Ready for Winter?? (Brunswick, Topsham, Freeport: apartment, rental, college)

[Sunday1]

This is really helpful Maineah. We're on a gravel road (that ourselves and a few other houses pay to have plowed but it seems to me it depends upon where you are in the queue as to when it gets done in the AM) and have more than a few hills to climb and windy roads to maneuver to get to Freeport or Brunswick. As for that fiberglass cap, I've printed this thread so I can talk with DH about all of this. Time to get rolling with the winter prep decisions. We've been spoiled by this mild and lingering autumn. I'm glad you started this topic as a wake-up call to those of us procrastinating!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Sunday1

This is really helpful Maineah. We're on a gravel road (that ourselves and a few other houses pay to have plowed but it seems to me it depends upon where you are in the queue as to when it gets done in the AM) and have more than a few hills to climb and windy roads to maneuver to get to Freeport or Brunswick. As for that fiberglass cap, I've printed this thread so I can talk with DH about all of this. Time to get rolling with the winter prep decisions. We've been spoiled by this mild and lingering autumn. I'm glad you started this topic as a wake-up call to those of us procrastinating!

I did it as a kind of wakeup call to myself too! I put everything on the back burner for the month of November while I hunt. It's amazing how much stuff I have to do now after neglecting things for a month!
DW is patient but she's starting to bug me about getting gutters cleaned out, winterizing the motorcycles, cleaning the barn, storing the lawn mowers etc. I even got out the emergency generator, charged the battery and ran it for an hour to be sure it's ready to go this winter. I have most of that stuff done now but there is always more to do. Finding the motivation is the hard part!
If you're taking the Pleasant Hill Rd. to Brunswick or Flying Point road to Freeport you will really want studs. Those roads are over crowned and really bad when snow and ice covered and I don't need to tell you about the several hills.
We use Route One most of the winter. It isn't as travelled as much as 295 so it keeps some traction snow on it, they do plow it regularly , the speed is lower so yahoos going 90 mph in 4X4's don't blow you off the road and it's better treated than the secondary roads.
Something else we did not mention that you will face around the water is frozen fog. It fills in valleys and settles and will form ice even when there has been no rain or snow. It forms black ice on bridges and roads and covers cars too. It happens when it's very cold out and there is a high tide with a slight onshore wind to push the fog over the land. It can be pretty nasty at times. They call it Arctic Sea Smoke on the weather report and it can cause problems as far as a mile or two inland.

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by CoastalMaine

to spend Christmas with Mermie and her DH. Then I'm comin' to Maine!!!

We're very excited to have CoastalMaine down here for Christmas, I've yet to tell her that she'll be in charge of all of the cooking, seeing I can't be trusted near the oven.

Originally Posted by Maineah

Is that where you carry them? I kept wondering why they keep flying off the valve stems......I dunno Coastal....Florida still looks pretty nice from here about February!!! Good luck selling the place!

LOLOL.... BTW, I've been inviting you and your DW down here for the last 3 winters! Maybe this year you'll actually surprise me and show up!

As well, after just getting off the phone w/ my son I will retract some of my last statement. First, stay away from Don Foshays. Too expensive and they do a lot of fleet work, therefore they are always backed up. He recommends Tire Warehouse in the Topsham Fair Mall as far as affordability.
As well, he said he IS putting snow tires on his front wheel drive company car this year but has never needed them on his own truck. I never had a front wheel drive car, I always drove SUV's w/ 4WD and never had a problem without having snow tires.

I hate driving a truck with a cap, might be great for weight but I can't stand not having the visability that is greatly reduced with a cap. Remember, I'm not exactly tall. As well, you can't put a sled in the back of a pick up with a cap.

The snow tubes are a great suggestion and yes, everything in the bed freezes, good point! Overall, winter is a major PITA, which is why I am here, not there. Now, remind me of that next time I whine about being homesick! I'll be back in the spring (which now doesn't arrive until June), with the rest of the snowbirds!

[fxtrader]

You would think I would get better at this as the years go by, but no I haven't even started. I get to distracted by hunting season and fall clean up. First on my list is to get the sleds running and give them a tune up. Then get the plow truck and snowblower ready. Get ice melt and sand ready to put down. Store the rakes and get out the shovels. Put stakes in the ground for plowing. Clean up the garage so the DW can fit her car in again. Put away the summer clothes and get out all the winter gear. I am sure there will be more to add to the list.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by fxtrader

You would think I would get better at this as the years go by, but no I haven't even started. I get to distracted by hunting season and fall clean up. First on my list is to get the sleds running and give them a tune up. Then get the plow truck and snowblower ready. Get ice melt and sand ready to put down. Store the rakes and get out the shovels. Put stakes in the ground for plowing. Clean up the garage so the DW can fit her car in again. Put away the summer clothes and get out all the winter gear. I am sure there will be more to add to the list.

