Feb 12 2010

We Survived The Snowpocalypse Of 2010

by posted in Events, Snow

The DC area had two back-to-back storms this past week dumping snow like it was going out of style. Kristina and I spent the snowpocalypse together staying warm and having fun.

Friday started off with everyone in the DC area getting off of work early in anticipation of the big storm. The snow started falling around 1pm. By 3:30pm I measured accumulations of 2 inches or so around the apartment. Throughout the evening the snow kept coming down. Kristina, the roomies Josh and Denise, and I went sledding down our steep hill right outside our front door. We didn’t have any proper sleds, so we tried a few things that we had laying around the apartment. A plastic Ikea bag and a plastic container with wheels did not work at all. But the slick-bottomed boogie board was a hit.

When we came back in we spent the rest of the night watching Funny People and Groundhogs Day.

The snow fell throughout the night and we woke up with a good foot on the ground and it kept snowing all day (see a timelapse of the snowfall in Glenmont). Around 11am we got our snow gear on in anticipation of another sledding session. Just before we left, our power went out. Thinking nothing of it we continued on to our hill. Kristina brought her snowboard along and there was plenty of fluffy snow for a smooth ride.

After sledding we came back to a powerless apartment. The sun began to set and boredom was setting in. To pass the time we played a rousing game of Monopoly which killed several hours. As darkness overtook daylight we began to get hungry. Luckily the snow had stopped (but not after dumping 30 inches of snow in our area) so we could venture out to our nearby shopping center in search of food. The only place open was, of course, McDonalds.

Hooray, McDonalds is open after the Snowpocalypse!

The restaurant was hopping as other locals without power had also flocked there for some relief. After filling our bellies we stopped by CVS to stock up on candles to light our dark apartment.

Later that night we started to worry about the food we had in the fridge. Kristina and I keep a cooler in the back of my Rav-4 which came in handy for storing our food on our deck. There was so much snow that in order to get to the back of my car I had to shovel snow to get the door open.

My Rav-4 was completely buried.

We spent the rest of the night playing the card game asshole and having a good time despite the lack of power or the dropping temperature of our apartment. Everyone was sleepy but I still had some energy so at 1:30 am I went out to shoot some night shots of the snowy landscape.

The tree by our apartment covered in snow.

That night we all went to bed in long sleeves and several blankets to keep warm. It was actually quite cozy.

The next morning we were still without power/heat/hot water. Fortunately the roads were passable and Josh’s parents had power. We made the trek up to Laurel to hunker down until our power came back on. Our friends Pammy and her husband Chris stopped by and we all went sledding at my childhood middle school, Hammond Middle. The snow was knee deep and untouched which made for some awesome sledding runs.

Kristina sledding down a hill at Hammond Middle school.

After sledding we got hot showers and settled down to watch the Saints beat the Colts in Super Bowl 44. We spent the night there and the next morning we heard our power came back on. Once we got back to our heated apartment it was time to un-bury our cars though that wouldn’t last long.

Our parking lot buried in 2+ feet of snow.

Much of the DC metro area was closed including the local Metro subway system making getting to work impossible for us suburbanites. Plus, another winter storm hit us Tuesday night through Wednesday, February 10. The new storm system brought us a fresh foot of snow along with blizzard conditions. The second storm brought our total accumulations for this winter to 54.9″, breaking the previous all-time record of 54.5″ set in the winter of 1898-99.  We stayed inside most of the time and our power held up the whole way through this time.

My leg in a knee-high snow drift after the two storms.

Now it is Thursday night and the cars have been dug out again, the streets are somewhat plowed and the Metro is running. It looks like we will all go back to work tomorrow, just in time for the 3-day holiday weekend. Oh and the forecast for Monday, February 15… chance of snow.

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Dec 19 2009

A Winter Wallop Adventure

by posted in Events, Trips

This weekend Kristina and I traveled with her folks down to south-western Virginia for her cousins wedding. We left early Friday morning and it took about 6 hours to get there from the DC area. Our drive was complete just before the snow started falling as we pulled up to our hotel in Pounding Mill, Virginia. What made this trip out of the ordinary is the fact that the largest winter storm of the decade was making its way towards us.

The wedding was supposed to start at 6 but the snow had been coming down all afternoon making for some slick conditions. The snow might have changed some plans, but it didn’t stop everyone for having a good time. Lindsay and her now-husband Luke went ahead with the ceremony. The ceremony was beautiful and the couple even managed to get some pictures together outside in the snow. Of course this was the end of the night and the snow was a good 6 inches deep.

Linday and Luke kissing in the snow on their wedding day.

Luke and Lindsay kiss in the snow on their wedding day.

The next morning we took in the view from the hotel room and started our voyage back home.

The snowy landscape view out of our hotel room in Pounding Mill, Virginia.

We didn’t get too far as the roads were still rough as the storm progressed northward to Maryland. Interstate 81 was backed up for miles and we passed dozens of abandoned cars; some of which were in the middle of the road. After being on the road from 9:30am to shortly before 5pm, we had gone a whopping 121 miles. We pulled off in Salem, Virginia, at a hotel for the night where I’m writing this thanks to the free wifi. Its back on the road tomorrow to complete the rest of our journey. I hear there is 21 inches of snow waiting at home in Glenmont!

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Feb 22 2009

Tales From Whitetail

by posted in Trips

Kristina and I took a day trip to Whitetail ski resort with friends to do some snowboarding yesterday. We made it up to the mountain around 9:30 in the morning and the weather was beautiful. All of the trails were open and the snow was in good condition; not to slushy and not to icy. Ski resorts in this area are known for being iced over which makes snowboarding more like icescraping. The lines for the lifts were long but it was to be expected for a Saturday session. Kristina brought her camera which helped pass the time in line.

Russell and Kristina pose with their snowboards at Whitetail ski resort.

Russell and Kristina pose with their snowboards at Whitetail ski resort.

Kristina spent the day with her former college roommates on the easy trails. Kristina was getting comfortable switching between heelside and toeside while helping her friends get the hang of slip-sliding down the slopes. Kristina’s friend’s boyfriend and I tackled the more advanced blue and black diamond trails including a bumpy double black diamond course on the other side of the mountain. Later in the day we met up with the girls again and goofed around on the green trails with them. That’s where this video came from:

I was having fun videotaping everyone at the beginning but towards the end I decided to cut loose from the group and turn the camera on myself as I raced down the hill.

Kristina's friend Jeanette is smaller than Russell's snowboard.

Kristina's friend Jeanette is smaller than Russell's snowboard.

The whole crew going up the lift at Whitetail ski resort.

The whole crew going up the lift at Whitetail ski resort.

Around 3pm we had had enough snowboarding. It felt so good to get out of our boots and wet jackets. Even though the high temperature was 38℉ I was drenched in sweat. Before heading home we decided to fill up on some good-old country cookin’ at Crackerbarrel. It was good!

Today we were both a bit sluggish as the soreness had set in. However it was worth it because our trip to Whitetail was a blast.

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