Eyewitness snowstorm report! (Jack Bog's Blog)

Portlanders are so funny. After a week of cancelling all activities for no good reason, today, when the serious snow finally starts falling, everybody's out. We headed out in the van for a few errands at around noontime, expecting to find little company on the roads. Were we ever wrong. Granted, it was a lot emptier than the Saturday before Christmas would be if there were no snow. But still, there were quite a few fellow motorists on the snow-packed streets.

Here's a firsthand report from about an hour ago: NE Broadway/Weidler couplet, functioning fine. Many vehicles with chains -- or, like us, with these most wonderful devices -- but about half without. Not a grain of sand or gravel to be seen except right around the overpass at I-5. But the packed snow not seeming particularly slick.

Main Post Office, open for business and moving along quite smoothly. Much shorter lines than one would encounter on the last day for Priority Mail to get there before Christmas. It's a great and well located facility. Of course, this being Portland, the city fathers will be buying it up and handing it over to the condo tower weasels at the next opportunity.

Liquor store on NE Ninth off Broadway: Very much open, and doing a brisk business. Safeway at Lloyd Center: Seemingly just another Saturday. Whole Foods at 15th and Fremont: Not overly busy, but then again, it never seems to be.

With that, we headed back to the house, where our furnace has decided to go on the blink. This thing always picks the worst times to go out. New Year's Eve at 4 in the afternoon, holiday weekend Friday at 5, etc. Our furnace guy says he's coming by to help before the day is through. Let's hope so. Brrrr!

UPDATE, 3:21 p.m.: Our furnace guy -- a true American small business owner -- made his way here through the storm and had us up and running in a half hour. These high efficiency natural gas furnaces extract a lot of water from the fuel, and if it's not drained off properly, a safety switch blocks normal operations. He cleared something that was gumming up a drainage line, and voilà! Domestic tranquility restored. He's the man.

Comments (13)

What were you doing going to Whole Wallet? (Or did you just look as you drove by?)

We went out further east and while the roads were a little slick especially on the side streets it wasn't too bad.

The WinCo on 122nd and San Rafael was really busy, the Safeway on 122nd and Glisan was fairly busy.

Posted by Michael | December 20, 2008 2:56 PM

HAH! We probably passed each other on the road at some point, as I had to get a few things myself & was traveling that very same loop.

My favorite - the girl in the sky-high stiletto boots attempting to run (with little teeny tiny steps) across four lanes of traffic against the light on Weidler right near Lloyd Center as cars skidded to a stop trying to avoid her. If she'd waited another two minutes, she'd have had the right of way...

Posted by Betsy RIchter | December 20, 2008 3:10 PM

I chained up my wife's car and drove her to the main post office too. Here are the top 5 things to remember chaining up a car:
1. Plumber's crack in a snowstorm is unacceptable. We've lost a lot of good people that way.
2. Put a piece of plywood on the ground to establish your work area.
3. Get a regular sized pillow, place it in a garbage sack and then kneel on that on the plywood. Remind your wife that if she had wanted a Clint Eastwood type she should have married one.
4. Curse frequently and loudly unless there are little children sledding within 500 yards.
5. As soon as the chains are on, cop an attitude about everybody who doesn't have them calling them, "Hopeless dumb-asses" for the entire drive. And never forget the true spirit of Christmas.

Posted by Bill McDonald | December 20, 2008 3:46 PM

Rick is the Man! He installed my high efficiency and when it blinked he came to my house several new year's eve's ago. The wife was 9 months pregnant, mother in law was in town staying with us, it was getting to be late in the evening, and there he was just a short time later. Fixed and domestic tranquility restored!

Posted by Dan | December 20, 2008 4:00 PM

when it blinked he came to my house several new year's eve's ago

The darn things are programmed to go out at times like that, I swear. But we have the secret weapon.

Posted by Jack Bog | December 20, 2008 4:12 PM

Jack, I always take my blow torch and heat the gas line coming into the furnace to decrease the amount of watervapor in the gas. Works each time.

Posted by Jerry | December 20, 2008 5:33 PM

I had the same problem with my furnace several winters ago. The furnace produces condensation with runs out a pvc drain to the outside. My drain froze up and backed up the condensate. A hairdryer solved that problem then. Now I have the drain line insulated and protected from the elements.

Posted by mp97303 | December 20, 2008 7:02 PM

Glad every one is warm and safe. We have at least a foot of snow out here in the NW not really suburbs..more like wilderness where we live. It was snowing hard this am at 7 and hasn't stopped all day. I shoveled the back deck and you would never know it.

Posted by portland native | December 20, 2008 7:37 PM

21.2 degrees and snowing hard here in Tigard near 72nd/217. Almost 8" of snow now...pretty amazing!

Posted by Westside Guy | December 20, 2008 8:00 PM

Some idiot slid his truck into the utility pole in front of my house this morning, blocking most the width of my driveway. He seems in no hurry to move it - no sight of him, and it's still there! I can barely squeak by with the car. I'm sorry, but most of the people in this town are complete morons about driving in winter conditions. You'd think they'd learn, but they never do.

Posted by Frank | December 20, 2008 8:38 PM

Watching the Canucks and Blackhawks on NHL TV. Somehow this is what's getting me into the spirit.

Posted by Chris Snethen | December 20, 2008 9:02 PM

Which style of Spiders do you have?

Posted by genop | December 22, 2008 9:40 AM

I believe ours is the Compact.

Posted by Jack Bog | December 22, 2008 11:07 AM