Another thing I forgot for my list....thanks!! I have to go get a few more of them. Need to stay away from DW's flower beds ya know!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by island mermaid

We're very excited to have CoastalMaine down here for Christmas, I've yet to tell her that she'll be in charge of all of the cooking, seeing I can't be trusted near the oven.



LOLOL.... BTW, I've been inviting you and your DW down here for the last 3 winters! Maybe this year you'll actually surprise me and show up!

As well, after just getting off the phone w/ my son I will retract some of my last statement. First, stay away from Don Foshays. Too expensive and they do a lot of fleet work, therefore they are always backed up. He recommends Tire Warehouse in the Topsham Fair Mall as far as affordability.
As well, he said he IS putting snow tires on his front wheel drive company car this year but has never needed them on his own truck. I never had a front wheel drive car, I always drove SUV's w/ 4WD and never had a problem without having snow tires.

I hate driving a truck with a cap, might be great for weight but I can't stand not having the visability that is greatly reduced with a cap. Remember, I'm not exactly tall. As well, you can't put a sled in the back of a pick up with a cap.

The snow tubes are a great suggestion and yes, everything in the bed freezes, good point! Overall, winter is a major PITA, which is why I am here, not there. Now, remind me of that next time I whine about being homesick! I'll be back in the spring (which now doesn't arrive until June), with the rest of the snowbirds!

I used to use all seasons on my 4x4 truck all winter too mostly because I didn't want to spend the extra $800 on winter tires for it. Now that I'm used to the quarry tires which are essentially 10 ply snow tires , I really like them. They ARE noisy in the summer but that's what radios and Ipods are for. Even with the snow tires on DW's car she still takes the 4X4 to work on snowy days. Sometimes she's the only one that makes it to work. When we were kids we purposely ran crappy tires on our rear wheel drive cars so we could spin around the roads in a circle. I used to scare the crap out of my mother doing brodies in the snow. She didn't think it was as much fun as I did.

[fxtrader]

My mom has an extra set of wheels and runs snow tires in the winter. She had them on the car already at Thanksgiving. I have always ran aggressive tires on my pickups and Explorer with little issues. However, I hit black ice one year in my pick-up truck and did a couple of 360's before coming to a stop in a field. No real damage thank God, but if I had studded tires I probably wouldn't even had known I hit it. I bought an old truck to use for plowing this year and put bridgestone blizzaks on it. Will see how much difference it makes.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by fxtrader

My mom has an extra set of wheels and runs snow tires in the winter. She had them on the car already at Thanksgiving. I have always ran aggressive tires on my pickups and Explorer with little issues. However, I hit black ice one year in my pick-up truck and did a couple of 360's before coming to a stop in a field. No real damage thank God, but if I had studded tires I probably wouldn't even had known I hit it. I bought an old truck to use for plowing this year and put bridgestone blizzaks on it. Will see how much difference it makes.

Blizzaks are good tires we used to run them on my wife's '03 Saab. I have to find some new ones to fit her new car.

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by Maineah

I used to use all seasons on my 4x4 truck all winter too mostly because I didn't want to spend the extra $800 on winter tires for it. Now that I'm used to the quarry tires which are essentially 10 ply snow tires , I really like them. They ARE noisy in the summer but that's what radios and Ipods are for. Even with the snow tires on DW's car she still takes the 4X4 to work on snowy days. Sometimes she's the only one that makes it to work. When we were kids we purposely ran crappy tires on our rear wheel drive cars so we could spin around the roads in a circle. I used to scare the crap out of my mother doing brodies in the snow. She didn't think it was as much fun as I did.

I think the price of decent tires is ridiculous. I also think that's why they are on my kids Chistmas list this year. He can't afford to pay for them. I wouldn't mind if I knew they'd last him the whole 40K miles they are waranteed for. Not likely though since he put that 'chip' in his truck.

As a kid we'd hook a rope up behind a car and ski tow all the way up Maine St. Brunswick late at night. I *think* we may have gotten a talking to by our local PD about that.

[Maine Writer]

Here's my favorite quote of the day, brought to you by the first real snow of the season.

Annoyed woman to idiot driving a half-cleared windshield: "(*)^%! *(&^+#@!!!!!! Clean off the *(*&*^%$!!!! windshield!" {THIS} close to hitting me because she cleaned off only half the windshield and didn't see me. She smiled and waved. Obviously, she doesn't read lips.