Driving I-70

No problem, just don't worry about the noise or the battery level.

I made it up I-70 fully loaded - 2 adults and 2 weeks of camping gear. There's one stretch of a mile or two just before the top where I couldn't keep the speed up, and dropped to about 40 mph, but with the limit at 45, nobody else was really goin faster anyway. Just keep the pedal all the way down.

The engine will make some noise, it's just working harder. Your battery level will drop to 2 bars pretty quick, but that won't be a problem, and you'll love the downhill side (also noisy when you put it in "B" and you're bleeding off all that extra electricity with a fully charged battery).

Somebody else will have to provide an answer for I-70 if there's snow on the road.

 

Absolutely get some all season tires or snow tires! There is nothing worse than trying to drive "at speed" on an interstate in slippery conditions without proper equipment. You may also want to purchase a set of chains and carry them in the car. You can often "rent" them on the highway, but it will cost you nearly as much as buying them. It's common for the authorities to force everyone to stop and put on chains if there's a storm. Or just make sure you have a few days extra and don't drive on the bad ones.

 

It is a good idea to have a shovel, blanket, gloves, and other emergency things with you. Sometimes it is hard to get your cell phone to work when out in the great outdoors.

 

A little emergency pack of food could be a lifesaver. Water, dried fruit, and some beef jerky will sustain you if necessary. For the winter, a toque's a great idea, no matter how many points it appears to lower your IQ...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LeVautRien @ Oct 22 2006, 01:45 PM) [snapback]336435[/snapback]</div>

You know...one of those little hats people wear when they go skiing. They're warm, lightweight, and look even sillier than a bad hair day. Sorry, sometimes I forget how far California is from Canada. You still get snow on the mountains, don't you?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LeVautRien @ Oct 22 2006, 11:09 AM) [snapback]336444[/snapback]</div>

Well, I have heard the word used in California, but it always refers to a chef's hat. According to Wikipedia®, the word toque has a different meaning in Canada.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Oct 22 2006, 01:33 PM) [snapback]336428[/snapback]</div>

water? what about the tons of frozen water that would surround you if you were stranded in a snowstorm? we were always told just to eat the snow if we needed water. you can eat snow unless it's yellow... then i'd avoid it...

get a big fleece blanket and toss it in the back. i've never had to use mine but it's always been peace of mind to know it's there.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 22 2006, 07:00 PM) [snapback]336540[/snapback]</div>

Spoken like a true southerner. Eating snow is ok if you are still able to heat your car enough to keep you warm. If you are stuck and have no heat there is no faster way to go into hypothermia than eating snow and sitting in a cold car. To much of your body heat goes into melting the snow.

 

true southerner? :blink: er, wisconsin resident here since birth... have been here 2.25 years only because i'm stuck in grad school for the long-ish haul.

anyway. in driver's ed they always said better to eat snow when stuck than dehydrate. if you throw a bottle of water in your trunk and let it sit there, what happens after a while? it freezes. then what? it's useless. snow's less frozen than a block of ice. (once i left a gallon of milk in the trunk of my old car overnight because hey it'll stay cold... mistake) in the prius it's different with the hatch, but it's burned into my mind that the concept was nice but not super useful. they also said to make sure you've always got at least half a tank of gas and run the car just often enough to keep it warm enough to support life.

 

Everyone is goning over the top! Yes get snow/rain tires. it can snow. The rest is nice, and yes there is water aroung you if you get stuck. For that a camp stove to rapidy melt the snow. How many days are you going to out there if you get trapped on the freeway? Take along a box of breakfast bars. Don't Panic and call.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 22 2006, 10:34 PM) [snapback]336595[/snapback]</div>

Actually, snow is as frozen as a block of ice, it just has a lot of air in it. I used to do a lot of winter backpacking and mountaineering. When you melt a pot full of snow for water, you get 1/4 or less in water than the hard packed snow you started with. And there is an amazing amount of dirt in it given that the snow looked clean and fresh.

It used to be that the recommendation was to melt the snow in a bottle inside your coat or sleeping bag with body heat if you didn't have any fuel. Best to not drop your core body temperature. And watch out for CO poisoning if you are running the car for heat. The survival stuff said not to run the engine, build a shelter out of snow/tarps/whatever away from the car. I expect most people just stay with the car and run it anyways.

What is the current survival school thinking nowadays anyhow?? My info is from the late 1960's, early 1970's.

- Tom

 

"You know...one of those little hats people wear when they go skiing. They're warm, lightweight, and look even sillier than a bad hair day. Sorry, sometimes I forget how far California is from Canada. You still get snow on the mountains, don't you? "

Reminds me of when I moved from Michigan to Indiana. In Michigan, a "toboggan" was a long wooden sled, great for big hills. In Indiana, Hoosiers "wear" a toboggan. Its a bulky knitted type winter hat. I felt sorry for my poor Hoosier Kindergarten kids when I was giving a "Reading Readiness Test" and they were asked to circle the "toboggan." Poor kids were looking for a picture of a hat and there was none there.

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