The weather reports I consulted said snow wouldn't hit Portland until Saturday morning. Storms would dump snow 50 miles south of us as early as Thursday, but we were supposed to be spared, at least until the weekend. I sit next to a wall of windows at the office, so I saw right away the first flakes falling late Thursday morning. It had snowed briefly earlier in the week, but it gave out after a few minutes. Today proved different, as the flakes never faltered, and within a couple of hours the storm had blanketed the city with a fresh coat of snow, and my manager told me to pack up and head for home. My steel bike, loaded with all of my gear, and wider-than-average tires, made for a slow but mostly stress-free ride home. I walked my bike down the few inclines, as I could feel my tires losing traction immediately, but I was able to ride up the relatively steep hill in Oaks Bottom without dismounting. Riding the city street with cars proved the most difficult, as the bike lanes were piled with extra snow and the cars felt closer and more dangerous than usual. But once I passed through the entry to the Springwater, it was very smooth sailing: no other bikes, no cars (obviously), and only a few people walking the path. Perhaps four inches of dry powder fell during the day.
We woke up Friday with several more inches that came down during the night, so school was obviously cancelled and I worked from home. Saturday came and it was still snowing. I tried to convince Ian to walk down to Oaks Bottom for an adventure, but he feared his feet freezing. Edward decided to accompany me instead, which worked out great because he walks quickly, never lacks topics to discuss, and seemingly enjoyed the 3.5 mile walk along the Sellwood bluff trail as much as did I. The temperatures were still well below freezing, which made for exceptionally dry powder--very different from the usual wet, slushy stuff that falls in the valley--so even though there was nearly a foot of snow on the ground with more falling from the sky, we stayed dry. A few hours after we returned home, freezing rain started falling, making the top layer of snow a slick sheet of ice. Meg and I ventured out on foot for dinner in the neighborhood and a quick trip to the grocery store; we had no troubles, despite the rain and slick sidewalks--and we weren't alone by any stretch. Several of the businesses were idle, but there was still a lot of people out enjoying the day.
We stayed home all day Sunday (the city officially encouraged everyone to just hunker down and leave the streets clear). Aaron and I used a shovel and rake to clear a path from our garage (which sits at the rear end of our property) to the street, in case we needed to drive anywhere (the van has rested peacefully throughout the storm). The temperature rose north of freezing for the first time all week, but it wasn't enough to clear the streets or prevent the district from closing schools for yet another day. I really hope the snow decided to retreat ASAP, because poor Meg will probably go crazy having to spend yet another day home (we four boys don't mind being homebodies).
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