How do you do it

[Chrisj CMA]

Youse guys up north.  1030 and still at freezing.  26 with the wind chill.  Going to get down below 20 at night this week.  

I know, I know that's nothing, you guys have negative numbers and you walk to work barefoot uphill against the wind both ways.

Well down here in Florida we don't do freezing well!  

So I made me a big ol cup of espresso and I m staying inside.  Maybe wax the Valkyries, that's always a good thing

[RDKLL]

Not sure and that is coming from a guy who was raised in MI. I love the weather here in AZ except the hottest part of the year, but I still ride in it...the last time I drove a car to work was July 25 because the doctor released me after my April 14 accident. To be honest I have to thank Boeing for bringing my wife to the desert SW and her for letting me tag along...

[Patrick]

How do I do it ? Well, I come south in the winter,  .  Even though its cool down here right now, its a whole lot warmer than upstate NY.  I'm watching the weather channel in Rochester NY standing in 10" of new snow and its 15ºF.

[Valkski]

Yeah, its not easy living in N.J for all the obvious reasons  , but we have to tough it out and do what we have to do to survive, get the snow plow , the snow blower and the snow shovels ready, its comin!
  Rich K ( Valk Ski )

[revks]

Always lived in Iowa so I guess I'm used to it. Last year I was in northeast Iowa and rode until the second week of December. This year I am in south central Iowa and gain I rode until the second week of December. Now both the bikes are tucked in the garage under over until 50+ weather comes back.
We did hit 50 on Thursday morning at 6am but it dropped to 25 by 10am with freezing rain/sleet mix. When I get the urge to pull off the cover and go for a ride I just step outside for a while and the urge goes away.

[robin]

Youse guys up north.  1030 and still at freezing.  26 with the wind chill.  Going to get down below 20 at night this week.  

I know, I know that's nothing, you guys have negative numbers and you walk to work barefoot uphill against the wind both ways.

Well down here in Florida we don't do freezing well!  

So I made me a big ol cup of espresso and I m staying inside.  Maybe wax the Valkyries, that's always a good thing

It's a northern thing you wouldn't understand

[msb]

Winter is not always the best here....mostly rain, although on occasion we do get some "real" Winter weather. Thankfully in SW BC it is relatively short lived, compared to other Northern regions. Kind of enjoying this bit of Winter here in Agassiz these past few weeks though.....




Personally, I find it a lot easier to warm up in colder weather than I do to cool down in excessively hot weather...especially hot, humid weather. Can always add layers, but can only strip so many off    Obviously can't ride here in these conditions, but it would also suck being somewhere where it can get too hot to ride....been there done that on more than a few occasions.

[old2soon]

I've stated before I left this area-northern Illinois-near on 40 year ago. Went from 3 above here and just looked again-now 14 above-and while the mutt wants ta go out I'm fine indoors today. Pot of oatmeal and a pot of coffee and I iz good. No longer a fan of this cold azzed weather up here.  Course down in Missouri last couple weeks it weren't much better. Cold is cold is cold No Matter where ya iz.  Gonna hafta think long and hard bout house sittin slash dog sittin here in northern Illinois twixt dec and mar. Road out front of my Brothers place is black top or asphalt if you will. BUT at the present time it IS gray leanin towards white. Salt residue doncha know. Course with out that salt could NOT make up the hill to git outa here. There are some driveways close by here that Would be sketchy in da rain much less ice. Again-winter SUX. RIDE SAFE.

[BradValk48237]

You get used to it......LOL

Althought, here in the Detroit area and the Lansing area where I grew up, the winters have seemed much milder that they were in the past.

B

[sandy]

After 3 years in AZ, you get cranberry juice for blood. 60 is pretty cool and 40 is freezing to us. I've been here 46 years and don't do cold very well anymore.

[Oldfishguy]

As hard as it is to believe our bodies "climatize", physically adapting to the cold.

Personally, I like the seasonal changes; kind of extreme up here but I like the change both in warmth and color.  Just as no day is the same, no season is the same.; with a constant shifting of daylight and temperatures.

Hobbies change for all of us depending on the season along with coats and shoe styles. 

Oddly pleasant how I look forward to these shifts in the season.     



The following is a short piece I did a few years back and published in a few local publications:

A Tune from Ancient Time

by

David Weeres

Around the middle of December every year the lake becomes still but yet deafening.

