Snow

[AZ ADVenturist]

Hi Meg; I've enjoyed reading your 'Odyssey". Hope some of the hardships are behind you.
All a part of the ADVentures of life -I suppose...

I 'wiki'd 'La Niña' / el Niño': here it is - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Niña
Regards, Ric. in AridZona

[MegA]

Hi Ric,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, that was some adventure, but not one I want to repeat. I'm hoping for tamer ones in the future.

Your link didn't work but I found some info here about both El Niño and his sister (so to speak):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_nino

It seems that "Niño" is the warm version and "Niña" is the cold one. So now I know the difference.

To add to this discussion - I saw a clip on a weather channel here that explained what was going on with our weather this winter, and with the extreme cold and snow they're having in Europe. It seems that the jet stream is flowing north of the United States and part of Canada, then it dips as it crosses the Atlantic so that most of Europe is on its other side. That's why they're in such bad shape over there (lots of deaths and frozen rivers restricting trade) while a lot of us on this side of the Atlantic are wondering where the snow went.

I don't know how long this is supposed to last; I was never very good with science (and may not have even got this explanation right). I'm just grateful that the weather was reasonably mild - for January, anyway - and there wasn't a major snowfall while I was in that van. It would have made things that much harder.

Meg

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by MegA

=.........................the jet stream is flowing north of the United States and part of Canada, ..................

It dipped................. Minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit here last two mornings. (minus 21C) Plus 4 tomorrow so that must mean shorts and a tee-shirt! I was born in Bermuda. 50 Fahrenheit was considered to be extremely cold

I have to figure out a way to winter in the South

[Davydd]

We had about a half inch of snow last yesterday so I shoveled it this morning. You can track my progress in doing so that I recorded with the iPhone Everytrail GPS. To shovel over 4,000 sf it says it took me an hour and 44 minutes and over 2 miles.

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1450315

[AZ ADVenturist]

Marko wrote: I have to figure out a way to winter in the South

You-all should try to figure that one! haha... It sounds like Mike is on the right track.

Seriously though it IS cold here (Central Arizona) - outside temp. @ 4:00pm is Maybe 40F - that's high for the day and it has been trying to SNOW all day & the past 24hrs.
But, property values are still depressed. You (or Mike) could buy a nice 3br, 2bath with garage & parking for well Under $100k in Yavapai County (not Flagstaff, Phoenix or Lake Havasu City)!!
As a bonus, next weeks temps will be back to hi 50 - low 60s. And winter should be over by end of March. Ric.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by markopolo

It dipped................. Minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit here last two mornings. (minus 21C) Plus 4 tomorrow so that must mean shorts and a tee-shirt! I was born in Bermuda. 50 Fahrenheit was considered to be extremely cold

I have to figure out a way to winter in the South

2 words. Travel trailer.
Passport America, $44/year gets 50% camping at many participating camp grounds,
and a lightweight <4000lbs. loaded, all weather trailer, and your diesel van will probably pull it.
Did you try the tow vehicle/trailer weight calculator yet?
http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-tra ... t-tt.shtml

[markopolo]

I did look at the calculator. I don't have all the needed info for it yet. 4000 lbs loaded is very doable based on my quick calculations and it allows for a nice safety margin.
My diesel engine is nice for the torque and MPG but it actually lessens my GCWR because of the added weight.
................................................

Looks like we'll get to 40F today and very sunny. I gotta go wash the car
Days are getting longer too - things are looking up

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Davydd

We had about a half inch of snow last yesterday so I shoveled it this morning. You can track my progress in doing so that I recorded with the iPhone Everytrail GPS. To shovel over 4,000 sf it says it took me an hour and 44 minutes and over 2 miles.

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1450315

Nice workout



I like the animation on the Everytrail link you provided.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by AZ ADVenturist

Marko wrote: I have to figure out a way to winter in the South

You-all should try to figure that one! haha... It sounds like Mike is on the right track.

Seriously though it IS cold here (Central Arizona) - outside temp. @ 4:00pm is Maybe 40F - that's high for the day and it has been trying to SNOW all day & the past 24hrs.
But, property values are still depressed. You (or Mike) could buy a nice 3br, 2bath with garage & parking for well Under $100k in Yavapai County (not Flagstaff, Phoenix or Lake Havasu City)!!
As a bonus, next weeks temps will be back to hi 50 - low 60s. And winter should be over by end of March. Ric.

Just re-read this one.
Hey marko, wanna split a place in Yavapai County?
It'll keep me from buying a trailer maybe?
(btw, I've been getting R/E listings from there and a place we like in Utah for a few years
now, jic something interesting pops up)

[Davydd]

Looks as if we might finally get winter tomorrow. Up to 18" of snow is predicted.

Mike,

My wife's cousin bought a nice ranch style home in the original Sun City, AZ last year for $73,000. There are bargains galore down there. Sun City has some very nice community centers spread around.

