My First Big Snow Storm…Wyoming Style

Have some other blog notes to post but decided to go with current, real-time events like this…







It stated snowing 3:15 Tuesday afternoon. With the exception of a brief interlude or two, it’s been snowing ever since.

At 7:15 this morning it was -2.

That’s “2”with a minus sign in front of it people…in October!!

I’ve shoveled five times in two days and more times in 36 hours here than I did in one season back home.

I’d shovel…more snow would fall…I’d shovel…snow would fall…I’d shovel…the wind would blow new drifts.



Then it would repeat all over again.

Geez…

Not even the lawn/snow service guys (I wimped out and called and) who came twice yesterday and once today could keep the snow at bay…

But at least it helped me out…a lot!

We’re on a double corner lot and the sidewalk is the equivalent of at least four…possibly five…times what we had back home.

I didn’t even attempt to shovel the driveway.

I let the lawn/snow guys do that…three times!

I have to admit though…it’s been pretty exciting.

Without a doubt…this weather would have shut down the metro area and schools back home.

I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne shut down yesterday and has been closed all day due to wind, snow drifts and near-zero visibility.

I have been a bit anxious on the roads.

Have I mentioned…that with a few exceptions….the roads don’t get plowed here?

J complained on our way home from school that he “could run faster” than I was driving and “why can’t you go like those guys (driving 4x4 trucks)?”

His response to my, “I can’t drive in weather like this yet” was “but the car knows how to!”

So smart(-alecky)…and at such a young age.

Fortunately I don’t have to travel very far in this town to get to wherever I’m going.

Have I mentioned that they also don’t plow the parking lots?

I went to the Safeway before getting J from school and the parking lot was a jumble.

When I got back to my car, some knuckle head had sandwiched me in between his car and the car parked in front of me.

We’re talking an angled parking lot here folks. I’m not sure how it happened or who was in the wrong…but either the car in front or the car behind me was not parked in a legal space...or maybe it was me!

No way for me to maneuver out of my spot. Fortunately the guy came out just as I was ready to go back in and complain.

I also noticed that a number of people leave their cars running…while they’re inside shopping…I guess so the battery doesn’t die.

A lot of folks apparently have this electrical “plug-in” thingy that they plug in overnight to protect the batteries from freezing.

So much for this Mid-Atlantic girl to learn

Fortunately our vehicles are snug like little bugs in the heated garage…heater turns on when the temp hits below 40 degrees.

Then again, someone’s got to shovel that driveway.

Coming home after school was the worst…the wind was strong all day (thus the -2) and the roads were a mess.





When I got home we had more drifts all around the house.

I had to go out again around 5 pm to shovel as the wind had caused drifts of at least 12 to 14” over the sidewalks on the South side of the house.





Figured the freezing temps and winds would turn it into a block of ice by morning.

It was just too much for me though. Fortunately a neighbor saw me struggling and came by with his snow blower.

Next week we’ll look for our own snow blower!

Wish I could take a picture of this phenomenon…

Cars tooling down the road completely covered by 4” to 6”of snow...except for a small patch cleared on the driver’s side.

Don't think we would be able to get away with that one back home.

Stay toasty.

I hear the storm is heading…East.