Locals, I apologize...

[ellenmillion]

Locals, I apologize.

I found out yesterday that we couldn't (easily/affordably) get our hardpack* removed unless the service district called out for another snow removal**. So, I thought to myself, it would be great if we got 12 inches of snow by Sunday!

... and we woke up this morning to find about half of that already!







* Hardpack, for my southern friends, is the layered, solid snow that accumulates in moderate traffic areas - all the loose snow from the year packed down into a driveway glacier. It is very hard, and ours is at least 8 inches thick.

** 'Mobe' (Mobilization) is a big part of the expense of hiring equipment where we live - it can cost as much to GET the equipment here as it does to run it. If the equipment is already right here clearing snow off the roads, though, we can get the job done for much, much less and everybody wins. And the hardpack our driveway is bad enough now that a truck with a plow can't do the job, it will definitely take a loader or bulldozer.

Comments

[astein142.livejournal.com]

Yay for serendipity! (But now I feel totally wimpy about canceling my plans for today to avoid going out in the 5 inches or so that we got here in Kansas City this morning.)

[rendergirl.livejournal.com]

Wow, look at that SNOW!!! :)

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

Now we know who to blame! :D

... no, I really don't mind; we haven't had that much snow this winter, and I like watching it fall. It means we'll have to plow the driveway again, though.

[pixiewildflower.livejournal.com]

**HUGS**

[mothie.livejournal.com]

Excuse my ignorance here, but you can't just salt it down? Is it prohibitively expensive or another reason?

My snow experience is suburban.

[ellenmillion.livejournal.com]

Salt has two problems: 1) it's awful for the environment. 2) It's too cold! Salt only works at temperatures where salt water won't freeze - we're well below that most of the winter! Actually, I suspect that expense would be a number 3, too - we have a 500 foot driveway.

Most of the winter we use gravel, which freezes into the top layer and provides traction. But the problem with our driveway is also it's shape - the areas we drive on get built up, but the areas to the sides and middle are all loose and squishy. As the built-up areas get rounded, you slide off of them into the loose areas and it's just a mess.