..... A break from this stupid winter with avg. 4c weather this week here.

It can take all the snow along with it...

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

Hello Atreyu!

13 Feb 26 15:36, you wrote to all:

..... A break from this stupid winter with avg. 4c weather this week
here.
It can take all the snow along with it...

I stopped looking when we broke 10k in tow charges this winter.

Shawn


... Why do I get the feeling that this is a setup?
--- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5-b20151130
* Origin: Deep in the Dirty Shwa (1:229/452)

Hello Atreyu,

13 Feb 26 15:36, you wrote to All:

It can take all the snow along with it...

And the 0F (-17C) weather too!

-- Sean

... WinErr 002: No error... yet.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20240209
* Origin: Outpost BBS * Johnson City, TN (1:18/200)

Hello Sean!

14 Feb 26 18:50, you wrote to Atreyu:

Hello Atreyu,

13 Feb 26 15:36, you wrote to All:

It can take all the snow along with it...

Glad the weather is "improving" for you.

Visalia hasn't seen snow since 01/25/1999 - a total of 6 inches (15.25 cm). Shut down the whole town for a few hours with wrecks all over and was melted by mid-afternoon.

And the 0F (-17C) weather too!

The coldest overnight low on record is +17F (-8C) around 1990 or 1992.
Not to brag or rub it in, but...

I mowed my lawn today - the second time in four days - wearing a T-shirt and blue jeans (boots, too), a beautiful sunny February day with a beautiful view of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Range about 35 or so miles (56 kilometers) to the east. The high today was +67F (+19.4C)

However, heavy rain for most of the next 7 days with accumulations expected to be around 2-3 inches (6.3 - 7.6 cm) of rain on the valley floor and nearly twice that in the Sierra foothills (usual annual is around 10 inches (25.4 cm).

At least the dense morning "Tule Fog" (too-lee) has been gone for a few days after more than two weeks with visibilities of less that 200 feet (30.5 meters). But it will be back next week after the rain stops.

I can't imagine living with the cold like you and Nick. Stay warm, and Sean, try to stay out of the hospital. Your troubles appear far worse than mine. And I have a few years on you.

73 de Ray
Visalia, CA DM06ii
W6RAY | WRKZ506

... It's better to be judged by twelve than to be carrier by six.
--- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: Ray's Road Node | Somewhere in California! (1:214/23)

Ray Quinn wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

Visalia hasn't seen snow since 01/25/1999 - a total of 6 inches (15.25 cm). Shut down the whole town for a few hours with wrecks all over and
was melted by mid-afternoon.

I just left Soda Springs, CA ahead of a storm expected to drop 6-9 feet
of snow over the next few days. Some people were heading into town FOR
THE SNOW...

I hope they stocked up on firewood, lanterns and have propane heat -
our cabin is all electric. :(

I'm back at home on the coast, we're getting hammered with rain. We
have power issues as my street is fed by a wire that cuts across a
ravine and is susceptible to falling trees. If the power goes out, I
have a LexusWall(tm) - plug an AC inverter into my Lexus hybrid, run an
extension cord to my refrigerator. I have a gas tankless heater which
needs a little power for the electronics, I can plug it in and take hot
showers, albeit in the dark.



--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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Hello Kurt!

16 Feb 26 10:31, you wrote to me:

I just left Soda Springs, CA ahead of a storm expected to drop 6-9
feet of snow over the next few days. Some people were heading into
town FOR THE SNOW...

I used to travel I-80 through Donner Pass back in the 1990's in an 18-wheeler. We weren't allowed to use tire chains, as per company policy, so I spent some time either in the Reno/Sparks area or Sacramento waiting for the snow to stop. I remember once we stopped at the rest area at the summit and there was at least 12-15 feet of snow - it towered over the building.

I hope they stocked up on firewood, lanterns and have propane heat -
our cabin is all electric. :(

We don't have a fireplace in the house, but we are below 300 feet in elevation here in Visalia, so snow is unlikely. Although, I heard the snow level MAY get down to around 500 feet later in the week. I don't expect that.

I'm back at home on the coast, we're getting hammered with rain. We

I am glad you made it home safely. We had a very wet winter in 22-23 with a LOT of snow at the upper elevations and even snow down below 1,500 feet. Then, Beginning on March 10, a very warm rain came through and the mountain rivers and streams washed away bridges and homes, among other things.
Even the main north-south highway, SR-99, was flooded where the Tule River flowed. Most of the local rivers flow into Tulare Lake.

have power issues as my street is fed by a wire that cuts across a
ravine and is susceptible to falling trees. If the power goes out, I
have a LexusWall(tm) - plug an AC inverter into my Lexus hybrid, run
an extension cord to my refrigerator. I have a gas tankless heater
which needs a little power for the electronics, I can plug it in and
take hot showers, albeit in the dark.

I have heard of people using their car to power their home in emergencies like you describe. You want to keep your food from spoiling. Especially as expensive as food is these days. We haven't had power issues but once or twice in the nearly ten years we've lived in our current location. Our power comes from the overhead lines that runs between the homes, but SCE is running power lines underground in some of the neighboring streets. Our house was built in 1960 and was in a County island until about 10-15 years ago, and until last Friday (2/23/2026) was not on city sewer. (Boy is that expensive!)

If power does go out for an extended perior, we have a built-in propane powered 2500 watt generator in our travel trailer with another gas-powered portable generator. I could install something to connect the generator to the house, not to power the house, per se, but to work in conjunction with the solar panels on the roof, so long as the sun is shining. The solar system won't generate power unless it detects power. A safety net so workers don't get electrocuted due to power feeding back through the lines. And we don't yet have a battery, but have looked into it.

