Year after year the weather on the mountain never ceases to surprise me. You may live or have plans to live somewhere in the “mountains” and should always be prepared for surprise. Mountain weather can change quickly its always best to be prepared, or else have a healthy attitude about quick changes. I think it was Clint Eastwood’s character in Heartbreak Hill, who said, “You’re a marine, we Adapt, Improvise and Overcome!“
Went into my home office at 6:30am, when everything was brown. Came out at 10:30am, and everything is white! After fixing up the road some and looking forward to spring, the weather service indicates I’ll probably have 7 inches by tonight. It may turn to rain late tonight with an encore performance of mud season tomorrow! The change from yesterday’s video to the conditions today is dramatic.
Fresh Snow, No Solar Power!
This is why we always have firewood, extra food and fuel available in case we need to wait a day or two in a pinch! I must confess, however, this time I’m low on coffee and generator gas. We do have chains and snowmobiles if it ever got to that. April second, freak storms.
What kind of strange storms have caught you by surprise? Were you prepared? Or, did you Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome? Tell us about it below in the comments!
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Hello. I am enjoying your blog very much.
I have a question: Couldn’t you just clean the snow off the panels and use them anyway? I am thinking of doing what you are doing, so your advice is very helpful. Thanks!
Certainly, the snow could be brushed off, and the lack of solar power that morning wasn’t intended to be the main point.
However please note, that in the winter with fewer hours of daylight and living in the “cloud bank” for weeks at times, solar produces about 2-8% of normal. For example on our system, peak output for mid August can be 3000 WH. In the dead or winter it often averages closer to 180 WH/
During spring break one year I made a trip over the pass from Portland to our “summer” property off hwy 97 in Sand Creek ,Oregon alt.4500 I had 5 of the kids with me age 5 to 13. My husband had to stay behind for his job, I planned to work on a rock fireplace i was building at the property and let the kids and the dog run wild(why we bought the place) The trip was uneventful, santiam pass was clear, hwy 97 fine, I made one stop at the tiny market nearest the property to buy ice and the clerk laughs at me and says “Have you been out to your place yet?” I say “no, why?” she just laughs, I get my ice and drive another few miles down the hwy and turn off to get to our trailer, just 3/4 mile off the main road, and the more i go east the more snow is piled on the side of the road, about two feet, the road had been plowed, until the plow stopped at the plowmans driveway. Having now driven about 5 hours with 5 kids i was determined to get to the prpoerty. I put my Isuzu Trooper in 4wd and went for it. The ice over the snow held us up a few yards until we were plowed in and sunk. Now it was getting dark- Adapt and Improvise- I dragged out 2 tarps and threw the gear on it. The kids pulled the loads like sled dogs and i carried the 1000 watt Honda generator. Luckily it was small as I was 6 months pregnant. I’m not saying it was easy. The walk to the trailer took almost 3 hours thru the snow, this usually was a 10 minute walk when the road was clear. We overcame – made it to the trailer and then hunkered down and let things melt a couple days while the kids dug tunnels thru the snow and had a good time. I managed to dig out the car on the third day and got into range on a cell phone to call my husband, who had already called the Klamath County sheriff who swore the weather was “clear” at Sand Creek. Now I generally wait til May to go visit my summer land. Someday i will have it done and will be hunkered down in a warm cabin before the snow comes.You guys are rockstars, thanks for your stories.