We had snow!

So...Friday night and Saturday afternoon...we received a few more inches of snow. The total I had on my weather station was darn close to 5 inches. THAT my friends...was enough to snowmobile on! We packed the trails around the property...and even took a quick glimpse at the trail system around the area! Not far...just down a two track that leads into the trail running by the house. That was exciting!

Unfortunately, we had a warm up today. It took much of our snow...but we still have some ground cover. It looks to stay a bit warmer over the next couple days as well...but then...WOW! Some COLD air is going to move down from Canada. This will bring us the temps that I spoke of a post or so ago. Struggling to make it into the high 20s. Hopefully this could fire up the LES guns and bring in some more snow to cover the base we have already started. Maybe the chance of some system snow too? I sure would hope so. We shall see. I have not looked at any forecasts or models today...so I am out of the loop. :P

We did a bit of Christmas shopping in Traverse City today. The mall was very kind to me...but not so kind on the wallet. I had one pair of pants that were not work pants yesterday. They had a hole in the back pocket...no button...and a rip in the side. Even with mending they are still only one pair of pants. So we picked up some pants and a couple shirts...then got home and fixed a bunch of clothes that needed some sewing. I have not TOUCHED a needle and thread in I do not know how long. I only stabbed myself a few times! The pants are in good shape now.

Now that I have bored you with that...if you are reading...please leave a comment. I am always looking to hear from visitors of the blog. I will post some survival stuff in the near future. Trying to manage the house, work, and spare time (for blogging) has become a bit difficult. :P After the 1st of the year it should get a bit easier.

That is it for now!

Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

Derek

Brrrrrrrrr!

Now your widgets can say what they want...but we had 10 degrees this morning. I believe that is quite a bit colder than what was expected. Whoo! The next best sound to stepping on frozen ground...is the sound of the ski hills across the valley making snow! I visisted www.nubsnob.com this morning and found that they are making snow and hope to have two runs open by this weekend! If I remember correctly that is quite a bit earlier than the last few years.

It is absolutely beautiful outside here...the sun is popping up and the clouds are big and gray. It is creating a red hue over everything. I spoke to my better half a few minutes ago and she said that the big lake was actually forming some ice over the top of it! WOW! The first big lake ice of the year! (That I am aware of anyway.) We did receive close to half an inch of fresh snow over the holiday. Nothing to snowmobile on...but I heard that someone up the road actually was out riding on the thin layer of powder. (Usually that would be me but I have some sense this year!) I do need to hurry this along so I will get into the quick forecast and what should be happening over the next few days.

The weekend looks to warm up...but not significantly. A big change tfrom the last couple days though. We will near 40 degrees in most areas. That should change running into next weekend when temperatures will struggle to make it up freezing! THEN...I reiterate...THEN...when December 1st rolls around...the weather appears to be changing. We will continue the struggle to even make it near the thaw point. The snows look to start falling around that time too! Obviously that is a long way out yet...but the possibility is there for some VERY cold temperatures and snows to go along with them. Hopefully that will also turn the lake effect machines on and get us a good pounding for snowmobiling. Our snow belt has been relatively quiet for the past few years. Everything seems to hit south of it. Certainly that cannot continue...the ski hills were built where they are for a reason...so it will come sooner or later. :)

That is all for now, good morning!

Derek

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving...the entire family is coming to OUR house for the food and festivities. I was really pushing for everyone to go out for dinner this year. It is so much work getting the house ready, and the food is so expensive (thankfully my parents bought it!) that it really puts a hurting on the family that has to provide it. This year we are doing things a LITTLE bit different by having everyone else bring a dish to pass...but when people are given the option they will choose the cheapest possible dish they can think of. So pardon me for being a little bit negative about the whole forced family fun thing. Family now days does not mean much to people anyway. The only time you ever see anyone is on a holiday...the only time anyone ever calls is when they need something. It is sad. I have to admit I am guilty. It is not just me though. It is everyone.

Now that I have my little rant out of the way...we did pick up about half an inch of snow last night. I am getting REALLY sick and tired of people predicting snow when we are not going to get it. Granted, I do the same thing, and I get myself all excited about the possibilities of snow and different winter acitivities. I am not a meteorologist though. I am just a guy looking at maps and extended forecasts and coming up with my own predictions. My forecasts do not affect the lives of others. As a true meteorologist...my assumption is that they would try a bit harder to get it right on the nose. Every day when I look at the weather, on TV or on the internet, every single forecast is calling for something different. I guess that could be due to the drastic changes in weather we are having...but my guess is that the inaccuracies are coming from the emotions of others. Those who hope it will snow, forecast snow. Those who hope it stays away, say it is going to stay away.