Soon there after, on thin ice, the first ice shanty appears. The locals regard this lone structure and it’s occupant as a true nut case. They watch with wary eyes for the first few days to see if it sinks to the depths on a warm afternoon. Within a few days curiosity overtakes the other ice fishermen. A haunting question begins to emerge from my mind, “Are they biting, Geeez, I don’t want to miss out”.

Walking on thin ice is always a thrill. Four inches thick will do me fine, but I’ll wear a life jacket until it is six inches. The life jacket is really only a placebo . . . for one knows the grip of the icy tomb will be fast and unforgiving on a sub zero night. But still to walk upon the newly frozen water every year is a migration innate to many.

Feng Shui, the Chinese art of time and space, occurs naturally without intent in the ice shacks of winter. For the most part they are quite humble places of retreat with frontier decor. There is a flow to them of efficiency and comfort, for space is a premium. At times a fish house is a gathering point for many but by and large it houses few. The quietness at times can be deafening when fishing alone. Interruptions are few except for the tune of the ice. Your own thoughts are your only entertainment and can result with problems being solved, plans forged, and an accepting of patience. Yes, a master Feng Shui artist resides in every little fish house.

To sit in a fish house of dead silence and listen to the ice crack is a moment in time not forgotten. The sound of ice cracking is like no other, almost prehistoric; with the power of the base tone it knows no place or time beyond winter. Upon first hearing the crack novices to the frozen water immediately jump up agitated to the threat of an icy tomb. The elders of the ice sit patiently listening for the prehistoric base tone echo and feeling in their feet a vibration from a distant crack just formed.

A wood structure fish house is a refuge and an island away from the modern pace. If fresh fish are caught the occupants will return frequently, for the winter period is a finicky streak for fish and the elders know a good streak won’t last long. Several days for sure, maybe even several weeks, but seldom beyond. Make hay while the sun shines for even the winter has the dog days of summer.

The ice will crack on it’s own on cold nights, but one needs to only add some weight to the surface for an orchestra of unique. The best time is mid winter when ice is two feet thick on a sub zero night. As a heavy vehicle comes across the lake towards the fish house the intensity changes. With the vehicle in the distance the dull thud of ice cracking is heard. As the vehicle approaches the fish house and slows, the crescendo escalates. The reverberations shake the sole.

Novices agitate while elders contemplate.

Around the middle of April every year the lake comes alive . . . but silent . . . waiting it’s time to tune once again.

[Jess from VA]

Nice writing Dave.  

Growing up on Lake Erie, back in the days when it would freeze out for a half to a full mile or more in front of my house, we did not wear life jackets, we carried 10-12 foot long poles horizontally.  Once in the water (well over your head), there is almost no chance of getting good purchase with your hands and arms to climb back out on wet ice.  

In those years, there would be dozens of ice shanties way out on the ice for long periods of Winter.  The funny part was come early Spring breakup (with the 7mph Detroit River current always working), a few years, a huge chunk of ice might break loose, and the 5-10 shanties on it would slowly begin an inexorable travel out into the Lake toward Toledo or Sandusky.  The guys in those shanties would keep fishing and drinking and have no idea what was happening, and the Coast Guard would have to go out and rescue them (but not their shanties).  

This was great fun for a kid on lakefront property and a good pair of binoculars.    

[Hooter]

Grew up and lived here all my life. Winter can be the most boring time of year if you let it. The secret is to stay busy and avoid setting in the chair!  I can't and won't set in the house, even during good weather. That would make me crazier than I am.

From October 1st until Jan 1st I deer hunt. That includes bow and fire arms season. That alone keeps me busy and I get plenty of exercise. When deer season is done, I ice fish and coyote hunt. Year round I play in a classic rock band as I have most of my life to date.

I used to ride and race snowmobiles. But when winters started to not be so much I sold my sleds. Years later my dad sold out of the motor sports business and there went my racing.

Winter gives some of us northern boys time to service our bikes. We already can't ride so the time we have something torn down doesn't matter. Take our time to do it right. One thing we have is the anticipation of spring! That first rides means more to those of us that have winter than anyone that rides year round.  We make the best of the time we have to ride. Like I said, set on your hind end looking out the window and winter will eat you up.

[cookiedough]

some of us northerners can say the same thing for say, for example, those in Florida or Arizona on how in the world do you endure the HEAT season.    Yah, I guess you can ride in 110 degree heat vs. 0 degrees up here, but not like I would want to much at that temp either. 

