That's All Folks! - Part 2

There are many waterfalls and areas where water drips down the rock walls along the North Cascade Highway. With temperatures hovering in the low to mid-teens last Saturday, the water was frozen in many places.

There was one area in the gorge outside of Newhalem that had an interesting ice formation. I wish I could judge how tall this ran but it was probably close to 8 or 10 stories high. We did stop to take these photographs.

Now we wait for the spring thaw.

City Slickers at the Chicken Dance Ranch - Lesson #4

The lessons kept piling up during freeze week 2010 at the CDR.

Lessons #4, 5 & 6: Storm doors are invaluable; You need more than just a block heater for your diesel truck; Storm; Giving thanks for Woodstoves, Friends and Family

The two steel entrance doors on the gable ends of the house were giving us trouble. They may not have been installed correctly and as a result, we had a gap near the bottom weather stripping of each that kept leaking water during heavy rains as well as cold air from the Arctic blast. We tried our best to adjust the hang of the doors but couldn't get the problem totally solved. Since we were going to be installing new laminate flooring, we didn't want water to get into the house and ruin the flooring. Also, we needed to address the cold air penetration. 

We decided that installing storm doors would help. In the middle of the deep freeze, a friend from Twisp came over and helped us install them on two of our three exterior doors. It was amazing the difference they made. So much so that we decided door number three also needed one. The next day, we bought it and got it installed. Wow! Wish we would have done it sooner. I'm sure our friend wishes the same since he braved the brutal weather to install them.

New Storm Doors

The ad slogan “Are you gellin’?” took on a new meaning for us. We left the truck plugged in at all times, figuring that was all we needed to do. Wrong! We went out one morning for a trip into town. The temp was three degrees. The engine started but quickly died. We could not keep the truck running. Finally, we were able to idle the truck in low gear to the top of the hill near where we live. It easily took ten minutes to travel one measly mile. A neighbor drove by and we asked if he knew what might be the problem. We suspected something related to fuel and he quickly confirmed it. Yes, we needed a fuel additive to keep the diesel fuel from gelling or thickening up in the freezing temperatures.

The drive, AKA coast, down the long hill allowed the truck engine and fuel to warm up enough to make it to the auto supply store where Karl purchased the last bottle of fuel additive. Problem solved!

Ice Crystals on Storm Door Window

One funny thing did happen during this lesson. When we started down the hill, the windshield and windows were starting to frost up. Karl turned on the defroster and it felt like it was snowing inside the truck. Little ice crystals were blowing out of the vents! At least it made us laugh after dealing with stress of trying to get the truck running.

Ahhh...Winter Warmth!

Although it was unbelievably cold for us, we still enjoyed our time in the Okanogan. I liked looking out of the windows at the falling snow while the flames in the woodstove flickered and kept us warm. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, sharing it with a camping friend from Twisp. We did miss having family here but were able to reach across the miles via telephone. It gets harder and harder to return to our life on the coast with each day we spend here.

City Slickers at the Chicken Dance Ranch - Lesson #3

Not only were we learning lots of lessons in dealing with sub-freezing temps, our dogs were trying to adapt as well.

Lesson #3 – Chihuahua dogs are not made for cold weather. Period.

We already knew our little Buddy, a Chihuahua mix pound puppy, was not a fan of cold weather. We had previous snow experience with him so we stocked up on sweaters, coats and other assorted doggie-wear to outfit him with some cold weather protection. He would be prepared.

Not even close. Two layers were insufficient for him to endure the below-freezing temperatures long enough to take care of his business. The coats and sweaters still exposed his thinly-furred belly and hind legs to the frosty blasts of air. He could only manage a quick yellowing of a snow drift before he’d stop dead in his tracks with a look on his face to “come pick me up!” He was too cold to move any farther.

We were getting worried that we’d have to find some place out of the wind, likely in town, where he could walk for a short period before being able to do his duty. We were ecstatic when after two days we had a break in the howling wind long enough for him to get ‘er done. And he quickly learned to run and sit in front of the woodstove immediately upon entering the house to warm his little doggie bones.

 Puh-leeze let me back in!

Do they make snowsuits with remote control flaps for dogs? That is what we really needed.

Jelly, even though she is a Chihuahua / beagle mix, is made of sterner stuff and was able to handle the colder weather much better than her adopted brother.

Jelly

City Slickers at the Chicken Dance Ranch - Lesson #2

As the Arctic blast continued to plaque the Okanogan, valuable lessons were still being taught to us city slickers at the CDR.

Lesson #2: Saving paperwork when building a house is a good thing; even if you weren’t the original purchaser of some materials.

The day after our arrival at the CDR, Karl noticed one of our living room windows had a crack in the glass. Of course, it had to be the largest window. Upon further inspection, an eight inch long crack was snaking its way across the inside pane of glass. We put a piece of tape on it hoping to stop any further progression of the crack. That didn’t work. The crack continued to grow inch by inch. 

 This Place Cracks Me Up

We knew where the previous owner bought the windows so we stopped in to inquire about warranty coverage on the window. The windows are only about three years old. Yes, we were told. The window should be under warranty. I still have a sticker from one of the living room windows that we will take in to help find the original purchase date. Hopefully we will be able to get the window replaced at minimal or no expense to us.

City Slickers at the Chicken Dance Ranch - Lesson #1

Winter came early to the Chicken Dance Ranch this year. While this was not our first Thanksgiving at the ranch, it was our first real experience with a fully built house and bitter cold temperatures that occasionally beset the Okanogan. I don’t consider us true city slickers. I mean, we have lots of camping and outdoors experience. But we certainly are from suburbia and life in the boondocks required more from us than we were initially prepared for.

With outdoor temperatures staying below the freezing mark and an arctic air mass that roared down out of Canada, we learned several important lessons on how cold it can really get here at the CDR.

 

Lesson #1: Water pipes can and will freeze, even when you think you’ve got them protected.

The way our water pipes were run in the crawl space of the house left them exposed in some areas. One of our first orders of business upon arrival at the CDR was to install a layer of insulation over them. Then we built a little room out of plastic sheeting around the booster pump and put a radiant oil heater inside of it. We also made sure our foundation vents were closed. We were prepared. Or so we thought. 

 

 Protecting the Booster Pump and Water Pipes

Outside temperatures kept dropping over the course of several days into single digits. Factoring in wind chill, it was easily below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

We awoke one morning with our kitchen pipes frozen. The kitchen is on the north wall and the chilling wind was battering the north side of the house. Even with the extra insulation layer, somewhere the pipes froze. Our best guess was near the outside wall, even though the pipes are not in the wall itself and are nestled in thick insulation up under the floor joists. It didn’t help that our foundation vents kept blowing open and the air intake ducting for the woodstove is nearby.

After adding heat tape to the pipes (which in itself took three attempts) and new foam blocks to stuff in the foundation vents, the water was free-flowing. Cross your fingers they stay that way throughout the winter months.