Wow, two rants in one post! I am getting good at this! :P Once I get some snow...possibly even after I get some turkey in me...I will act like a reasonable adult again. Now I am just being a whiner again because I got my hopes up for snowmobiling this week and weekend. Even if it was just through our private trails! Oh well.

It was about 20 degrees when I woke up this morning and partly cloudy. There was a very light breeze. Currently, it is starting to turn over to most cloudy with temps in the mid 20s. We just need some precipitation!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Derek

Maybe next time...

Well everyone seems to have been wrong. The chances for snow have quickly dwindled. The temperatures for the remainder of the week and weekend are looking to stay on the warmer side. We still could see some snow...but not what everyone was thinking. I do have my own personal winter prediction but I left it on the refrigerator door...so it may not be 100% word for word what I came up with. It says something like..."We will not receive our first significant snow until the last two weeks of December. Early January will lean toward a thawing point until nearing February. February may hold a significant snow fall but only for the first few weeks. The end of February will again hold a thaw straight into March. March will hold a few light snows but nothing significant." It is pretty bold predicting weather...as not even seasoned meteorologists can do it. I could be completely wrong in my prediction. I would also say that we will receive less than 100" of snow. How depressing is that?

Now that I have been so incredibly negative...the good news is we are supposed to see up to 4" of snow through the week and weekend....and then in the next 5-10 days...possibly up to another 4". Temperatures will not stay consistent enough for the snow to stick. I always say 4" on a clean trail is enough to snowmobile on. (That is why I clean out our trails every year!)

If we do get some snow I will post some more pictures. As I mentioned the other day...it is tough to get into the woods since it is deer season.

Today we are to have a rain/snow mix and highs in the upper 30s. We will see light snow tonight and lows in the high 20s to low 30s. Thursday and Friday will bring some light snow and a bit cooler temps. The weekend warms up again. Doh!

More information as we enter Thanksgiving I am sure!

Good morning!

Derek

Snow is on the way!

I believe I have said it before, but this time, it is a real possibility! To top it off, there may be a chance of it actually staying! I felt GREAT things this morning while walking outside. The top layer of ground was FROZEN! I looked at a few of the temperature maps from last night and it looks like we may have been VERY close to single digits in our neck of the woods. I will have to look at the daily information to verify. Back to the snow. It looks to snow for a good portion of the week! I am not sure of any true predictions for amounts yet...but it could be enough to get us out on the sleds. Mid-week looks to warm a bit...but toward Wednesday night and Thursday...into Friday...bring on the white stuff!

We have been keeping the house nice and toasty for the last week or so. The wood furnace, as much as I hate it, is about the best heat in the world! It is almost like having in floor heat. The wood furnace is in the basement...which causes all of the floors to get warm. PLUS...the cement walls get warm...keeping the house warm even when the fire dies down.

The Christmas lights are up! (Pictures will follow soon...I know it is a bit early...but I am trying EVERYTHING in my power to get excited about the holidays. Right now, my main concern is getting snow and snowmobiling. I went through the woods this evening and cleared out a few old trails that we used when I was little. They were primarily wood hauling trails...but they are easily going to double as snowmobile trails. I just need some snow to try them out!

I am going to end my day with a gripe. We have an '04 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP. It is a beautiful car. You do not really think of Pontiacs as being a sweet ride...but this one is. 17" wheels...completely black...dark tinted windows...and best of all it is SUPERCHARGED. Now here is my gripe. The way the license plate area is designed...the plate rubs directly on the paint of the car. (Something I did not know until I took it off when I had to replace the plate a week or so ago...) So I have two spots on the back of the car that have no paint...and a nice line all the way across, between the spots, that the black has turned into a nice white. Good lord. This comes just after I dump $650 into new tires and brakes for the front. The lowest quote so far is $350. For TWO TINY SPOTS. I wish it was a piece of crap so I could just touch it up myself...but since it is my vehicular pride and joy...it must be perfect. Doh!

Time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get out of the house! A McDonald's ice cream cone sounds awesome right now. ;)

Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

Derek

Sunday morning photos...

I woke up a bit early today, so I decided to go out and about through the woods to take some pictures. It is a beautiful day out, starting at 21.5 degrees at 9 AM with no breeze. Nothing but blue sky has dominated the day thus far. I had initially had woken up around 4 AM. Our power went out and the battery on the clock was beeping at us. I ended up turning the battery off, but glanced out the window prior to laying back down. Absolutely clear out. You could see every single star in the sky! I wish I had not been so tired, I would have taken the telescope outside.

