The Paulcb Memorial Coldest Ride, Winter 2024-2025

Given the season and expected weather really soon I'll post this here...
Normal seasonal snow for my area is around 36 inches. We've only had 4.7 inches total this season so far. Expecting under an inch of snow tonight, but then the storm comes and the weather prophets are calling for possibly up to 7 inches of frozen white scourge between Tomorrow night and Wednesday night. And the low temps are supposed to get to -3F. SO I figured I better get a ride in before that since there's more coming after that even. I needed to go shopping at Walmart anyway (2.3 miles away from my home) to pick up a few things. Ended up riding a bit longer than that at 21 miles. Temps stayed between 31F-34F for almost the entire ride. I needed to pick up some frozen veggies so that worked out. But the heated grips inside the bar muffs were almost too hot on the lowest setting for this ride.

Oh, and be prepared @the Ferret ... it's coming your way.
 
So will the precedent setting wisdom from a few weeks ago at -22 cancel school the next few days? Delay 2 hours like -18 did? Or concern for sports practices and games outweighs concerns for potential frost damaged children who inevitably aren't prepared properly for cold? Not sure I would head out of there is a delay, but maybe?

Enjoy the bright sunshine of February!
 

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Interesting ride here this morning. They were predicting 1-2" of snow today starting at 6:30 AM. Woke up at 8 and it wasn't snowing, so quickly got dressed and pushed the bike out and fired it up. Went back inside to put my helmet on and came back out and it was starting to flurry. Told my wife I'd be right back was only going to ride about 10 miles. Well, confession I love riding when it's snow flurrying. The flakes coming at you when you're going reminds me of Star Wars when the Millenium Falcon jumps into hyperspace. Just these white blurs flying past you. It's really cool. Well about 20 mins into the ride the roads began to get a little iffy. My 10-mile ride turned into a 24-mile ride. I'm still smiling. 32 degrees and snow flurries for today's ride.

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Around here that's a recipe for hugging the ground. Even if the air temp was in the middle 30sF and rain the ground is cold enough to result in a thin smooth layer of ice with just enough slurry on top to make it like snot. That's why I wait until the pavement is dry and no precip is expected. I've only been caught twice when the expectation was mid 40sF and sunny skies but ended up with mid 30sF and BIG snowflakes that resulted in 2" of slush by the time I got home from work. Those were not comfortable rides at all.
 
Our roads tend to just get wet like if it had been raining. No slush. I've ridden in lots of snow here. But I ride the flat non curvy roads when conditions are iffy

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Dang ya @rjs987 ...just had to mention slurry, snot aka SLUSH didn't ya. Snowed literally all day yesterday, before it turned to freezing rain last night and then dipped below freezing then this morning it turned to "slush". We hardly every get this stuff here. Yuk. Don't care for it. No riding today :(

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My moment of fame and fortune seems to have passed. Wait!!! Was there any fortune involved? :redface-2x:

For the most part, the roads are clear. However, I still would need to get up the hill through about 75 feet that looks worse the @the Ferret 's pic above. And at Damascus House, there was more. It was tricky to walk on it, let alone keep something with only two wheels upright.

18F this morning...but on four wheels. :(

Chris
 
Sorry about that @the Ferret . :oops:
But it's our turn to NOT get any slush for now. Too cold. Might possibly see above freezing, barely, on Saturday but then down in the cellar again after that. Might see a little slush then. Expecting -16F about this time next week... but there will be more snow and the streets currently look like in your photo, but packed snow and ice with no slush so no riding here either. Expecting it to be ice before it melts away entirely or goes away due to sublimation.
 
Roads cleared up enough by 2 pm to get out for a 32-mile ride @ 30 degrees. Went thru one snow squall, that was thick and furious. Only lasted for a mile or so but it was so cool with the snow flying over and around me. Wish everyone who rides could share that cool experience at least once in their lives.
 
the Ferret said:
Roads cleared up enough by 2 pm to get out for a 32-mile ride @ 30 degrees. Went thru one snow squall, that was thick and furious. Only lasted for a mile or so but it was so cool with the snow flying over and around me. Wish everyone who rides could share that cool experience at least once in their lives.
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Thank you, for wishing this on me!! I think. Started snowing about halfway home and started sticking even closerIMG_20250213_151641576.jpg
 
cjames431 said:
Thank you, for wishing this on me!! I think. Started snowing about halfway home and started sticking even closerIMG_20250213_151641576.jpg
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Oops sorry, but it was cool experience right? Right?

To the uninformed does it usually snow in Washington state? I always thought it was a warm air cold rain place
 
the Ferret said:
Oops sorry, but it was cool experience right? Right?

To the uninformed does it usually snow in Washington state? I always thought it was a warm air cold rain place
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It was until it wasn't. Once it wasn't it was just cold :laugh-2x:. We usually get snow late January or sometime in February. The rest of the time is is just cold and rainy.
 
Several years ago, Mt. Baker up north of us had 1140 inches of snowfall. Usually, that's where it is...and we drive to it. When it snows down in the lowlands, it's a mess. We don't have nearly enough snow removal equipment to do more than wait for it to melt.

Once in awhile, we'll get ice cold air coming down from the Fraser River Valley in Canada. Then depending on how it mixes, we'll get ice cold temperatures with dry air or snow. Last year, I got my 16 or 18F ride in on one of those cold dry days when it had been cold and dry for several days before. There was no ice on the roads and it was just fine to ride in. This year, the main roads are good (till tonight), but I can't get past the neighbor's section of the shared driveway. It's got about an inch of hard packed icy pavement that stretches about 35-50 feet. This weekend, it'll rain and just be a distant memory.

It's snowing right now. Sigh...another Subaru Outback moment.

Chris
 
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