You get somewhat used to it but being -9 degrees in the mornings for weeks sort of makes you smile when it reaches a high of 15 degrees - yippee?   

and yes, we do SMILE a ton more the first ride of the season come April 1st or thereabouts....

the winter blues do set in come February or so wanting it to be OVER ASAP around that time for me and rarely dare to take the bikes out come mid March when we get a few days of near 50 degrees for roads are still salty and know there is a good chance for some below freezing temps still.

[solo1]

I've lived in Indiana all of my life and always managed to make do in the winters.

However, lately these sub zero temps are really bringing out my arthritis in full bloom. Told to knock off the Nsaids so it's not been fun.

My Miata even with four wheels and a heater, gets stored just like the Valk did.  Salt and a four inch road clearance makes sure of that.

C'mon Spring.

[cookiedough]

I've lived in Indiana all of my life and always managed to make do in the winters.

However, lately these sub zero temps are really bringing out my arthritis in full bloom. Told to knock off the Nsaids so it's not been fun.

My Miata even with four wheels and a heater, gets stored just like the Valk did.  Salt and a four inch road clearance makes sure of that.

C'mon Spring.

if 4 wheels enclosed with heat and under say 4-5 inches of snow on the roads, I see no reason why a mazda miata could not easily handle a light snowfall.  Are you afraid of getting some road salt on the metal and it rusting?  I have seen rear wheel drive camaros,corvettes, etc. on the winter roads up north and is easily do-able. 

[baldo]

We had a plane torch an engine last week. The fuel control failed internally on start up, belching a 10' diameter 30' long out the tail cone.

It was a nasty 15 deg day when we started changing the engine.

[The emperor has no clothes]

We had a plane torch an engine last week. The fuel control failed internally on start up, belching a 10' diameter 30' long out the tail cone.

It was a nasty 15 deg day when we started changing the engine.

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My Dad worked Civil Service servicing Air Force planes in Anchorage. He had some great stories of frozen sewage tanks. I had to bring him clean clothes more than once. 

[Oss]

is that ice cream on the beard ? 

Just be glad you were not BEHIND that engine 

[Hook#3287]

Well, you do get use to it.  But it still sucks working in temps in the teens, like we did today.

We set 32' x 12' trusses, on 16' walls, today, using my trusty SkyTrac lift.

She don't like the cold much, but still works pretty good, once we get her started.

That old ford 4 cly tractor diesel runs all day long without complaint, but the hydraulics run slow.

We had a articulating 4 wheel drive man lift that wouldn't work for crap and used it to just hold
the gable truss in place while we installed the others, while fighting a slight breeze.

The body can handle the cold better than the machines.  Things ice up, work slow or not at all, and break down more often.

After working in the singles and teens, the 30's are like being in Bermuda.  

[six2go #152]

Well, I've been through 74 Winters here in Indiana & Michigan so I have developed a system for survival. Anything below 15* requires that a coat needs to be worn when going outside. I try not to run the snow blower more than twice a day.

The Mrs. and I play a lot of Scrabble. I try to catch up on reading some of my MC magazines that get passed over during warmer months. We go out to eat, take in the occasional movie, and go visit the kids and Grand kids. Before ya know it, it's time to find the bike that's been hibernating since November.

[pais]

    Born, raised and have lived here in Ohio all of my 55yrs. Well, I know I used to like Winter! That is because I never had to work out in it and played out in it by choice. Now I have to work out in it and so I despise the months of Dec., Jan., Feb. Been doing this job for almost 19yrs and it is a good job. Winter is a challenge and gets tougher each year. Just have to get in the "Winter mind set".
    I do not want nor wish to, wish my life away but, anxious for retirement. I often wonder once retired whether I will enjoy Winter once again or head South for the Winter? Being able to ride year round is very attractive! After 55yrs in this climate, I do have a routine. Change of seasons is absolutely wonderful here in Ohio. Though as we get older falling on slippery snow and ice is not very attractive! Being in a warmer climate during those months would increase activity levels not normally enjoyed during that time.
    Simple answer to a simple question? Job pays too well to leave. Not likely to replace income and perks currently enjoyed by the both of us, to pick up and leave. Exactly why I hammer into our kids head's. Get educated, whether it is a trade or formal education. Become marketable and create and have choices.

