I'd take a dry 82 over this damp chill any day of the week.
The B&B Members Real-Time Weather Report
- Thread starter August West
- Start date
Stay the heck off the 400 hwy system. Call in sick if you have to. Black ice and 120km/hr don't go together real well.
I learned all about driving on black ice living in Saskatchewan. It can make for an intense moment or two lol. They keep the 401 in pretty good shape. Not many know its the busiest stretch of highway in the world.
http://livetrucking.com/this-north-american-highway-was-named-the-busiest-road-in-the-world/
My last two trips to Wawa we took 69 north and south. They're doing a really fantastic job on that highway. Its likely the nicest I've driven anywhere in Canada, with very little traffic. Coming south as soon as I get to Barrie, I get away from the 400 and drive the county secondaries back to London. It takes longer, but the 400 between Barrie and the 401 is outright dangerous most times, I dont like it. The 401 I can deal with...usually.
Maybe the worst stretch of highway I've ever driven, and what felt like the longest drive of my life, was 599 north from Ignace to Pickle Lake. Its a toss up which is worse, 599 from Ignace or 72 from Dinorwic through to 599. I've driven them both.
Driving the Trans Canada, through Ontario especially, never bothered me much. The people that live up there know how to drive! Its kept in pretty good shape too, but we did come through in January 1983. Snowing, blowing and around -30. It was so bad the air intake in my fathers Oldsmobile got so packed full of snow we had to stop in Kapuskasing to get it thawed out. When we took the breather off, the carb was packed full of ice lol.
I drive from Thunder Bay to Toronto a few times a year to see family. 1600km one way. It's a beautiful drive. I have done it many times in winter. We were on our way home one winter when the OPP closed the highway between Terrace Bay and Thunder Bay*. We were having coffee in Terrace Bay when they closed the highway. No hotel rooms available. When we saw the highway plows go by, we jumped in the car and tucked in behind them. 225km at 40km/hr. Home safe and sound. Beats sitting in a Timmie's all night.
*The hills in this stretch of the northern shore of Lake Superior are so steep that transports lose traction on the way up, then slide backwards and jacknife. Going down the hills can be worse since there isn't enough traction to slow the rig down (think bobsled). There have been some nasty wrecks on Cavers hill. When it ices up, or it's a whiteout, the police don't take chances, they close the highway. Same as in the Rockies. That section of the Trans-Canada gets closed a few times every winter.
*The hills in this stretch of the northern shore of Lake Superior are so steep that transports lose traction on the way up, then slide backwards and jacknife. Going down the hills can be worse since there isn't enough traction to slow the rig down (think bobsled). There have been some nasty wrecks on Cavers hill. When it ices up, or it's a whiteout, the police don't take chances, they close the highway. Same as in the Rockies. That section of the Trans-Canada gets closed a few times every winter.
The drive through northern Ontario really is nice. Some of the nicest scenery in Canada is along the north shore of Lake Superior. I enjoy that drive more than I did through the mountains and around Vancouver Island, even if it seems like you're driving in circles.
I'll bet you know exactly where this is.
I cant say I've seen a 300 foot cliff of Red Granite anywhere else along the Trans Canada highway. Directly across the road from that cliff is Nipigon Bay of Lake Superior.
We use to Moose hunt just up highway 11 from there. 15 minutes south of Beardmore and maybe 20 air miles east of 11. Most of the guys stayed at The Royal Windsor Lodge. Olga, the owner, is quite a character lol. Theres a 4000 foot runway cut into the bush there the firefighters used years ago. We use to set camp at the west end of it.
Driving back and forth between London and Regina taught me a lot about driving. My father told me that the Trans Canada highway has paved shoulders for a reason and to use them when a truck, especially a fully loaded logging truck, is coming down a hill behind you. Move over and let them by. They cant always get slowed down quickly enough.
Theres a 1/4" of ice on everything here this morning with a stiff east wind.
There's a section of highway around the town of Dorion where the pavement is pink. Red granite nearby was used in the rock crushers when making the asphalt mix. After a few decades of use, the bitumen on the surface wore off exposing the crushed red granite.
Yeah I remember seeing that here and there along 17.
We Moose hunted for two years about 4 hours north of Cochrane. Theres a Red Granite quarry there we used to check the rifles at. I should have brought some home with me. It was laying around all over the place up there. Like Amethyst used to years ago around and west of T Bay. My uncle worked at the Abitibi-Price pulp and paper mill in Thunder Bay for 30 years.
This is going back to the 1970's and I remember being there when I was 5 or 6 on a trip to Quetico. Huge blocks of Amethyst lying around and we could pick it up from the ditches at the side of the road. I still have a 10lb door stop of Amethyst from up there.
SE Michigan is ice covered.
Slip sliding away!
Slip sliding away!
Yeah its bad here. Hovering right at freezing, raining and windy. Miserable day, but for the first week of Feb. I'll take it!
My wife's from the Soo, we met while going to school in Thunder Bay, she taught school for two years in Wawa was offered a third year in White River after she'd been declared redundant and moved down here to the banana belt, she didn't go back...
For whatever reason my next door neighbour hung laundry outside yesterday, nicely entombed in today's ice, it could hang out there until spring, guess that's not too far off.
dave
A good friend of mine sold her property in Wawa last year. We've been up there the last 3 years and going again this May 24 weekend to scatter her fathers ashes.
Wawa Lake was still frozen early may 2015.
Almost as icy as it is here this morning lol. I have two large tree limbs down in the yard I need to cut up from all the ice.
It was 80 yesterday, 35 today. I may have to wear pants to lunch. 
The temp has dropped 20° already and it’s getting colder.
Currently it is 67°
Currently it is 67°
garyg
B&B membership has its percs
Our ice storm in the Cuff of the Great Mitten never completely melted off my driveway, this afternoon there was thunder with snow fog .. good news is that I still haven't fired up the snowblower
Twelve hours ago we were at 60F now were at 15. What a difference a few hours can make.
We have a 40° difference in temperature.
It is 28 degrees and the weatherman is predicting snow for the next week. For NW Oregon this is unusual and many people are terrified and stores shelves are thin on a few items because of the panic.
It is comical and disturbing at the same time. Way too many people have no idea how to drive in snow and ice. If we get an inch it’s “SNOWPOCOLYPSE” and the schools close and many businesses shut down.
I love the snow and I like driving in it...just have to watch out for the other nut jobs that don’t.
It is comical and disturbing at the same time. Way too many people have no idea how to drive in snow and ice. If we get an inch it’s “SNOWPOCOLYPSE” and the schools close and many businesses shut down.
I love the snow and I like driving in it...just have to watch out for the other nut jobs that don’t.
- Thread starter
- #1,838
Spring bypassed Summer and Fall and went right back into Winter.
My cousin posted a picture of the Killeen Blizzard of 2019.
We had a 5 1/2 hour power outage last night due to the cold weather. The power grid overloaded with all of the heaters being used. We hadn’t turned ours on and still haven’t.
We woke up to 40° outside this morning.
We woke up to 40° outside this morning.
