I parked my car by my house Wednesday afternoon, not really believing the weather would live up to the dire forecasts, and there it remains for at least a couple more days, if not a week. Silly me.
Coming from Philadelphia, I know how to drive on ice and snow, and therefore I also know when not to drive. I have no four-wheel-drive, no traction control, and no ABS, and while I might be able maneuver down my hill without fish tailing into the cars parked on either side… I might not. The relatively passable Rainier Ave. tantalizingly beckons only a couple blocks away, but for now I can only reach it on foot.
I can’t say I’m bored, but I’m certainly a little stir crazy, so this afternoon I’ll pass some time by hiking a couple miles back and forth to the Viet Wah to pick up a few supplies. (I’m out of goddamn garlic, and I’m craving fresh ginger.) And I imagine tomorrow, I’ll take the bus somewhere… anywhere… if only for a change of scene and some face to face conversation.
I suppose I could get me one of those four-wheel-drive trucks or SUVs to get me off my hill on those handful of days every few years when the roads actually demand traction… and, you know… I actually need to go somewhere… but I’ve got a better solution. A few years from now, the next time one of these big storms hit, I intend to be living walking distance from a light rail station. Sure, I’ll miss the view from my hill, but I’ll love the year-round convenience.
That’s why I love the dry powdery snow here in the shadow of the Sierras, Goldy. No problem driving through that in anything, unlike the Cascade Concrete I left behind. My wife’s 4×4 SUV is still pretty useful for those trips up to Tahoe when it gets really dicey, but my little Ranger plows through everything short of the Apolcalypse here.
Goldy,
Get thee to a Subaru dealer…Or as a supporter of the Big Three bailout, don’t you owe it to the poor, starving UAW workers to buy the biggest one of their products available on the market?
Kind of put your money where your mouth is???
What do you drive now? A ’53 Nash?
The Piper
@2
Dude, I saw a Subaru Forrester and full-size Ford Pickup skidding around Thursday morning (and a Metro bus stuck on a hill). Very icy here. Of course, I just worked from home – staying at home costs less than a new car. :)
@3…Lee…
True – that you own a good all-weather vehicle doesn’t qualify you to drive in all types of weather.
Still, nothing beats a Subaru, when properly driven, in weather like this. At some point in time either cabin feaver or the need for milk forces even Goldy out into the elements.
Yet, look at his post where he details his plan to ride a Metro bus tomorrow. As you said yourself, Metro buses can get stuck too.
Maybe we can convince him to make us the beneficiaries of his life insurance? Split the $500 down the middle?
The Piper
@4: A couple of snowstorms ago in Seattle, I had to make a long drive back out from Snohomish is a small old Datsun. I know how to drive in snow (having lived in really snowy places and also driving a lot in the Mountains). I found that the four wheel drive SUVs often have the worst and dumbest drivers. They go too fast, are overconfident and don’t realize that four wheel drive means nothing on ice (no friction on any of the tires still menas NO friction) and not all that much for braking in really slippery conditions. I saw at least 10-15 four wheel drives and trucks with big wheel bases off the road in ditches. Meantime, my little Datsun made it all the way to Seattle just fine/
What four wheel drive does do is help you get up hills and keep you safer around the corners. But a bad driver trumps all. Goldy if you need to go downhill and have a strgith shot – just go for it. As long as you keep it in low gear you should be fine.
One time (long ago) I drove a VW bug off the largest hill in Bellevue – but never started the engine. Just slid/rolled down and used the emergency brake as a rudder.
Don’t get too excited about light rail’s ability to always keep running. I was in DC in January once for a conference and it snowed 16 inches. In a previous storm, the cars sucked snow up into the traction motor intakes and would overheat and shutdown, so they started shutting down the Metro if it snowed more than some relativley small amount.
Granted, that would be a pretty rare event around here and the problem might have been solved by now. I remember reading an aticle about the MBTA solving a similar problem by putting hairnets over the intakes.
Correctnotright, I agree about bad drivers trumping a great handling vehicle. My son has the 4×4 SUV right now and is thanking me for letting him use it. Most of the SUV drivers are transplanted CA or other non-snow states.
And yes you can drive just fine on ice with 4×4 SUV. It’s takes know-how and technique, something not taught because no one takes their driving school lessons in the winter snow areas.
