/music/beer/pitbull
Gone Ronin
Stuff typed into a computer by a thirtysomething transplanted Vermonter, now living in Portland, Oregon. You'll also find dog photos, travel photos, stuff about my favorite sports teams - the Steelers, Pirates, and Arsenal FC - military blogs, movies, beer, skiing, ski patrolling, and whatever else I darn well please.
news & blog search for Gone Ronin...
Jul 23, 2007cyclotram
There's always a week in July where everything happens at once and you just can't keep up. This year, that week is this week. OSCON runs all this week, the Oregon Brewers Festival starts up on Thursday, and Le Tour is in the Pyrenees through Wednesday. Oh, and I have to help plan a birthday get-together for someone for Wednesday.
We supposedly hold all these events in July (birthdays excepted) because the weather's better. Has anyone freakin' looked outside recently? Weather not so good.
A couple pieces on OSCON from Wired, InfoWorld and Blankenhorn on ZDnet.
And a few local beer blog posts about OBF '07 at Gone Ronin, Portland Beer Blog, The Brew Site, PortlandBeer.org, The Beer Retard (great name, btw) and probably others.
...
We supposedly hold all these events in July (birthdays excepted) because the weather's better. Has anyone freakin' looked outside recently? Weather not so good.
A couple pieces on OSCON from Wired, InfoWorld and Blankenhorn on ZDnet.
And a few local beer blog posts about OBF '07 at Gone Ronin, Portland Beer Blog, The Brew Site, PortlandBeer.org, The Beer Retard (great name, btw) and probably others.
...
from the Gone Ronin feed...
Upper Bowl, on Saturday - during the brief period of no precipitation.So a week had passed, and with it, a colossal dumping of snow. Sunday was a return trip to Ski Bowl, and as often happens during the early part of the season, things weren't exactly normal. Both of the west side chairlifts had some sort of issue - upper bowl on a wind hold, lower with a mechanical issue - and on top of that, it was raining. A LOT.
I got to open up Rescue Center, which meant a snowmobile ride all the way up, since the upper chair wasn't running. I got the logbook started and took care of what I could up there, then the decision was made that we would operate with the Multorpor chair as the dispatch, since it was the highest running lift. This meant I got to pack a sled up with a pair of backboards, the oxygen/BLS pack, the AED, and the logbook, and ski it down from the top.
...
I couldn't let all that snow go un-measured for depth. Here's how it stacks up:
Deepest drift: 33" (at east edge of driveway)
Deepest pile: 38" (shoveled from driveway)
Depth on street: 13" (near mailbox)
Big drift in back yard: 22" (east side of yard)
Depth west side of house: 29"
And here's some more photos. The sun was fighting to make an appearance. It sort of succeeded.
Dogs out enjoying the backyard.
Dec 22, 2008
Deepest drift: 33" (at east edge of driveway)
Deepest pile: 38" (shoveled from driveway)
Depth on street: 13" (near mailbox)
Big drift in back yard: 22" (east side of yard)
Depth west side of house: 29"
And here's some more photos. The sun was fighting to make an appearance. It sort of succeeded.
Dogs out enjoying the backyard.Dec 22, 2008
We got a call from my sis-in-law (B's youngest) after I got done helping out the neighbors, and so off we went to Troutdale to pick her up and take her to Freddy's to get some dog food and other stuff. The roads are completely snow-covered, and many side streets just have the packed ruts from people driving - and the ruts are anywhere from 4"-8" deep. Needless to say, there were plenty of vehicles stuck in the intersections of main roads and side streets. Most of that was made worse by the plows, which had left piles in those intersections, as they haven't plowed any side streets.
Anyway, we took care of the sis-in-law's errands, dropped by Home Depot (no shovels and no de-icer), and rolled on home. When we got to our turn, there was a green Explorer stuck in the intersection, so we did a loop around and came into our neighborhood from the back way. We almost got stuck in one spot, but the Sorento's 4-wheel-drive and the great tires I got last year grabbed just enough traction to get past the deep spot we were in, and we made it home.
...
Dec 22, 2008
Anyway, we took care of the sis-in-law's errands, dropped by Home Depot (no shovels and no de-icer), and rolled on home. When we got to our turn, there was a green Explorer stuck in the intersection, so we did a loop around and came into our neighborhood from the back way. We almost got stuck in one spot, but the Sorento's 4-wheel-drive and the great tires I got last year grabbed just enough traction to get past the deep spot we were in, and we made it home.
...
This is easily the most snow I've seen at the house since we moved in 10 years ago. Not only are we pretty much assured of a properly white Christmas, it's beginning to look a lot like back home. Kinda wish I had that old snowblower that Dad used to use to clear the driveway. I'd be a huge hit with the elderly neighbors. As it was, I helped a neighbor shovel a path from her garage out to the street (still not plowed), and then together we went out and did the same for a few of the older/disabled neighbors. I'm sore, but I feel great about it.
As for our driveway, I had things completely shoveled between both vehicles, and out to the ruts in the snow on the street. But that was yesterday. Today, I had to re-do much of that work, but gave up on clearing the spot between both vehicles. I might go do that later.
Here's some shots to give you an idea of the volume of snow we're dealing with...
...
Dec 21, 2008
As for our driveway, I had things completely shoveled between both vehicles, and out to the ruts in the snow on the street. But that was yesterday. Today, I had to re-do much of that work, but gave up on clearing the spot between both vehicles. I might go do that later.
Here's some shots to give you an idea of the volume of snow we're dealing with...
...Saturday marked my return to Ski Bowl, and what a day it was! There was snow the entire way up this time, courtesy of the recent dumpage that hit town. We usually don't see much snow all the way down in Portland, so it was a unique experience driving the full length of the trip from home to the mountain on snow-packed roads. The Sorento did beautifully in 4WD.
I hopped the shuttle from the patrol building to Ski Bowl east with one of the other patrollers, so as to save some parking spots for the public. This kinda screwed with my usual routine of how I determine what comes with me and what stays in the Palace, but it worked out just fine. I'll probably keep doing that, and the patrol is encouraging us to take the shuttle for Timberline as well, which should mean some trips down the Glade trail down into Govy - something I still have yet to experience.
Anyway, it was shaping up to be 'one of those days', as the regular radios at the Palace hadn't been charging. We sent someone over to the patrol building in Govy to get the training radios, so things worked out all right.
...
I hopped the shuttle from the patrol building to Ski Bowl east with one of the other patrollers, so as to save some parking spots for the public. This kinda screwed with my usual routine of how I determine what comes with me and what stays in the Palace, but it worked out just fine. I'll probably keep doing that, and the patrol is encouraging us to take the shuttle for Timberline as well, which should mean some trips down the Glade trail down into Govy - something I still have yet to experience.
Anyway, it was shaping up to be 'one of those days', as the regular radios at the Palace hadn't been charging. We sent someone over to the patrol building in Govy to get the training radios, so things worked out all right.
...