Anyway, back to the pictures from this morning! I was most interested in finding whether or not the deer were still traveling through our property or not. I found some pretty significant trails running through the back half as seen above. I found three or four different trails that run through the back. There were even a few tracks on the trail that I just plowed. It is an exciting time of year since all of the animals are rapidly trying to prepare for winter. The woods were extremely quiet though. I imagine it has to do alot with how cold it was, how early it was, and the hunters rummaging through the state lands around the area. I recon they are all trying to stay pretty quiet. Who knows.

Other than the trails from deer, there were some fairly pretty scenes to be seen. Some snow, lots of sunlight, and the woods. It really does not get better than that. Unfortunately, I have to drape myself in orange just to walk the property...but it is a small price to pay for walking through this time of year. The fresh crisp air, the frozen solid ground, the snaps of trees swaying, a fresh dusting of snow, and nothing else. Nothing to bother me, no phones, no internet, no work, just the outdoors in the best form it can possibly be in. (Some more snow would be excellent so I could go snowmobiling...but for now I will gladly accept what we have!)

I spent last night burning brush in the back yard. It was a great night for it too! The snow started falling the second we walked outdoors. The fire started without a hitch and the whole pile was burned. I think the fire itself probably finished burning around 9 PM last night. The coals burned long after that I assure you. I went outdoors after watching the MSU vs. Penn State game (GO GREEN!!!!) and it was still warm enough near the fire to stand in a t-shirt and pants. The bed of coals spread about five feet in diameter. It was very nice since it was so cold outside!

Anyway, I think it is time to get Sunday going...so I will stop for now. I always appreciate comments that you leave...so feel free!

Derek

It's FRIDAY!

Another week has gone by. This is not a bad thing! We are coming up on a data processing migration at work. It will be VERY nice just to have that done and out of the way so I can focus on other aspects of my job. Keeping us compliant is going to be my next big eventure I believe.

Not much new in the way of weather. It is very cold tonight! At this second it is 25.3 degrees outside. 81% humidity with no breeze and clear. I believe we saw a planet toward the eastern sky tonight...but it could have been a far off jet. It had a orange tint to it whatever it was. Anyway, tonight is the last night for the rain guage. It is getting too cold out for it to sit outside. (The batteries are dying too quickly!) So for my records, since October 18th when I reset it, we have receive 3.82 inches of liquid precipitation. This does not include snows that we may have received. So from here on I will be making estimates...or measuring snow out at the weather station. I have to build a daily snowfall stand still...but everything thus farhas been just a trace...so no measuring to be done...with the exception of the two inches we received last week.

The deer hunting season has begun. Unfortunately, I want to write about survival, but I do not hunt. How does that work? I am sure it would somehow or another. I did not hear any gun shots around the house this morning or after getting home from work...so hopefully my deer friends are doing just fine in our safe haven! ;)

Being that winter is on the way very quickly...I am going to equip both cars with a safety/survival kit. I have not decided 100% on the contents of these kits...but I will post exactly what goes into them as I get the items. The same will go for my snowmobile kit. I did not have one of those for the last two years...never really thinking about it. I think it would make a great addition to my sledding experience. Especially if something bad did happen!

Hopefully, after tomorrow, I will have some more photos to share and something a tad more exciting to talk about. Maybe a more solid idea of where a winter snow storm might be! Unfortunately things are not looking to good for us in Northern Lower Michigan. We will see.

Good night from Northern Michigan!

Derek

A trace of snow...

Yesterday, it snowed for a good portion of the day. It was fairly warm and very little stuck to the ground...and add in the rain...and things did not shape up like I was hoping. It is to be expected though. However, between other meteorologists, and myself as an amateur, we came pretty close to nailing the later part of this week on the head. That I am proud of!

Currently it is 30.2 degrees at the house...with light snow and no breeze. Overnight, we received maybe a 1/4" of snow. Nothing to get excited over, but it is still snow. I think I may have hinted at it in my last post...but there is talk of a fairly sizable storm headed our way toward the middle of next week. This would leave us blanketed with snow for Thanksgiving. I would recon that if it actually does snow, with the temps being low like they have, it might stick. That IS something to get excited about.

