Let's visit..... (Missoula, Bozeman: compared, young, girls)

[Reziac]

I see some of the south and east is getting stormed at pretty good today... just looked at the Laurel camera and there's someone stopped on the bridge pointed the wrong direction, but looks like they've got help (some guy with a pickup, wearing a yellow storm coat). In the next image (ftp://ftp.mdt.mt.gov/rwis/laurel/video_20100122115038.jpg - broken link) you can see the MHP arriving.


Interesting what you can see on those cameras sometimes. Once I saw someone slide off the road and wind up in the ditch, tho next time I looked they were gone, so either they got rescued or the 'Bumble ate 'em

[Reedsmit]

Originally Posted by Reziac

I see some of the south and east is getting stormed at pretty good today... just looked at the Laurel camera and there's someone stopped on the bridge pointed the wrong direction, but looks like they've got help (some guy with a pickup, wearing a yellow storm coat). In the next image (ftp://ftp.mdt.mt.gov/rwis/laurel/video_20100122115038.jpg - broken link) you can see the MHP arriving.


Interesting what you can see on those cameras sometimes. Once I saw someone slide off the road and wind up in the ditch, tho next time I looked they were gone, so either they got rescued or the 'Bumble ate 'em

ok, opinion please: daughter is in Helena, should be finished with her training and able to head back to Bozeman about 3:00. The road reports say the roads from Helena through Townsend to Bozeman are snow covered, but the accumulation is only to be 1 - 3 inches. But it is to keep snowing tomorrow and looks like another 6 - 9 inches of snow.

Question for those who know those roads and MT weather, daughter has no experience driving in snow, but she is driving a Suburu Forrester with Blizzak tires, and has emergency supplies with her. Is it best to get back to Bozeman today and be a bit ahead of the storm - or sit tight in Helena and try to head back Sunday?

My gut feeling is she needs to get back as it is going to get a lot worse.

Your thoughts please,

[Reziac]

That is usually a pretty good road even when the weather is bad, other than the icy stretch between Three Forks and Toston (which will be icy much of the winter regardless). I drove back and forth between Bozeman and Helena (and Great Falls) in howling blizzards several times, and sometimes had to take it easy but never found it terribly difficult. After-midnight fog along the river near Townsend was probably more of a hazard than snow.

I'd say if the road is plowed and visibility is decent (not too much blowing snow), she'll be fine, but if it's not plowed she might want to wait, because snow cover more than a couple inches deep can affect steering in ways she might not expect. OTOH since she can take all the time she needs -- it might be a good learning experience (cuz you don't get experience driving in snow without doing it!) Blowing snow confusing visibility might be her biggest problem while she's still learning winter driving.

The usual winter weather pattern is snow or a big storm, followed by a deep freeze, followed by a thaw, and the cycle is anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks long, with the long cycles usually being in January. From the forecast it looks like lots of snow Saturday, not much on Sunday, but colder, with blowing snow in the Bozeman area on Sunday.

Best forecast data is from the National Weather Service, start here and drag the map around as needed:
7-Day Forecast for Latitude 46.58°N and Longitude 112.04°W (Elev. 4412 ft)

[Reedsmit]

Reziac, thank you for the response and the NOAA site.

She is getting ready to leave Helena, and will be traveling with another vehicle.

[Reziac]

Didn't realise she had the option of travelling with another vehicle! but that's a good idea, just in case. She'll get some experience and has immediate help if something goes wrong (tho if she just takes it easy I'm sure she'll be fine).

[Reedsmit]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Didn't realise she had the option of travelling with another vehicle! but that's a good idea, just in case. She'll get some experience and has immediate help if something goes wrong (tho if she just takes it easy I'm sure she'll be fine).

Very true.

After I had posted the original question, my daughter and the other two girls decided it was a good idea for all of them, to caravan back to Bozeman together.

[Wurzig]

Originally Posted by Reedsmit

Very true.

After I had posted the original question, my daughter and the other two girls decided it was a good idea for all of them, to caravan back to Bozeman together.

That was a mature decision!

How is everybody doing?