The weakness of relying on buses for our mass transit needs is made very apparent when it snows. In the four winters I spent in Boston I can’t remember once when the subway and light rail stopped running due to snow.
@8: ewp, good point
Yup, the articulated buses are the first to block the major intersections and cancel routes. They make things worse. I remember being stranded by the buses and being stuck in traffic behind another bus that was stuck.
Plain and simple, buses stink in the snow. Trains may not be perfect, but they work alot better and do not rely on roads that are easily blocked.
It’s kind of a bumpy ride though when they chain up those trains.
Goldy – I like the Beatles reference in your post…:)
Goldy, if you do decide to go out and wait for a bus, check this site first. It’s a map that will actually show what buses are in service in real time. The map even shows little representations of the buses moving down various roads.
http://busview.org/busview_launch.jsp
When the map comes up, pan over to your neighborhood. Then I suggest going up to scale and selecting “2 mile view.”
This is just more proof that Goldy stinks and all liberals stink. Stink, stink, stink. Ya’ll suck.
I have four-wheel-drive, although my front legs don’t have nearly as much torque as my hand legs. I also have traction devices on all four paws. I have no trouble getting around in this stuff. So I don’t need light rail, and won’t live long enough to see it built, anyway. And, Goldy, by the time it’s built you’ll be getting around by wheelchair in a nursing home.
Ride the bus, boy are you brave. Around were I live show me a closed road and I’ll show the bus that is the reason that road is closed. I for one think all buses should be garaged when the snow fly’s, mainly the accordion type.
@13 Speaking of suck, that giant sucking sound you hear is Republican economic failure sucking a trillion dollars out of taxpayers’ pockets, on top of the two trillion dollars that Republican foreign policy failure squandered in Iraq. Nobody sucks more than Republicans.
Silly wabbit, road travel is for humans! Rabbits are for rendering into fine clothing products! FOAD you Commie bastard.
@4 “True – that you own a good all-weather vehicle doesn’t qualify you to drive in all types of weather.”
It’s also true that the fact you have a law degree doesn’t qualify you to have legal opinions, or any other opinions, or to vote.
@17 I’m still waiting to get rendered, goatfucker! Why don’t you come to my burrow and try to render me? Bring a gun so I can claim self-defense.*
* Hey, just kidding! You know how Ann Coulter jokes about concentration camps and executions? Well, I’m kinda funny too!
@19 – Commie rat bastard motherfucker.
@20 You’re confusing me with one of your Trotsky-loving neopuke friends. I’m a capitalist rabbit.
And I only fuck cute fluffy female bunnies at least 2 degrees of cousinhood removed in kinship. I fuck as many of those as possible. Gotta keep the rabbit population up, what with so many cars and stupid humans around here. You never know where the stupid humans’ cars might end up …
Oh yeah, one more thing, most of the communism I’ve seen lately consists of Republican politicians giving workers’ money to CEOs as a reward for lying, stealing, and failure. No point in getting mad about it, though; we won the election, and a month from now, we get to hire the federal prosecuters.
RR – if you’re a capitalist, then I’m a rat bastard Commie. No one takes you seriously and you single-handedly ruined this great blog.
It was 25 BELOW here last night.
Got up and went to Church…..then on an 8-mile hike after it warmed up to 10 BELOW.
You KLOWNS are a bunch of wimpering pansy-asses. Too many Californicators on the Washington Highways & BiWays I guess.
Anyway, y’all get some sack and stop whining!
RightWingTroll–
Rog Rabbit is a Capitalist alright…an unsuccessful one (Amway Distributorship).
If Rog hadn’t been a DSHS Attorney for 30 years and got his guaranteed pension, he would be carrotless and most like coyote food or part of someone’s coat.
Isaiah 9
To Us a Child Is Born
For all my Jewish & Christian Friends…..meditate on these words of God.
Tis the reason for the season!
@26 – figures. Only a pensioner/welfare recipient would be able to post ALL day long during working days.
Hey the right wingers still don’t get it. Democrats took 21 seats in the US House. It looks like a net gain of eight US Senate seats. Of course we took the White House. Got a gain of seven Governorships. Can you say
L A N D S L I D E!