So this weekend I will be cleaning out the rest of the garage and getting the sleds turned around. I still want to have some maintenance done on them so we do not get abandoned on the trail system up here. They are 97s, which compared to our old snowmobiles is brand new, but at 10 years I start to get a bit nervous if no one has looked at them for a while. This will be my third winter with mine...and second winter for the sled my dad bought. They are 99.9% identical aside from mine being a 600 and his being a 500. It makes you feel like you belong when you are driving down the trail and you have matching sleds. Even when they are 30 years old...if you have two of them...it just feels better. :P

Anyway, I will avoid getting too excited about the snowfall next week. Usually snow does not happen when I actually want it. So I am going to pretend it is not even going to happen. Maybe I will even go as far as getting some of the yard tools back out...I know how mother nature absolutely LOVES to snow on yard tools!

I will hopefully have a bit more to share soon as we roll this the weekend and into the early part of next week. I will also try to have a few more pictures available by tonight. Like I said though, there just is not that much to take pictures of around here right now unless you like seeing leafless trees. Maybe some of the breakwall in Petoskey? If you would like a photo posted, and you are reading my blog, please send requests! Anything in the area is game.

Good morning!

Derek

A change in the weather is brewing...

Hopefully this post will cooperate a little better than the last. This interace to post these message is absolutely terrible. I will seriously be considering hosting my own blog site soon since I am having such trouble. Now to the good news!

It looks to snow for a good portion of this week...or for what is left of it. Wednesday night, Thursday, and Friday are all looking to squeeze out a bit of winter! I have seen estimates of 3-6" of lake effect and system snow by Friday night in our area and parts of the UP. Unfortunately it is tough to predict lake effect snow amounts....especially this time of year. I personally will keep my fingers crossed! Some other models are indicating a bit bigger storm toward Thanksgiving. That is nearly a week away...so the accuracy of that is certainly not set in stone.

Through the remainder of the week we are looking to stay in the mid to upper 30s during the day and the low 30s to upper 20s at night. That might get some freeze action going.

Outside of the weather...things are starting to come together around the house for winter. I have a bunch of kindling split up, the wood is stacked and covered, the trails have been plowed to remove all the leaves and debris, all the leaves are picked up, etc. The next step will be getting the snowmobiles ready for their first voyage of the season! Last year I ended up fouling a spark plug about a mile into my first trip...with no spare. I was able to limp the sled back and got everything back into working order.

This will be a short post being that nothing much new has happened...I am waiting on the snow. Once the snow falls there will be all sorts of good stuff to talk about. For now though...you are stuck with me babbling on and on about the most boring and tedious time of year. Fall. :P

Hopefully within the next few days I will have a bit more to discuss with the snowfalls and different weather occurances.

Goodnight from Northern Michigan!

Derek

Potassium Permanganate and Glycerin Pictures

I apologize for the length of time it has taken for me to get these pictures posted! In this post you will find the pictures of the process...along with the basic process again so that you do not have to go to the old post.

The first step is to pour your Potassium Permanganate out...a pile
about the size of a fifty cent piece will work just fine. For this example I simply pour it onto a rock that I pulled from the woods. Ordinarily you would probably want to pour it onto a location that would be suitable for your fire pit...or even onto whatever it is you are trying to light.

You then pour a small dob of Glycerin onto that Potassium Permanganate...about the size of a quarter. You can always add more Glycerin once the flames are starting...but to get it going you do not want to drown the Potassium Permanganate in Glycerin. I found that temperature or humidity plays a big part in how quickly the chemical reaction takes place. For this particular reaction, it took about four minutes for the smoke to start pouring off of it, and then the flames shot up.

If you follow my posts at all you have heard of my hatred toward the interface they have you use to create them. The organization of the pictures in this post is terrible...but you will get the idea. I hope you can find this useful and will try it out yourself.

What a week...

Wow! I cannot believe it has already been a business week since I last wrote anything on here! I have kept myself extremely busy. Between work and trying to finish up last minute yard work...I lost track of time.

I still do not have any decent pictures to share...I recon it is probably more laziness than anything. I suppose I could grab the camera really quick and show a couple pictures over the past few days. We will see!

We got the first ground sticking snow over the weekend...and since then it has been nothing but a rain/snow mix. Yuck. It does not look much better for the rest of atleast the next week for snow. This weekend looks to be in the low 50s! The strange part...is I cannot really say it is any different than other years in the past. I remember we would not see snow until the end of November when I was little. So I am not too worried about the snowmobile season yet. ;)

I found a pair of snow shoes at Wal-Mart. Who would have thought! I did not buy them...I considered it but I am just not sure if I will use them. I would love to get outside and do some serious winter activities this year aside from snowmobiling. There are SO many place to go around here during the winter months. Tahquamenon Falls in the U.P. is a great winter destination if you actually get some snow and freezing temperatures. There are probably hundreds of miles of skiing trails throughout Northern Michigan. I would guess that a number of these trails travel along state land which could be used for a nice winter survival camp out. I would also like to visit one of the ice fishing communities that pops up on any of the inland lakes. I have been ice fishing a few times but not in any of these little "villages." The list goes on and on!

