Need input - moving to CO and am a FL girl (Grand Junction: 2010, new home)

[MyTwoBeauties]

Having lived in the sunny state of FL for nearly 30 years, I am in desperate need of help. My family and I are moving to the COS/Woodland Park area in the early part of 2010. I have 2 small boys (ages 4 and 1.5)...what do I need? Besides an AWD vehicle (& snow tires?), what kind of gear would they need? I left NY when I was 9yrs old, so I am clueless

[Gunluvver2]

Warm clothing will be needed but if you aren't familiar with the term "layered clothing" do some research into it.

Driving on snow and ice will be a new experience. Do a little bit of reading on the topic before you get here. Three basic things to remember when driving on slick roads: Plan ahead, no sudden moves and increase spacing. A vehicle handles differently on ice or snow compared to dry pavement. If you study some good instruction manuals on winter driving before you get to Colorado you will have a safer learning experience. That is the first step in the "Plan ahead" rule from earlier. Also don't let fear get the better of you. Even on the worst weather days a very small percentage of people have accidents. Learn the physical principles of driving on ice and you should be OK.

Enjoy your new home,
GL2

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by MyTwoBeauties

Having lived in the sunny state of FL for nearly 30 years, I am in desperate need of help. My family and I are moving to the COS/Woodland Park area in the early part of 2010. I have 2 small boys (ages 4 and 1.5)...what do I need? Besides an AWD vehicle (& snow tires?), what kind of gear would they need? I left NY when I was 9yrs old, so I am clueless

Probably some warm clothes for everyone, not a lot more really. Might want to hit some of the Goodwill and Salvation Army stores for some low cost stuff, which the boys will outgrow quickly so not much need to spend a lot.

Preferred car for snow areas seems to be the Subaru; search on that term across the COLO forums and you'll find the info. The one key thing to remember: 4 wheel drive doesn't mean 4 wheel stop.

[COflower]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Probably some warm clothes for everyone, not a lot more really. Might want to hit some of the Goodwill and Salvation Army stores for some low cost stuff, which they will outgrow quickly so not much need to spend a lot.

I saw a lady buy (though she had a voucher - I think military as she just got in from Guam) pick up about $700 worth of kids clothes (if not more) today for $77.

The Goodwill off North Academy has pretty good merchandise for clothing since you get a lot of the discards from the Briargate area. I get decent Levi's for $5 or under (have gotten them as low as $2.50+tax), in fact I bought a pair of jeans, pair of khaki pants for my new job, two tops and a pair of brand new (with stickers on them) pair of flannel jammy pants today for $19.07. Sadly the jeans don't fit so those are going back but two outfits and a pair of lounge pants for under $20 - makes a COflower happy.

As for "all wheel drive" it's not necessary unless you commute from Woodland Park area down to the Springs. Heck, I have had mostly front wheel drives (but for some time I had to travel back and forth from Grand Junction) for all of my driving years - 25 years except for 5 of those years.

I recommend people take some driving courses from a place like MasterDrive if they've never learned how to drive in the winter conditions. They also teach police officers how to drive (or used to - I've known Ronn for many years though I don't keep in touch with him) so they are a great program to look into if you want to get the skills you need.

Welcome to the CS area.

[sterlinggirl]

You don't "need" a 4wd car in the urban areas of Colorado. A front wheel drive car will do just fine, but a good set of snow tires would be a good idea if you think you'll really need to drive on the snow instead of waiting a few hours for the plows to clear the roads. A rear wheel drive car won't do as well as front wheel drive, but they still work well enough. We managed to survive with them for decades before front wheel drive became widely available.

Other than that, just make sure you get some warm clothes. It's better to layer a lot of light layers than to wear one heavy one.

[MyTwoBeauties]

Thank you, everyone, for your input...so appreciated!

[reed7970]

Congrats on you decision to move. I used to live in FL and I would never go back.

Couple things to get, especially if you are going to live in Woodland Park.

AWD or 4WD vehicle, or some good winter tires.

Snowblower, don't need a huge one. You won't have to use it much, but when you need it, you'll be thankful that you have it. If you can't afford that, get a good shovel.

Good sunglasses. It is sunny more days here than it is in Florida.

Layers. There will be days when you wear shorts and pants, sweatshirts and t-shirts in the same day. The weather is wacky so you always have to be prepared for just about anything.

Good rain jacket and umbrella. It doesn't rain much, but oh boy, when it does...

Get a snowboard or skis. If you don't know how, learn.

Welcome to COS!!!

[PokerMunkee]

I agree on the skis/board.....Nothing like escaping to Breck/Keystone for the weekend for some of the country's best powder. WP is about 1.45 hours away from Breck. Boys are a little young but my friends have taken their 4-5 year olds and they have a blast (kids ski free too).

If you have the means, then get an AWD vehicle. The peace of mind is definitely worth it, especially with all of the hills/inclines with living in Woodland Park. The snow tires will come into play with stopping when going down one of the hills/declines. Subaru makes great cars and you will see them everywhere up here. One thing to check when you buy is if the car has full-time AWD. I personally will never buy a car that has power to the front or rear wheels and sends power to the other axle only when detects the powered wheels slipping. I want all tires having power all the time. See this video to see why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQRxlChvMw Not only is this safer in ice/snow, but also rain. We get a lot of rain in the summer months, pretty much clock work after 3pm for a hour or so.

Good luck and if you have questions about WP or need a good reatlor, give me a private message!

[Moman1]

I third the skis/snowboard comments. Man do I miss skiing in Colorado. The military has taken me away from good skiing for a few years. Can't wait to go back to COS.

I also want to add a comment to the cars topic. I whole heartedly agree that front wheel drive is ok in bad weather. However, there are situations that arise on a regular basis in the winter where having all four wheels turning gives you an advantage. Having lived in Florida before, I know you probably already know about hail. Hail happens quite often here. If you have a really nice car that you don't want to stress out about getting pitted, you could always buy a secondary (work) vehicle. That's what I did and it doesn't cost that much money to do so. My wife had a 2003 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 and I drove a 2002 Chevy Camaro SS (horrible in bad weather). So I bought (in 2003) a 1991 Toyota pickup 4x4 to drive when I suspected the weather was going to be bad. I didn't care if it hailed on it. I bought it for $5k, drove it for 3 years, and sold it for $4k. Never had a problem with it. I always dreaded the summer months when the 3pm thunderstorm would move through, especially when I had my SS out somewhere.

Also, bring some oxygen with you. There isn't much up there. :-) Seriously though, you will notice the high altitude when you do something physical until you get used to it.

Lastly, sunscreen. You can probably wait until you get here for this but the air is thinner in Colorado and you are about twice as susceptible to sun burns here than when you were in Florida.

[MyTwoBeauties]

Ok, another question for all of you wonderful CO people What about churches? I have heard some good things about Woodland Park Christian and also New Life in COS. We want a non-denominational Christian Church that believes in the WHOLE Bible (in other words, isn't ashamed of the Holy Spirit). Any input?