[solo1]

if 4 wheels enclosed with heat and under say 4-5 inches of snow on the roads, I see no reason why a mazda miata could not easily handle a light snowfall.  Are you afraid of getting some road salt on the metal and it rusting?  I have seen rear wheel drive camaros,corvettes, etc. on the winter roads up north and is easily do-able. QUOTE by Cookiedough

Oh yes, this pristine 2002 Miata has never seen snow and salt and it won't.  THe fun in driving it would be lost on snowy (slippery) streets. A few in the Miata forum do drive them and they work fine with their 50/50 weight but not me.  I have a nice 2013 Mazda 6 with Blizzaks for winter driving.

[MAD6Gun]

 Well Chris to answer your question you just do it. Most of us can't afford to have another home in a warmer climate. So you just have to deal with it. Currently it's 19 degrees with snow coming down here in NE Indiana. Later I will have to get outside and test my new knees snowblowing the driveway. It's OK I need the exercise anyway,lol....

[Gryphon Rider]

Winter is the opportunity to tackle the honey-do list, and if one skis, snowboards, snowmobiles, snowshoes, dogsleds, etc., one can have a lot of fun in the snow.  There are experiences and sensations in winter that can't be had in summer, although some people miss them because of their woe-is-me attitudes.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I miss snowmachining in Alaska. It was very cool to be able to get out in what little daylight we had and enjoy the outdoors. It is amazing how much country you can cover in the winter vs. the summer. Places that would take us all day to get to on 4 wheelers can be done in an hour on a snow machine. As long as you are prepared for the cold it’s great. There were times I would camp in a tent at -20*.

[Fazer]

if 4 wheels enclosed with heat and under say 4-5 inches of snow on the roads, I see no reason why a mazda miata could not easily handle a light snowfall.  Are you afraid of getting some road salt on the metal and it rusting?  I have seen rear wheel drive camaros,corvettes, etc. on the winter roads up north and is easily do-able. QUOTE by Cookiedough

Oh yes, this pristine 2002 Miata has never seen snow and salt and it won't.  THe fun in driving it would be lost on snowy (slippery) streets. A few in the Miata forum do drive them and they work fine with their 50/50 weight but not me.  I have a nice 2013 Mazda 6 with Blizzaks for winter driving.

I have a 1990 Miata with 90,000 on the clock.  Third owner, since about 1994.  Wife drove it for a few years as a daily driver.  I remember leaving it in a parking lot once for 4 days totally buried in snow but we shoveled her out and away we went.  Much rather ride the Valk than drive the Miata.  I should probably sell it.

[Wizzard]

I miss snowmachining in Alaska. It was very cool to be able to get out in what little daylight we had and enjoy the outdoors. It is amazing how much country you can cover in the winter vs. the summer. Places that would take us all day to get to on 4 wheelers can be done in an hour on a snow machine. As long as you are prepared for the cold it’s great. There were times I would camp in a tent at -20*.

I camped out twice when it was -20 as a teenager with nothing but a sleeping bag and a lean. Lined the back of the lean with tin foil and built a big fire out front. Did it just because I could.

[Jopson]

Just man up and deal with it!!
Windchills down into -40s this past week.
Valkyrie hasn't moved since end of November.

[Mr Whiskey]

Like this...
(gotta post this guy every year, he's my hero, lol)
https://youtu.be/MO7jqIPVulE

[The emperor has no clothes]

Just man up and deal with it!!
Windchills down into -40s this past week.
Valkyrie hasn't moved since end of November.

I'm only familiar with dead cows. Do yours stay out all day ? Or do they have shelter to get in ?

[Gryphon Rider]

I'm only familiar with dead cows. Do yours stay out all day ? Or do they have shelter to get in ?

Cattle grow a winter coat and require more food to produce heat when it's cold, but in western Canada, they stay outside.  A windbreak is desirable, however.

When I lived in a small town outside Calgary, and was riding my motorcycle home on a cold evening, I looked forward to riding past the feed lot, as the air temperature would actually increase noticeably.

[Crackerborn]

Southern born and raised (see moniker), moved to sunny WI when I was 39. Now you will have to wait for the ground to thaw to get rid of me when I take the long nap. It was only -20* wind chill a few weeks ago while doing a little framing on the future house. Ice fishing a block away, x-country ski trails, ski-doos, fires in the fireplace that actually mean something. Hunting with NO mosquitoes, or ticks, no poisonous snakes and right now coyote hunting is about to get serious. You can always put more clothes on but you get arrested for taking too many off. Besides, I doubt there are many among us that should be seen unclothed. While I still own property in Alachua County, FL, it will probably belong to the kids some day.



We finally got a little snow to make the cold more enjoyable.