Midwest ice

[bluestune]

Much of the Great Plains has been under assault by an ice storm the last two days. Here in eastern Iowa it started to rain and freeze around midnight and has been raining and freezing all day today (Tuesday.) The lights have been flickering off and on throughout the day and I’ve heard and seen several large tree branches break off of neighbors trees. So that’s the bad news…

As destructive as freezing rain is, it always amazes me just how beautiful it can sometimes be.

[bluestune]

This is just outside my back door.

[bluestune]

These are hanging over my van in the driveway; I’m hoping the branch that they are attached to stays on the tree.

[bluestune]

More from the back yard.

[tessler]

Wow. Beautiful shots :thumb

Goes without saying, but please, you know, be careful out there!

[bluestune]

This branch is about 1/8 inch in diameter; the ice surrounding it is over 1/2 inch across. My very cold fingers are in the background.

[bluestune]

There were countless close-up photos to choose from, but it was raining and my hands were past numb so I stopped here.

[GSTom]

Here's my backyard in Joplin, MO:

[535is]

You guys are so lucky! All we got is a buncha' freakin' snow! :mad

[GSTom]

down the street from my house

[535is]

down the street from my house

I suppose next, you'll tell us that's your flimsy excuse not to ride down that street ...

[bluestune]

Wow. Beautiful shots :thumb

Goes without saying, but please, you know, be careful out there!

Thanks!

It really is a miserable day to be outside! I didn’t go to the studio today because the roads are going from bad to worse and this evening will probably be even worse than this afternoon. So, I had to spend the day catching up on my internet surfing, reading and of course napping on the sofa.

[bluestune]

down the street from my house

Yikes! Looks like it used to be a nice tree lined street.

[GSTom]

backyard cherry tree

[rocketman]

Very nice shots folks, you should have entered some in the challenge for the past weekend, the theme was pattern after all, I'd say those definitely qualify.

RM

[GSTom]

It started icing up here early Sunday AM. Our electricity went out at 1:00 PM Sunday afternoon and is still off as of Tuesday afternoon. (I am posting this from work). Last night I saw a lineman in the alley behind our house assessing the damage to the lines. I asked him if he had any idea of when the power would be restored. He gave me an incredulous look and replied, "Buddy.....have you walked around your neighborhood?"

[GSTom]

There can be some beauty in an ice storm, but this ain't it!

[GSTom]

Here's one of my "art" shots.

[henzilla]

There can be some beauty in an ice storm, but this ain't it!

Wishing a speedy restoration of everyones power...we sent some crews that way this morning, and, our contractors headed out yesterday for MO & OK. We have not had that happen here for about 4 years...I have been that lineman in your yard, and he really wants to do something,just overwhelming when you see the big picture and the resources needed to replace a lot of equipment in a short time.
It's really incredible what ice can do in a very short time..Stay warm and be safe!We were just in your state during Falling Leaf rally...and several other runs this summer...hate to see all the damage to the trees!

[bluestune]

There can be some beauty in an ice storm, but this ain't it!

That's not a real pretty picture. Stay warm.

[BMWDEAN]

Those photos of ice are beautiful, but mask the misery of so many people who are suffering because of the ice storm. Some will be without power or heat for over a week!

Down here in the "sunniest city in America," Tucson, it has been raining off and on for two weeks. This is the desert? The dirt road to my house is now a mud wallow, and riding a motorcycle out is not possible. Strictly 4WD time. This sucks, too.

[Belquar]

Those photos of ice are beautiful, but mask the misery of so many people who are suffering because of the ice storm. Some will be without power or heat for over a week!

Down here in the "sunniest city in America," Tucson, it has been raining off and on for two weeks. This is the desert? The dirt road to my house is now a mud wallow, and riding a motorcycle out is not possible. Strictly 4WD time. This sucks, too.

Didn't someone ride an RT up the Dalton Highway? Mud ain't nuthin to an RT and a determined rider. :stick

[Rapid_Roy]

Yeah, a RT or GS, no problem.:thumb

[From MARS]

We are back in time. No electricity=no running water. Beautiful though. And quite.
Tom

Must save battery.

[PGlaves]

Our house in Kansas - rented to/by our son - is without power. But it does have a good wood stove for heat, and is a "berm" house, so things (like pipes) won't freeze up any time soon. But - genius that I am, I brought the generator to Texas when we moved instead of leaving it there. I have a hunch that in the scheme of things I should have left the generator in Kansas instead of bringing it to Big Bend.

Time will tell.

[BMWDEAN]

Our house in Kansas - rented to/by our son - is without power. But it does have a good wood stove for heat, and is a "berm" house, so things (like pipes) won't freeze up any time soon. But - genius that I am, I brought the generator to Texas when we moved instead of leaving it there. I have a hunch that in the scheme of things I should have left the generator in Kansas instead of bringing it to Big Bend.

Time will tell.

If I lived in a place subject to ice storms, the first purchases I would make would be a big generator and a gas-powered chain saw. I think Texas gets ice storms. I remember one that put Dallas out of commission a year or two ago. You might be glad to have your generator with you sooner or later.

[PGlaves]

If I lived in a place subject to ice storms, the first purchases I would make would be a big generator and a gas-powered chain saw. I think Texas gets ice storms. I remember one that put Dallas out of commission a year or two ago. You might be glad to have your generator with you sooner or later.

Where we live - in the desert in Big Bend (N29 40.185 W103 35.330) - we might get a little ice, but there are few if any trees to damage any power lines. But we are also the last house on the rural cooperative line coming north out of Terlingua and a typical infrastructure failure can get us any time. So, I brought the generator. I do think a chainsaw would be about as useless as a lawn mower, though.

