cards from clients.

I hope you didnt jump right in.. The first wave out of the gate tends to get into accidents and slow downs for a half hour or so. Wait a bit before joining the parade. Like leaving an airplane or movie theater.

Particularly when you dont realize it until after you pull up the coveralls...and the warmness and stench hits you. in the back of the neck.......

Ayup..they said I was one they werent going to have to worry about rescuing on the mountain during snow or rain.

At home in Taft..its usually a 4 dog night.

I used to. Mea culpa. I keep my winter/summer gear in rubbermaid tubs and swap them out usually in late October, this time I didnt check for the gloves. Already made right.

You paid $150 for chains????? Crom! Check the second hand stores, Salvation army etc during the spring and summer until you find the right size for your rig. Ive never paid more than $5 for a brand new bag of tire chains in the proper sizes. Ive got about 5 sets kicking around, for vehicles I dont even own anymore.

And take the time to learn how to put them on!!! The morons were paying $150 for chains, and $40 for some schmuck to put them on. Friday I showed the owners of my favorite tavern how to put on the brand new pair they had to buy coming back from Vegas..after paying $45 to have some yutz put them on. Only takes 5 minutes if you have practiced before,even in the snow.

The cable "chains" are usually good enough for the limited use you are likely to get. They store well in a .50 cal ammo can in sizes up to 18" truck tires. and easy to put up on the shelf or store in the trunk.

I keep 2 sets, a traction set of real chain and a steering set of cable. I dont usually have deep snow, just black ice and with rear wheel drive..something on the front helps steerage. Both fit in a 50 cal can.

Down sleeping bags are fragile and are miserable when wet, but crush well and go into a very small package easy to tuck behind the seat. You can get one rated down to about 20F in a 50 cal can easily enough. Ive bags rated down to -40 I use for snow camping..but they tend to bulk up and are harder to store in a service truck used daily. If you only put one in when you are going someplace special...they work fine, but you generally dont need one rated that low unless high high in the mountains, when sleeping in a vehicle. Btw...a regular 8 hour plumbers candle, will warm the inside of a vehicle really well, particularly if you can get shelter from the wind, or buried in the snow. Just keep a window cracked 3/8"..wind wing is best.

Check the second hand stores for tents. A dome tent with fly usually costs less than $6. Toss your tarp over it, weight it down with snow around the edges and it will keep you very very warm down to below zero with a candle, etc. And most dome tents will hold up the weight of a layer of snow, which simply adds exta insulation and makes it warmer. Never ever set one up on the side of the freeway unless you are up close to the fence. Other side of the fence is prefered. Less likely to be hit by a truck skidding out of control or a plow missing the snow stakes.

Probably not. To most of them..its a once in a life time experince they can tell their family about and then forget. Until the next time. Apathy or stupidity...or both. Shrug

Ayup, though the $1.29 Big Cheeseburger has more protein and calories, which is more important when in the cold. Tuck in a bag of hard candies from the 99c store as well.

You can outfit a decent bob for less than $15 from the 99c Only stores btw. Food, first aid, batteries etc etc etc

You can pick these up often for $5-10 dollars at gun shows, etc etc. Work very well and will hold gear/batteries/needle and thread etc along with some tri-ox tablets for the small Esbit stove that will also fit inside of it. I prefer the Svea gasoline fuel stoves as I can always find a pint of white gas or unleaded, unlike propane, butane etc. Even the microstoves with the (expensive) butane cartridge will eventually run out..often times at the wrong moment. I can fuel the Svea from the bleeder valve on my trucks fuel rail as a last resort without resorting to trying to siphon gas out of the tank. Very easy to make a screw on adapter to bleed out gas from the Schrader fitting safely.

Ive never paid more than $15 for one, used. I keep a quart aluminum bottle made to hold fuels with it, and the stove is always full. Summer and winter. Filled with white gas, as naptha doesnt gum up over long term like gasoline does. They dont leak and can be easily stored in...50 cal can or a bit of 6" PVC pipe about 8" long. I wrap it up with socks and stuff it into the PVC pipe, capped on one end and slip fit cap on the other. I keep a large Samsonite "gym bag" with day pack, and all the other goodies inside. Easy to move from vehicle to vehicle, though each of my vehicles has their own Bob. My daily work truck has the most complete one, as I never know where Im going to wind up each week when I leave home for down south. and its nice to know I can get by if I have to go to Arizona, or get trapped somewhere. And of course I carry a long gun, couple short guns, and ammo in wearable pouches and sometimes a small take down spinning rod and gear that fits in a 12" long tube about 2" in diameter. More for fun than anything. Ultralight fishing gear is handy as hell. Ive set up my gear for the worst case that I may have to walk out of the woods, mountain or ghetto. Shrug.

Bad shit happens to nice people and unexpectedly.

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..." Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

It got down to a balmy 35 the other night at 3am with a wind chill of around 21F. Not as crisp as - 40F with a 50 mph wind, what I grew up in. Life line out to the privey etc etc.

Not as bad as Aridzona though close at times.

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..." Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Layer! And Polypropelene clothing is Gods own invention. Gortex is next on the list.

Polypro wicks moisture out and away from the skin, yet keeps acting as insulation and keeps you from sweating yourself into bait.

I keep polypro long johns, shirt, socks (3 pair) etc and a Gortex shell/anorack in the winter BOB. You can be active and not sweat and freeze. Wool is good too. Even when wet, it will keep you warm.

Cotton kills.

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..." Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

(snip)

Good story!

Gee, I sometimes forget why I moved from New Hampshire to Florida!!!

On Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:33:46 -0800, the infamous Gunner Asch scrawled the following:

I have zinc cough drops (same ingredients @ 1/3 cost) which didn't help.

Ayup.

I'll never understand "dog people".

Tell the corpses (I make joke) to stuff it, that 90 days drifting into

6 months doesn't cut it. Ask for COD or tell them you're booked up until they can cut the check. I lost a cabinetry job with the local Applebee restaurant because of that. Just as well. One walk through that kitchen (sliding all over from the grease) and I didn't want to set foot in another of their restaurants, ever!

I stayed in line. Only the right lane was open. That's right, I-5 has only 2 lanes per direction through most of northern CA, OR, and WA, Gunner. I'm always amazed that CA-80 and southern I-5 is 4-7 lanes wide per direction. Hell, more traffic hits one lane of I-5 in one direction down by Oceanside (where I caught it from Vista) in one hour than it does on all 4 lanes up here in a day. I do NOT miss that traffic, TYVM.

Too Much Information!

I run P255/70R18 tires on the Tundra. Nobody has chains except new, and they're $65-119 a pair.

I had those for the F-150 and paid $20/set new.

Good to know.

I have a 2-man dome tent I've never used, bought new close to 20 years ago. I hadn't realized it had been that long since I went camping.

Too bad. Prolly both.

Dollar stores are great.

Don't forget the plastic tubs in which to store all of those.

Yeah, which reminds me to empty/rinse/refill my jugs of water soon.

All good info.

Looks good.

That's good insurance. Unka Murphy sez: "If you're not prepared, I'll test you. But it's no fun if you are, so I won't." That's why I bought chains: Cheap insurance against Murphy!

My buddy, Terry, in San Marcos is a volunteer for RACES. He just sent me a CD with all sorts of HAM info on it. These guys'll help the gov't handle things when the fit hits the shan.

-- Women and cats will do as they please,

and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

--Robert A. Heinlein

Ive got about half a terabyte of Survival stuff on the server. If I remember, Ill burn you some DVDs and send em up to you.

Oh..thats right..you wont read ebooks. Never mind.

Gunner

"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..." Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania