Danger-Danger: March Snow In Colorado
Snow in Colorado—Time to Panic?
We had a snow storm yesterday and the media made it look like a terrorist attack. I realized that Colorado now has a complement of media personel that all must have come from Florida The hysterical coverage of the March storm was similar to what you might expect if a few feet of snow had fallen on Jacksonville Florida in March.
Schools closed for two days, flights were canceled and every five minutes a TV reporter advised that unless it was a hospital emergency no one should leave their home. This is not exactly the Colorado attitude that was typical when I moved here years ago. The population rejoiced when there was a major dump of the finest snow in the world. The schools might delay an opening for an hour to let the morning traffic clear but closing for two days was almost an almost unheard of event. I remember in the early years of my residence that a few inches of snow was casually reported if mentioned at all. If there was a foot of snow the problem was that many stores had a sign hanging on the door announcing they were closed since everyone was in the mountains skiing, snowboarding, or snow shoeing.
Yesterday the regular TV schedules were canceled for continuous coverage from the TV stations Storm Centers. Reporters were scattered in the metropolitan areas, on the plains and in the mountains with some of the same inane, fear generating coverage that is found in Eastern cities. I know that in Philadelphia at the hint of snow the Acme Markets immediately have a run on bread, milk and eggs. French Toast is the Philly defense against blizzard conditions. The same kind of panic reaction is now becoming commonplace in urban Colorado. I’m not sure if the population has focused on French Toast yet, but pre- snow market activity is starting to resemble Philly.
The reality of yesterday’s storm was evident in the mountain canyon in which we live. My wife and I were out and about throughout the ”blizzard” with no rescheduling of activities due to snow. My friend who handles my Internet wireless showed up to do some tuning of my setup, taking advantage of the snow storm to check on it’s effect concerning repeaters and antennas. On a swing through Boulder in the evening I stopped by my son’s pizza shop. He was so busy that I was recruited for an hour to help deliver pizzas in the midst of the “blizzard”. He let me keep the tips.
Today was a magnificent day in the mountains where I live. The canyon had Champaign powder, blue skies and a sun so bright that the Ray Bans were on all day. The schools remained closed in Denver and Boulder for reasons beyond understanding. Perhaps there is a teacher’s union issue that I missed in the reporting of the closures. I can understand the Boulder closings. All the California expatriates living there haven’t yet forced an ordinance to be passed outlawing a snowfall of more than 3 inches. They probably stay in during the snowfall getting a warm feeling from watching the tapes of President Obama signing the Stimulus Bill in Denver several weeks ago. I have noticed that a Prius is not the best car for snow and therefore staying in the garage they don’t leave any carbon footprints or even tire tracks on a snowy day. The carbon footprint may be a contributing factor to the absence of cars on the street during the storm
When we moved here years ago our first purchases were snowshoes, gaiters , stablicers, proper boots, a Jeep with studded snow ties and some emergency items to stow in the car in the winter. We are four jeeps later and have only been snowed in once. That was a few years ago when a March storm dumped 64” of beautiful powder in our front meadow.
Those few days were more fun with some of the best memories of our life in Colorado.
We really got to know the true Colorado spirit from our canyon neighbors who were out and about on snowshoes and cross country skis making sure that everyone was safe and warm.
I am fortunate to live in a part of Colorado where it is still Colorado. I wonder where those faint of heart huddled at home watching the TV storm coverage think they are living. ( while probably making French Toast)
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