Oh nothing really just wanted to share

Lovely, isn't it? Ground colder than 32F, air warm enough for it to rain. It takes years for the trees to recover after losing all those branches.

 

I keep a winter set and a everything else set of tires. Under the principle of "everything gets more expensive" I saved money by buying two sets.

 

For some reason, air doesn't stay in tires up here. You have to constantly check tire pressure as they can lose a pound a day. Old timer told me he adds air at least once a week to keep the tires from going too low. So we get help from Mother Nature maintaining lower than recommended psi. Wife's explorer sport couldn't make it up the drive until we replaced the regular road radials with four season tires. You need that little bit of spacing to 'fling' out the snow. Other wise it packs in the grooves and turns the tread into slicks. Our snow is very dry, I plowed the other day and it had the consistency of fine sugar. Looks like micro-small Styrofoam beads. Couldn't make a snowball if your life depended on it. Think white dust and you'll have an idea of how it is.
We got lucky last night, temp dropped from 34 to the teens before the latest round of Winter hit. It's that darn thin layer of ice under the snow that's a pain in the arse. Another 5" snow and minus zero today.

 

Air doesn't leak out of tires by magic.

 

Actually it does, for every ten degree drop psi inside the tire goes down about one pound. When we go from say 24 above to minus 30 over night it doesn't recover as fast. After a few rounds of highs and lows you've got lower pressure.

Another thing I like about Up North, we very rarely see those aberrations. Freezes their cheeks closed I guess.

 

Getting away from weather related.
Picked up a after Christmas Christmas present to me. Wandering around the local wallymart somehow ended up in the sporting goods section all by myself. Noticed a nice looking Savage .22 with a price tag dangling from it reading $99.00. It just happened I'd read an article about this very gun only a few days before. My old Remington Nylon 77 has serve me well but the plastic magazine and 'nylon' parts weren't made to last forever and seeing a Savage semi-auto at a hundred bucks ? This will be perfect for beaver busting or strapping on the four-wheeler during forays through the forest.

 

The air becomes more dense, yes. Reduced volume isn't magic, it's just PV/t or something like that. You pump up the tires with hot air, the air loses energy, the colder air takes up less space, the tires look under inflated. Clarke's Third Law is not violated.

 

I think I also have rim problems. Not sure how extreme cold effects the seal. Aluminum rims aren't especially great for holding a tight bead I'm told.

 

The day started out interesting. Heading into town about an hour ago and got ran off the road by an F16 ! Okay maybe not actually ran off the road but I did end up on the shoulder. Saw a speck up ahead growing larger coming at me and once I realised what was going on slowed down to watch. The local guard have been burning up the sky over the lake and surrounding area the past month and this guy brought it down to about a thousand feet directly in line with the highway. Opened the moon-roof and he flew straight above the truck.
A few years ago I fired off an email letting them know I'd be more than willing to let them kick up some spray on the lake if they had the inclination. A few weeks later heard the thunder and watched em' cross the lake at treetop level. Going to take the snowmobile out this afternoon and put a thousand foot bullseye in the middle of the lake. We'll see what happens.

 

Got even better. Out on the lake later, (21" of ice) heard the boys coming from the north and was able to give full attention this time. Two plane formation with one over the north-south highway 1/2 mile East, the other a few hundred yards from us. Been a while but I think they've got a spot picked out to 'strafe' on our side of the lake. Anyway left to right diving pass pulling up at under 1000' into a steep climb with a roll thrown in just for fun.

Be still my heart.

 

Taking a ride tomorrow. It's a bit cooler here, high of 22F Saturday. Should be perfect for the 70-80 mile cruise through the forest. We'll be using a tracked vehicle rather than a motorscooter due to about a foot of packed snow. Wearing a helmet also and just bought a new modular helmet with a heated visor. Be nice to be able to keep the frost off the spectacles. Easier to see the tree you almost hit.

I've got at least three months before I'll need the mower but will be getting busy in a couple weeks, as the maple trees will start their Spring wakeup and the sap will be flowing. Few things better than your own Maple syrup.

 

Just normal weather. 60 today, snow tomorrow, 70 by Tuesday.

 

The sight of those tracks is gratifying to no end.