I am searching the Internet to try to find a story of such an utterly complete defeat of a wasted, twisted, rejected, idiotic, moronic, and foolish set of numnutz-infested assholes as the republican party. But so far, I can’t find anything that comes close.
The pure and utter bullshit shoveled by the right didn’t work. They were bent over and butt-fucked HARD. And apparently, they like it. Because they are continuing trying to sell the shit that doesn’t work. They keep talking about Ayers and Wright and any other phony controversy that they can think of. THAT DIDN’T WORK FUCKTARDS! YOU LOST!
We bent over the GOP and fucked them in the ass. Their ideas, their thoughts, their hopes and dreams are for nothing.
I am still waiting for people to thank me for my informative #12 comment.
You don’t need anything really to drive in the snow other than chains, some common sense, and some weight over the drive wheels if you are in a RWD vehicle (or in the front if you are in a rear-engine one). Large bags of sand or cat litter are great for this.
Don’t get me wrong AWD, ABS, traction control, a set of 4 studded snow tires, winch, traction mats, etc. are all nice to have for winter driving, but you don’t NEED them to safely drive up and down hills.
Hey the right wingers still don’t get it.
Ain’t that the truth? They’re denying it by any means possible. Just look at them here.
Their ugly defeat is like the unspeakable family secret that’s hidden in rank desperation but then wells up from the depths at the most importunate times.
@32 – triumphalism is an ugly thing.
Trill- I must say the link is your sole interesting and informative contribution in your long history of posting.
2 Piper is absolutely right. A Subaru works about as well as anything for getting around in this stuff, and by the way they’re assembled in Indiana.
However, as Goldy points out, unlike the snowy, icy east and midwest, we have hills in these here parts. Finally, whatever you’re driving and how capable it is, it won’t be much help when the guy in front of you gets stuck and there’s some idiot in a Suburban sliding toward you sideways.
The last tine it snowed here like this, I was at my office in Bellevue, but managed to hike to the Overlake park-and-ride and catch the ST 545 downtown and take the 71 home from there. It took about three and a half hours, but I think I did better than the folks who left all the abandoned cars stacked like cordwood all over the place.
You lefties just don’t get it.
McCain wasn’t our candidate, so many conservatives stayed home. He was a sacrificial lamb. Some of us stated our position long ago before the convention. Fewer voted so you children are now in charge. It has sure been amazing how much money you congressional team has decided to spend.
Artfart: The issue here is the tires people purchase. We went out last night into the snowstorm to help the economy, and we looked at the tires of all the cars in front of us at traffic lights. Some were bald others were cheap radials. No wonder people have issues here.
Goldy- This excerpt from emergency updates might burst your light rail bubble:
Seattle DOT has confirmed the SLU Streetcar service has been suspended today until further notice. The Fairview Ave and Ward St switch at the north end of the SLU line was damaged due to icing.
Puddy Dick is still dillusional, hopefully he never gets it, i’d rather he stay that way….Puddy you do remember Paulson and Bernake, don’t you, oh and one other big asshole, commonly referred to as W.
@24 I couldn’t have ruined it too badly, because you’re still hanging out here.
37. Puddybud,
Puddy. Goldy knows all about driving on bald tires. Remember when he got the flat on the Mercer Island Bridge during rush hour causing a massive back-up?? Goldy single-handedly contributed more to Global Warming with his stupidity that day than most of us will in a lifetime.
What is the Eco-Impact of 10,000 cars being delayed for 1/2 hour by Goldy??
@25 Whatsamatter Cynical, the snow here not deep enough for ya? So you moved to fucking Montana for more snow and cold? Whatever.*
* I assumed you moved there because the property taxes are lower, and because you’re having trouble making ends meet because the Bush Depression kicked the shit out of your retirement investments. Silly me …
@26 My defined benefit pension looks better every day, Cynical. How’s your 401(k) doing?
@27 The Great Mother Rabbit Spirit informs me that She is of the opinion that you wouldn’t know you were in the presence of God even if you tripped over Her ears, but she appreciates the sentiment, although that won’t save you because Her union contract says all Republicans go to Hell.
@28 If I’ve failed to make it clear that I don’t work, I apologize.
@38…K…
In their heart of hearts, most SLUTS are ice cold, so how is this news?