I think I have probably bored you long enough with this post...I will post pictures and some more interesting content later. I am rather distracted by the long day at work!

Derek

Quick weather update...

The forecast has changed again. It looks like this week we will not see many highs over 39F. That is a good thing for snow. There are still a couple days that indicate rain/snow mix. I might actually have to start cleaning the garage out so I can get the sleds out! It would be REALLY nice to be able to park the cars inside during the first rain/snow/sleet storm we get. Nothing is worse than scraping ice off of your windshield at 6:30 AM while the wind is blowing and the sleet is coming down.

I will update more regularly with weather forecasts once the snow starts falling. I will also provide more pictures. I might set up a webcam of our yard for everyone to view. That would cost money though...and so far this site is not the busiest on the net. Hopefully with more content I will start to see some comments and visitors. I do know there is a way to stop SPAM comments...but I have to look it up on google. If you are interested in sponsoring a SnowCam in Harbor Springs please let me know. We are in the same snow band that Nubs Nob and Boyne Highlands are in.

Have a great Monday!

Derek

Blurry photos...

After looking at a couple of my pictures in the last post...I think there must be some adjusting I need to do on focus. They all look a bit blurred. I will check it out and hopefully have some better pictures to post in the near future. I have a heck of a time getting them to do what I want them to do on this blog anyway...I am looking into creating a blog that will be hosted on my own site so that I can possibly have some more tools at my disposal.

I apologize for the blurred pictures! BUT they do give you an idea of what I am talking about...so they will work for now. ;)

Derek

The first REAL hail of the season...

Another DST has gone and past. I love standard time. The nights get dark sooner...I have a chance to make it to work in the daylight...it is great. There is just something about it that means winter is on the way.

The forecasts have been fairly rocky since my last post. They outlook for this week has been changing dramatically. Now, rather than snow, we are supposed to get snow and rain mixed. Instead of highs in the low 30s we are supposed to see highs in the upper 40s. Unfortunately we will probably find that NONE of them are correct. Especially this time of year. It is so easy for the weather to go one way or the other...meteorologists in Northern Michigan may as well just take November thru mid-January off.

I got some work done around the house today...building an open closet for the upstairs of the house, picking up the computer room, and getting the outside ready for snow. With the exception of a few miscellaneous flower pots hanging around...we are pretty well set. While I was typing that and trying to get the picture to upload we actually saw some hail! It melted very quickly due to the somewhat warm temperatures...but I would say it was our first TRUE frozen precipitation that stayed more than five minutes. So I went out and got a few pictures of it...and of course got a bit wet. All in the name of photography and showing the world what I feel is important. :P It was not much but it brought on a winter-ish feeling watching it come down. Hopefully next time it will be in the form of flakes!

I would say 99% of our leaves have fallen. The only leaves left are on those pesky popple trees and bass wood trees. Hideous trees that A. Make you look at them. and B. Keep their leaves until snow starts falling. You can plan on having your yard clean...but wait until the first good snow with wind. Those leaves will be falling down into your yard for your raking enjoyment next spring! The woods is fairly barren this time of year. We have not seen many squirrels or chipmunks since we have been back up at the house. The deer that we saw the other day have not returned while we have been available to watch for them.

My wood pile took a fall the other day...it could have been MUCH worse than what it ended up being. I still need to work on picking that up before it snows this week. (I am saying that as if it truly will snow!)

Keep your fingers crossed for some signs of winter over the next few weeks, for a great opening weekend of snowmobile season! (December 1st) I heard from the Harbor Springs Snowmobile Club (http://www.harborspringssnowmobileclub.com/) that we are not getting any trail grooming done by the DNR this year. What a disappointment that our state, in the miserable shape it is in due to the auto industry, takes away some of the only good left. From this point forward tourism is our only hope. Hopefully the snowmobile clubs get some decent funding or we may be left riding on the tracks of the people before us. I would absolutely LOVE to know where the funds for DNR grooming are going. If you have an answer to that I am all ears.

Sorry there are not more pictures...I am having some issues with the uploading of them. I promise there will be more to come...as there are still some pictures of the potassium permangante process that I owe to you. Stayed tuned over the next few days for those.

With that I will say goodnight from Northern Michigan!

Derek