In the few days after the septic tank was pumped and the sewer connected, we used the trailer for the toilet as well as showers so it wouldn't have to be pumped again.

Stay safe and, if possible, stay dry.

73 de Ray
Visalia, CA DM06ii
W6RAY | WRKZ506


... A Smith and Wesson beats four aces.
--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: "Ray's Road Node | Somewhere in California! "! (1:214/23)

Ray Quinn wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

I used to travel I-80 through Donner Pass back in the 1990's in an 18-wheeler. We weren't allowed to use tire chains, as per company
policy, so I spent some time either in the Reno/Sparks area or
Sacramento waiting for the snow to stop. I remember once we stopped at
the rest area at the summit and there was at least 12-15 feet of snow -
it towered over the building.

That's pretty frightening, no chains in a storm with a load?

The snow's been so high at that rest stop that people go sledding up in
the hills behind it!

I have heard of people using their car to power their home in
emergencies like you describe. You want to keep your food from
spoiling. Especially as expensive as food is these days. We haven't had power issues but once or twice in the nearly ten years we've lived in
our current location. Our power comes from the overhead lines that runs between the homes, but SCE is running power lines underground in some
of the neighboring streets. Our house was built in 1960 and was in a County island until about 10-15 years ago, and until last Friday (2/23/2026) was not on city sewer. (Boy is that expensive!)

The nice thing about a hybrid is that the hybrid battery keeps the 12v
battery charged. When the charge runs down on the hybrid battery, the
engine kicks over by itself - usually for a couple of minutes every
half-hour or so. I went 3 days and used less than a quarter of a tank
of gas.

If power does go out for an extended perior, we have a built-in propane powered 2500 watt generator in our travel trailer with another
gas-powered portable generator. I could install something to connect
the generator to the house, not to power the house, per se, but to work
in conjunction with the solar panels on the roof, so long as the sun is shining. The solar system won't generate power unless it detects power.
A safety net so workers don't get electrocuted due to power feeding
back through the lines. And we don't yet have a battery, but have
looked into it.

In the few days after the septic tank was pumped and the sewer
connected, we used the trailer for the toilet as well as showers so it wouldn't have to be pumped again.

Stay safe and, if possible, stay dry.

73 de Ray
Visalia, CA DM06ii
W6RAY | WRKZ506

... A Smith and Wesson beats four aces.
--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: "Ray's Road Node | Somewhere in California! "! (1:214/23)

--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)

Hello Kurt!

17 Feb 26 06:55, you wrote to me:

Ray Quinn wrote to Kurt Weiske <=-

I used to travel I-80 through Donner Pass back in the 1990's in
an 18-wheeler. We weren't allowed to use tire chains, as per
company policy, so I spent some time either in the Reno/Sparks
area or Sacramento waiting for the snow to stop. I remember once
we stopped at the rest area at the summit and there was at least
12-15 feet of snow - it towered over the building.

That's pretty frightening, no chains in a storm with a load?

Perhaps I should clarify: The company policy was that if chains were required, the safety of the driver, the public, and equipment was paramount and you parked the truck until such time as the chains were no longer required. All vehicles are requied to carry them from either Octover or November through March or April.

These days I haul heavy equipment for a very small company (New owners as of 4/1/2025 and three of us stayed on). While I do still spend time in the truck, I am mostly in the office submitting transportation permit applications to various government agencies, ie: state (Caltrans), county and city Public Works Departments. In fact, just this morning, I put the packet together to renew our State of California annual permits for so-called extralegal loads. All the combined permits take up most of a two-inch thick binder, which includes a plethora accompanyments for each agency.

The snow's been so high at that rest stop that people go sledding up
in the hills behind it!

Years ago, I went snowshoeing in Kings Canyon National Park from Grant Grove Village to the Park Ridge Fire Lookout once. The hardest part was the steep climb, and subsequent decent to and from the trail. I couldn't do it today. Father time is working against me these days.

I have heard of people using their car to power their home in
emergencies like you describe. You want to keep your food from
spoiling. Especially as expensive as food is these days. We
haven't had power issues but once or twice in the nearly ten
years we've lived in our current location. Our power comes from
the overhead lines that runs between the homes, but SCE is
running power lines underground in some of the neighboring
streets. Our house was built in 1960 and was in a County island
until about 10-15 years ago, and until last Friday (2/23/2026)
was not on city sewer. (Boy is that expensive!)

The nice thing about a hybrid is that the hybrid battery keeps the
12v battery charged. When the charge runs down on the hybrid battery,
the engine kicks over by itself - usually for a couple of minutes
every half-hour or so. I went 3 days and used less than a quarter of a tank of gas.

Not bad at all.

As always, Kurt, it is good to chat with you. I just realized (I should know better by now) what echo we are in. Perhaps a bit off-topic here.

Ray


... A Smith and Wesson beats four aces.
--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: "Ray's Road Node | Somewhere in California! " (1:214/23)

On 17 Feb 26 08:39:22, Ray Quinn said the following to Kurt Weiske:

Not bad at all.

As always, Kurt, it is good to chat with you. I just realized (I should kno better by now) what echo we are in. Perhaps a bit off-topic here.

Really "nothing" is off-topic here :)

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

Hello Atreyu!

17 Feb 26 19:08, you wrote to me:

On 17 Feb 26 08:39:22, Ray Quinn said the following to Kurt Weiske:

Not bad at all.

As always, Kurt, it is good to chat with you. I just realized (I
should kno better by now) what echo we are in. Perhaps a bit
off-topic here.

Really "nothing" is off-topic here :)

Ok, thanks, Nick. I just don't want to be one of those that overstep or overstay.

Ray


... A Smith and Wesson beats four aces.
--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: "Ray's Road Node | Somewhere in California! "! (1:214/23)