Light rail for light minds…
The Piper
@45…RR…
You don’t work in more ways than one.
The Piper
@33 Yeah, we know. We lived with it for 8 stinking years. Now that the tables are turned, does that castor oil taste a bit bitter going down? Did you think we would be nice to you ratfuckers? Like I’ve always said, the best time to kick a wingnut is when he’s down!
@35 I’ve never seen a Suburban slide in snow. All that extra weight is exactly what you want in these conditions. The cars having trouble are the ones that weigh only slightly more than the driver.
Just to make it clear what my position is on this point, I don’t have any problem with people owning Suburbans if they only use them on snow days or for heavy-duty towing. A Suburban that’s driven 15 days a year uses less gas and pollutes less than an Accord that’s driven 365 days a year.
@47 How many ways of not working are there? I sit on my fat rabbit ass all day. That’s the only way of not working that I know.
Why should I work? Working makes no sense. Workers get the lowest pay, the worst treatment, the least economic security, the highest taxes, and are at the bottom of the social pecking order, so why would anyone work if they didn’t have to? I don’t have to, so I don’t. My momma didn’t raise a fool.
@28 I’m sorry you have to work. I can’t say I blame you for hating your parents, but you have some responsibility in this, too. You should have picked richer parents.
Ice does suck. Anyone remember the video of the Volvo pinballing down the icy street in Portland from a few years back? Dry snow is easier to get through, but I don’t think any of you have ever had to chain up in June……
That’s why the chains stay in all our vehicles year-round.
43. Roger Rabbit spews:
Excellent! I told you all my moves.
I’ll bet my SEP-IRA is worth waaaaaaay more than your stinking guv’mint handout for 30 years of doing nothing as a DSHS Attorney.
Tommy Thompson@39:
Yes, I remember Paulson, BIG TIME. I posted how he voted and supported Donkey until he was brought into the Treasury. Also he right hand man is big time DONKEY! Open Secrets dude. He was a close compatriot to Rubin. You know who Rubin is right?
Need remedial education?
Pussey, grow a pair!
55 – LMAO!! I sense Cynical working up to a wingnut hate frenzy.
Boy the snow seems to be driving the wingnuts into even more of a froth than usual.
Perhaps because they got their penis extensions stuck in the ditch and can’t drive around cutting off Hondas and running down cyclists and pedestrians.
YLB & Chris Stefan–
As Atheists, how come you don’t answer the simple question:
If you had 2 hours to live, how would you live them??
Is that too hard of a question for you?
Since we all live in the Shadow of Death, why are you so afraid to answer?
I would hope as Atheists, you would have the guts to admit that without Faith, your life here is meaningless.
Portland light rail is buggered up due to frozen switches. They are using buses in places where rail service is suspended.
I heard this AM Sounder service is buggered up still due to conflicts with freight brought on by weather. It was hosed up last night after the game due to frozen switches.
@2
He is, by walking and maybe moving near the light-rail line.
As a native of the Puget Sound basin that rarely heads for the mountains in the winter time, I know when not to drive:
When ever there’s snow on the ground. Trust me, you don’t want me driving in the snow.
I live walking distance to work and the grocery store and love my snowy hikes.
@60
Cynical, what the fuck are you on? Forget to take your meds or something?
My life is no more or less meaningful (or meaningless) than yours cynical.
I suppose you’d spend the time praying for all of the good it would do you.
60 – Just as I am now. Life is special but stand it next to eternity and the practical infinity of the universe it’s pretty fragile and fleeting. I’m tempted to say it is small but I believe consciousness is a pretty awesome thing. Pity to waste it.
I’ve lived, traveled a bit, married and have had kids. I feel pretty grateful to have lived in this country where the struggle to just breathe is not really a problem. I’ve been privileged to have the leisure time to ponder the most beautiful as well the most disturbing aspects of human existence and I think I’ve come to terms with the end of life and what it means.
I have no problem with it whatsoever.
Like my Jehovah’s Witness uncle once said to me: “there’s no such thing as hell. When you die you go to sleep.” I traveled with him to my grandmother’s funeral. When she was lowered into the ground he looked at me and said “that’s it”. That works for me.