[Mike]

That area has been crying for buyers for some time now, I think, and some nice little towns not
too much farther up the road, too. Around St. George/Washington, Utah. Nice area close to both
Zion/Bryce NPs.
It's strange that two similar areas located in the southwest (one is further north, and subject to
colder temps and snow on occasion) are very reasonably priced, for modest properties, but the
Utah location is less expensive overall, which I found interesting and almost inexplicable.
Maybe southern Arizona is starting to come back in r/e pricing a bit faster.
I think it's a good time to buy in either of those places, if you have some spare cash lying around,
and can handle the modest carrying costs.
Taxes are almost negligible, compared to what we pay, but I'm sure the services are bare bones, too.
I have no idea about utilities, with respect to heating/cooling costs, but I would hope they'd be based
on supply/demand and lower, too.

[markopolo]

Originally Posted by Mike

..................Hey marko, wanna split a place in Yavapai County?
It'll keep me from buying a trailer maybe?

Very tempting. I've briefly looked at FL and AZ. J would want FL. As beautiful as the desert can be she's got to have the ocean and a beach to walk on.
I remember Palm Desert, CA in February so nice compared to the 17F I "enjoyed" on my walk today.

Originally Posted by Davydd

Looks as if we might finally get winter tomorrow. Up to 18" of snow is predicted...........

Maybe it'll miss you.
Two days ago the forecast here was for about a foot of snow over about a 24 hour period. We ended up getting about 3 inches instead.

[Mike]

FL would be nice, but the beaches are oversold, and the best you could do under $100,000
might be a fair ways inland, but you never know. And it's very crowded.

There's sand in AZ. Next to a 40' swimming pool. With views of the mountains.
Or, think in terms that the California coast is only a 6 hour drive away. San Diego is
just over 350 miles west. Los Angeles is about the same length of time, and just a few
extra miles.


Weather: We got the same warning and got about 1" overnight. It was gone by mid-afternoon
the next day as the temps rose.

[AZ ADVenturist]

Mike, et al; Spring is Here in ARIZONA! 75+ in Phoenix & mid. 60s in Prescott area today.
Trees are starting to bud out & hills are getting green. Property sales/values are on the rise...
Y'all better get here soon. Paradise won't wait forever! Ric...

[fleamarketeer]

LOL! Arizona might be nice but...

I've been in and around Dalton, GA for a while escaping Ohio's cold. It was gorgeous yesterday and might be even better today. The Chattahoochee National Forest is beautiful.

I'll stay in the general area- GA, AL and MAYBE even as far north as Chattanooga until it's "safe" to go back to Ohio for the summer. On the down side, the mountains do kind of mess with my mileage. I wonder if they could put this wonderful scenery someplace, well, flatter?

fleamarketeer

[AZ ADVenturist]

Originally Posted by AZ ADVenturist

Mike, et al; Spring is Here in ARIZONA! 75+ in Phoenix & mid. 60s in Prescott area today.
Trees are starting to bud out & hills are getting green. Property sales/values are on the rise...
Y'all better get here soon. Paradise won't wait forever! Ric...

Wrong Again! It snowed today down to about 4600 ft. in Central Arizona. None stayed on ground, but it has been cold & windy last few days. I rode motorcycle Monday & Tues. but not Wednesday!
Flagstaff probably got a good bit of SNOW...

[ennajean]

We had 63 yesterday and 40 today....I'm talking about Wi. ..... I'm loving the weather this winter.
Next month road trip to Missouri......

[Davydd]

I'm afraid this years maple sugaring efforts are being wiped out. The weather is not cooperating. You have to have freezing overnights and daytime temps up around 40F. We haven't had that consistent streak and now the weather, I think mainly because of lack of snow, is going to shoot right up in the 50s and 60s this coming week. Strange that such good news can also bring some bad news. And for the record, we did not have a single snowshoeing day in the Twin Cities this past winter. Never had a snow more than about 3" and no accumulation base.

[AZ ADVenturist]

Originally Posted by Davydd

I'm afraid this years maple sugaring efforts are being wiped out. The weather is not cooperating. You have to have freezing overnights and daytime temps up around 40F. We haven't had that consistent streak and now the weather, I think mainly because of lack of snow, is going to shoot right up in the 50s and 60s this coming week. Strange that such good news can also bring some bad news. And for the record, we did not have a single snowshoeing day in the Twin Cities this past winter. Never had a snow more than about 3" and no accumulation base.

Davyd; Sounds just like No. Central Arizona, but alas we don't even have Maple trees!
R.

[Davydd]

Only in the northeast section of the United States and eastern Canada can you find abundant maple forest trees and accommodating weather to make pure maple syrup. Those conditions don't exist anywhere else in the world. I just used my last 4 oz. jar last week to make a homemade whole wheat honey maple bacon bread.