My girl and I flew to CO last week (specifically, Ft. Collins), to check out CSU and a few houses in the area. Coming from CA, we felt that everybody was nice and my girl was a bit shocked when a guy walking his dog waved to our car....not as if we knew him or anything, he was just being friendly.....(I've tried to tell her that it's a different world beyond what she is used to but I guess she just has to find out for herself....LOL) We did okay in the snow and I even saw ice fishermen for the first time in my life!

She wants to check out Missoula during spring break....I don't know if it's in March or April and right now I'm too tired to check.....should we bring all our sweats and boots or ?

We've had a hellacious week here in sunny, southern California......we lost a tree to wind, have had several of inches of rain in a short time, flooding in the back yard, pool overflowing several times, on and on.......I just wear my cow milkin' boots, put on something that sheds water and plug in my little pump that I bought about 10 years ago at a hardware store and off I go...I have never sucked up so much water in such a short time in my life! The back grass area is a mud pit....the soil is full of clay here and the ground is saturated. Drains were clogged with blossoms and leaves on the first day and I had 3 inches of water trying to get into the house...thank gawd I was here to take care of it!

Didn't have the best time at the Denver airport flying back....the guy took my make-up bag apart and squeezed everything into a quart or sandwich-sized ziploc and said that's all I could take.......I had mostly small items, but he took a medium-sized toothpaste that was almost used-up and said it was too big..... Heck, I had no clue he would do that...I guess my mind was elsewhere....as it was, my kid and I shared a juice that was in my purse before we got up to the line because I didn't want it taken away... On the way, (starting out at John Wayne), they took a almost-new perfume out of my girl's purse and she had to say adios to it....sigh..... Honest people just don't think sometimes......sigh again....

We flew Continental but the plane was through United, (or American, I can't remember)......our carry-on duffels (shoulder straps, no wheels), were a bit too big, (crammed with winter clothes), so we had to check them at the last minute.....$20.00 each.......grrrrrrr! For the flight home, my sister-in-law lent us a bigger duffel bag type-of-suitcase (big with wheels and handle), and we crammed a lot into it, so we just had to check one in, so, in the end, our economical tickets cost us $60.00 more than we had anticipated..... We got 'free' soda, coffee, water, juice on board, but you had to pay if you wanted 'snacks', starting at $3.00 for a tiny Pringles can, up to @ $8.00 for a few fish crackers, etc.... It was a 2-hour flight.......I think their magazine said that they have to serve you something if you are on a 3-hour flight.....

We hadn't flown for close to 2 years......man how times have changed, even since that time.......

[tiberius]

Just a quick note to Reziac. I don't know if you're a father. I've never been one. However, I couldn't help but notice how, through all your advice and weather reports concerning the daughter driving to Bozeman, there was a constant thread of you reassuring the father that she would be ok. I know it may seem like a small, natural thing to do. But it touched me. You may be heavily armed, and off your medications, but it doesn't seem to have affected you being a good man. And I've noticed that it shows in so many of your posts. I'm sure that many other readers here have noticed it too. We're lucky to have you here. Anyway, please accept this from all of us.

tiberius

[Mt-7]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Baking,huh?? I'm thinkin' I need a chocolate cake to go with those yummy pork rib thingees I made last night -- so easy and so good, just throw the frozen lump of meat into the countertop roaster, salt and pepper it good, set it to 300 degrees, and go away for two hours.... and it's magically converted into dinner!

Oh yes thank the cooking Gods for the crock pot

[Mt-7]

Originally Posted by Reziac

I see some of the south and east is getting stormed at pretty good today... just looked at the Laurel camera and there's someone stopped on the bridge pointed the wrong direction, but looks like they've got help (some guy with a pickup, wearing a yellow storm coat). In the next image (ftp://ftp.mdt.mt.gov/rwis/laurel/video_20100122115038.jpg - broken link) you can see the MHP arriving.


Interesting what you can see on those cameras sometimes. Once I saw someone slide off the road and wind up in the ditch, tho next time I looked they were gone, so either they got rescued or the 'Bumble ate 'em

One of the few things as a youngster that scared me, the Bumble terrified me back in the day when you saw a TV special once a year.