Of course with only two hours left, I’d hug and kiss my kids and my wife, call my mom and my siblings, tell them all goodbye, I love you, I’m sorry for not saying that more often, I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you and thank you all for nurturing me on my journey. Please tell everyone else I didn’t get to the same.
And last but not least PLEASE, PLEASE, until it’s your turn to kick the bucket, DO NOT VOTE REPUBLICAN. There are people like Mr. Cynical in it.
I have faith in humanity Cynical. We’ve come a long way in the last 10k or so years and while we may easily go back to what we were then that long ago, we could just as easily return. 10k years is just a relative flicker in the vast scheme of things.
I’ve heard tell but have seen no evidence of a sky god who promises pie in the sky when you die.
Goldy is too much of a hypocrite to put his money where his mouth is.
Wasn’t it goldy that got punked out about his kid and a school closing a year or two ago?
Except for the religion of global warming. 40 years ago the experts were all concerned about global cooling. In the 2000’s it was global warming. Since the facts don’t support their position, now the experts predict climate change.
67 – Science hasn’t stood still the last 40 years unlike that unfortunate aspect of human nature called willful ignorance which is probably the same now as it was 5-10 thousand years ago.
64. Chris Stefan spews:
Seems like yours is pretty meaningless.
You cannot even answer what you would do with your last 2 hours….and you believe when you die, you rot. Seems meaningless & hopeless to me. Go ahead and believe what you do has meaning when you have no faith. Your are on a futile journey Chris.
YLB speaks of willful ignorance and Cynical shows up as if on que.
YLB–
Those are very nice things you would do in your last 2 hours….but so what?
You say “I’ve heard tell but have seen no evidence of a sky god who promises pie in the sky when you die.”
You have seen plenty of evidence…you just choose to ignore it. I’m not responsible for your choices…and your choice of Atheism is your choice. Seems like an endless journey to me.
Hey, why not ask proud leftist and rhp about their personal faith. You seem pretty bound up by politics YLB. These 2 guys share some of your political beliefs and profess their faith.
If you don’t believe me, ask them.
Or ask Obama!
I’d probably avoid asking Jess Jackson or his son who was saved from BUYING that Senate Seat by Fitzgerald.
There are plenty of staunch Dems that believe in Jesus Christ. On this Blog, seems like all the Atheists are Democrats though.
Go figure.
Anyway, good luck on your journey.
Did you raise your kids to consider faith?
Or just allow them to drift in the Atheist Abyss.
I thought you enlightened Leftist Progressives believe in exploring ideas??
Apparently not.
It’s more comfortable to live in the Darkness, ehh?
steve–
How has you Atheism served you today?
Any growth or enlightenment??
@67: Any fool who parrots the right wing ideology of the flat-earthers that global warming is not happenning and is not due to anthropomorphic hcnages – is anti-science. The scientific consensus is clear – global warming is a fact and humans are the cause.
The few so-called scientists who dispute this are outliers (out and out liers). I have seen the list of scientists that supposedly think global warming is false – they are unimpressive and most come from unimpressive places and DON”T EVEN study atmospheric science.
Here is the debunking of that madeup number of global warming ani-science people:
Link:http://itsgettinghotinhere.org.....ersdenied/
I have seen the letter from the British Lord – that was thotoughly debunked – he made errors in calculation
71 – Yes, politics are important to me. I look at things like the New Deal, the Civil Rights laws, the progressive reforms and many other political milestones as pretty important. I believe most of us owe a lot to the people who fought and won those political battles.
Yes, many progressives profess practice religion. Fine with me. I own a Bible and read it from time to time. To scoff at it and deny its influence on our lives is to profess willful ignorance. One of these days I have to pick up a Koran and read some commentaries on that as well.
I’m sure my kids will consider faith as they embark on their own journey. I was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church – I had no say in the matter. That’s just what people in my family were expected to do. I don’t expect that of my kids nor do I preach to them about Atheism.
And I know of right leaning atheists. Not all that many though.
YLB–
It is important that you talk to your kids about faith and your issues with the Catholic Church. I hope you have the courage to do so…and encourage them to explore. You were their role model. Trust me, they noticed your Atheism. Is it something to be proud of?
How will your Atheism benefit your kids?
Many children of Atheists have a jaded view of religion…because they were never exposed, never given a chance to learn.
Food for thought.