Matt Barrow wrote:

"Blanche" wrote in message
I had the Reiff oil sump heater installed back in August. Last time
I went flying was 2 weeks ago. Put the 2 car blankets (those blue
quilted things from your favorite Big Box hardware store) over the
cowl after flying, made sure the heater was plugged in, patted the
putt-putt on the spinner and went home.

I live in the 'burbs of Denver.

Today was a *wonderful* day for flying. Cold, clear, no wind.

The city plowed the street and I have a 10 foot high
pile of snow that is now the consistency of concrete blocking my
driveway.

Ahhh...memories of the Christmas '82 blizzard!

At least they plow your street! In '82, my car sat at the bottom of the hill
(Hampden & Tamarac) for four days because it couldn't make the last 150
yards up the hill through 25" of snow (and 8 foot drifts). In them days,
they maybe plowed the main thoroughfares, not the arterials and certainly
not the residential streets.

That was the storm that got Bill McNichols bounced out of office -- no, not
30 years of corruption, but that he had them plow the parking lot for
McNichols arena (named for a sitting mayor, no less) instead of the streets.

Yup -- BTDT.

Ah yes, that hill...not nearly as much fun as I-70 at Floyd Hill, or
the west side of the tunnel, but still entertaining.

I had 5 unexepected friends stay with me for 3 days because they
Couldn't get home. I'm near the bottom bend of I-225. In those days,
J really thought his Volvo could get thru everything and anything. And
this was a group of people from Chicago, who were used to unplowed
side streets, mayors who believed in Solar Snowplows, etc. But they
had never been thru a Colorado storm.

Just remember, McNicols named the stadium, but Webb (another sitting
mayor) named the new local Gov. building after himself. Fortunately
I don't live in Denver, just the 'burbs.

On the other hand, at least we have buried utilities so unless someone
cuts thru, we keep power on, unlike Buffalo and western NY earlier
this year. The paternal side of the family had no water or power or
heat for 8 days. They thought the same thing was happening down
here and called in a panic.

The airports, on the other hand, are another matter.
Once KAPA opened, the Citations and Lears
were coming in every 3-5 minutes, non-stop on Friday. DIA, on
the other hand (KDEN to those here) got the first Frontier flight
out just after 1200 MST. All the local news stations carried the
shot, much like a Shuttle lift-off. But there are people who have
spent 3 nights there already, and may not leave until after Christmas.
The local cities and hotels have a "distressed traveler" plan, put
into planning back in 2003, the last time this happened. Once the
road gets opened, buses get out to the airport and bring the folks
to the hotels. About 3000 people took advantage of this on Friday,
but not quite 2000 stayed at the airport to try and get stand-by
seats.

I'm still astonished at
1) all the people who have 4-wheel drive and think they are invincible and
can travel thru anything
2) and/or have lived here more than 3 winters and don't prepare --
far too many folks don't even have snow shovels!