See: http://www.bigbend.net/users/glaves/adobe.htm

[henzilla]

If I lived in a place subject to ice storms, the first purchases I would make would be a big generator and a gas-powered chain saw. I think Texas gets ice storms. I remember one that put Dallas out of commission a year or two ago. You might be glad to have your generator with you sooner or later.

The only day I did not ride last year was a 1 day ice storm here. Completely shuts down this town. Maybe an average of once every 5 years in Austin. I HAD a generator for my hurricane prone coastal cabin...got lifted a few years ago from a friend I had lent it to after a storm. Has not been replaced yet :banghead . Most generators only run small appliances & some lights without shelling out big $$. Nice to have one on site for sure though. When you can make coffee and watch the news, you become the local hero...or coffeemaker anyway:thumb

Hang in there folks! helps coming.

[HFD190]

Some great pics there, stay safe!

[Mar]

These are hanging over my van in the driveway; I’m hoping the branch that they are attached to stays on the tree.

The same thing happens with our oak tree. When the branches sag like that, go out with nippers and cut off the leaves. The branch will return to where it's supposed to be and it won't hurt the tree because the leaves will fall off in the spring anyway.

[PGlaves]

The only day I did not ride last year was a 1 day ice storm here. Completely shuts down this town. Maybe an average of once every 5 years in Austin. I HAD a generator for my hurricane prone coastal cabin...got lifted a few years ago from a friend I had lent it to after a storm. Has not been replaced yet :banghead . Most generators only run small appliances & some lights without shelling out big $$. Nice to have one on site for sure though. When you can make coffee and watch the news, you become the local hero...or coffeemaker anyway:thumb

Hang in there folks! helps coming.

In Kansas I modified the power lead to the furnace so there was an outlet, and then a plug on the lead to the furnace. When we lost power I could just unplug the furnace from the house wiring (no possibility of feedback) and plug it into a line from the generator. The furnace closet was about 3 feet from the refrigerator so I could plug it and the furnace into the same cord.

A lamp with a 40w flourescent bulb too. If I wanted to make coffee I could just unplug the furnace for 5 minutes and have hot coffee in the thermos too.

[wuli959]

Where we live - in the desert in Big Bend (N29 40.185 W103 35.330) -

See: http://www.bigbend.net/users/glaves/adobe.htm

cool abode. . . but no photos of the "bike garage"?? :scratch

[From MARS]

Not having power isn't all that bad if you have heat. I do miss the running water. Since we are in the country, our water comes from a well via pump.

Before this all started, we had been discussing setting our place up like we had the sailboat; wind generator and batteries w/inverter. This would carry our small house's electrical needs except maybe in the summer with A/C loads.

Like Paul, we are on a rural electric system, and although our lines are in pretty good shape, the feed is down. Some thing like 300 poles have to be replaced before we get power back according to the supplier.

We don't have a generator, but we do have the next best thing: the treehouse. It is on a different grid and has power. We've relocated for the duration.

I've been cooking at the senior center this week so the regular cook could go to her son's Marine Boot Camp graduation. The 12 mile trip into town in the jeep has been a blast. We were out delivering the meals to the folks and sliding around on the ice like a bunch of kids. Nobody else was out. It was an adventure. I love small town living!

Looks like riding is out for awhile though. Now they're predicting snow for the weekend. If I had not been obligated, Paul, you and Voni would have had some company this week. Now I am trapped.

Hot spiced rum, anyone?

Tom

[RebeccaV]

Beautiful pictures guys!

We got more snow than ice up here.

[cjack]

We got snow. I rode on Thursday though. Looks like next Friday is my next chance to ride after the rain washes the salt away.

[From MARS]

We are back in the country again. Power came back on Friday evening just in time for the snow.

Wed. it is supposed to be 44 degrees and the snow/ice should be gone. I feel like I'm coming down with "rideitis". That is the uncontrollable urge to ride in the sunshine on a cold day. Its usually not fatal, but is darned inconvenient if one has a job. Oh, that's right! I'm self-employed.

Tom

[crazydrummerdude]

My farm(s), 15 miles west of Bowling Green, MO. Yesterday.

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892567_4568.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892568_5546.jpg

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892569_6415.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892560_6472.jpg

It was 14degrees Farenheit today.

[rkasal]

My farm(s), 15 miles west of Bowling Green, MO. Yesterday.

http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892567_4568.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892568_5546.jpg

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892569_6415.jpg

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v155/47/3/576805190/n576805190_1892560_6472.jpg

It was 14degrees Farenheit today.


Nice. For you city people. Even if no falling snow were depicted and no trees leaning in the background, I could tell that there was little or no wind. If there were no wind, the cows would tell us what direction especially if they were not feeding.

How can the cows tell us what direction the wind is comind from?

Useless farm trivia.

Regards,


Randy Kasal

[KGT1200]

How can the cows tell us what direction the wind is comind from?



Like any animal with common sense we going to let the wind hit us in the backside; not one, not two but ALL us cows going to stick our ass into the wind...thats how we know which way the wind blows.

-useless farm triva expert guy:usa

[From MARS]

Like any animal with common sense we going to let the wind hit us in the backside; not one, not two but ALL us cows going to stick our ass into the wind...thats how we know which way the wind blows.

-useless farm triva expert guy:usa

Useless farm trivia expert guy,

Here's one for ya': Why are cow paths always crooked? As kids, we used to ride Sears mopeds on the cow paths in the pasture. I had to move to Kansas to learn how to ride straight. No pun intended.;)

[Mar]

Over the weekend we had a record snowfall of 7 inches, which was a record for this time of year. More pics at http://mrob.smugmug.com/gallery/4007151#233182206.

http://mrob.smugmug.com/photos/233182231-M.jpg