# Lessons learned during ICE Storm out West



## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

The week before Thanksgiving I drove out West to work in Nevada for ten days. While there the Ice storm hit coming back to Texas. On Friday afternoon I left Las Vegas for the trip home. I was in a new truck without most of my kit. I did have a 15 degree bag, my everyday carry kit, some food bars and water, a water filter (Katadyn Mini), but no hard maps. 

Much of my gear was stuff I had for years. I did have my ice cleats so walking was not a problem on the ice. However, it took no time to see where buying cheap was a problem. The compass I had was one of those from Walmart and it failed immediately. It leaked all over my everyday kit. Smelled like kerosene. My Garmin proved to be about worthless. I did stop finally and buy a US map book at a truck stop. 

I had to spend two nights in my truck cab as the roads froze over. that 15 degree bag was priceless. it got down into the teens in my truck but I stayed okay until we got moving again. one night I got off the road and stayed in a motel (if you could call it a motel). about 1:30 AM I lost power in the motel and it did not come back on. bag came in handy again. 

when we lost power in the small town no one could take a credit card, no gas pumps worked, McDonalds was closed, the door keys at the hotel were card reader types and you could not open your room after you walked out. In the room I had not brought any candles so it was pretty much dark other than a couple of flashlights. What I would have given for some tea candles. 

I did keep my fuel filled up all the time. When I got below three quarters of a tank I looked for TRUCK STOPS. I only got off where the trucks did so I could count on the ramps on and off being cleared by the trucks. Otherwise the ramps were impossible. On the road If you fell in behind the big rigs you could travel in the ruts through the ice. If you tried to go fast you wound up roof down like two snow plows I saw in the Davis Mountains. 

It was the families going on holiday that looked in bad shape. Many them were totally unprepared for this kind of cold and ice. I would post pictures if I could. At one point I passed a fourteen mile stretch where it was bumper to bumper stopped on the West bound side of the interstate with no hope of moving up the iced over road up the mountains. This was a one o'clock in the afternoon on Sunday. 

It was shades of things to come when you would see people running out of gas on the roads because they did not fill up until they were empty or they just kept on running the autos all the time. The smart ones would run the vehicle for fifteen minutes and then shut it off. Fifteen minutes would warm it up enough to keep the occupants from freezing but conserve enough fuel to let them get through once the roads opened up. 

When we had to stop on the roadway at night due to ice build up the trucks would let you know when the roads opened by blowing their horns to let everyone know it was time to move. That was nice so you could get some sleep. 

The nice thing was I found out the new truck I have is really road worthy. I only broke loose one time on the road and that was quickly corrected. Bad thing is I need a cover on the bed to store my gear for next trip. get ready to spend some more money. At least I got home in three long days. 

I will not go without my complete kit in future. As they say lesson learned. GB


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## musketjim (Dec 7, 2011)

We just went thru a high wind and ice storm here in Fairbanks where many folks were without electricity for over a week. We were fortunate ours stayed on. We were also fortunate the temperatures didn't drop. Yet this did nothing to slow down our State and local borough government attempts to ban woodstoves and solid burning devices to appease the federal epa. What insanity from our elected lap dogs. :nuts:


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

So what kind of truck did you get?
What kind of tires where on it?


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

musketjim said:


> We just went thru a high wind and ice storm here in Fairbanks where many folks were without electricity for over a week. We were fortunate ours stayed on. We were also fortunate the temperatures didn't drop. Yet this did nothing to slow down our State and local borough government attempts to ban woodstoves and solid burning devices to appease the federal epa. What insanity from our elected lap dogs. :nuts:


:eyebulge::eyebulge: How do these idiots stay elected, Surrounded by firewood and they want to ban burning it, maybe teach people to burn it hot instead of making smoke.

here is an good idea for ice "chains" the video doesn't really get to snow or ice until 4 minutes or so but they don't shake the crap out of you like cross chains


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## Navajo (Mar 4, 2013)

Planning ahead,pay attention to the forecast.

Right now I'm sure we have some idots stuck in the snow with in miles of my house 

But then again snow has only been predicted for a week here.

I travel across this state and neighboring ones due to my job. Guess what , not this week.. Right now we have had 12 inches of snow in a little over 6 hrs. and still coming down.

Plan ahead, don't think you know what is coming and think you can out run or out drive the storm.

And pratice using your kits, break them out and use them in the safety of your drive way. Might be surprised what you find out.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

As for the new truck, it is my work truck. It is a nice one a crew cab GMC Texas Edition with tow package. The factory tires are a Goodyear model and seemed to hold the road pretty well. They are more for road travel than off the road work. when I change them out I will go with Michelin. We get all our trucks from GMC or Ford and each guy can pick pretty much what he wants on it. I just have not had time to get my cover for the bed yet. I will either go with a fold up model or an Undercover that is removable. I also will put a custom tray under the rear seat with lock to store gear. 

In my old truck, I kept large Rubbermaid containers with my get out of Dodge gear. The trip out West was a last minute deal and the forecast did not show the storm coming in like it did. It really points out how important it is to prepare even when you don't think you have to. It also hit me hard about buying cheap gear and later regretting it. My first line stuff will now only be first rate products. the compass from WalMart was nothing but junk when it came right down to it. 

On the road I was fortunate to be able to pick up additional gear like tarps and ropes but in a pinch I would have been in real trouble. Having a couple of hundred in cash was incredibly helpful. even when the power came back on in places their computers remained down and so CASH was KING. 

The Garmin was a mess in that it keeps routing you right into the most impassable places. It wanted to send me through Flagstaff, AZ even when the high pass was closed due to snow and ice. I was able to buy a US Atlas in a truck stop and that will stay in the new truck. 

It was really interesting how many travelers do not own an ice scraper. One thing I really missed was having my single burner stove and cook set. Being able to heat up some Mountain House would have been nice when the power was out. GB


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## Idaholady (Apr 24, 2010)

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. And, yes you need to always be prepared even if the weather says otherwise. Glad you made it back home without any major incident. 

When I travel between Idaho and California; which is a 900+ trip for me; I try to plan like I'll be stuck in the truck for a few days. I carry three tubs with me. The food items are in one tub, and get changed out on a regular basis. 

The other tubs have camping gear and cooking gear. I carry a portable radio, battery camp light and candles in case I'm stuck in a motel room as well. 

However, I think I need to get a good sleeping bag...


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks, GB. It helps to read about someone else's experience - a good reminder.

Mind sharing some of the things in your 15 degree bag?


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## Dixie (Sep 20, 2010)

Thanks GB, I truly enjoyed this thread...kind of wakes us up!


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*In my vehicle*

I have a hunting pouch with a couple of freeze dried meals a one burner propane stove . a bottle of propane knife ,fire starter, canteen and canteen cup, and some hot chocolate . I have a good coat, boots and a pistol.

I can stay a while if I need to.


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## Justaguy987 (Mar 2, 2013)

My wife learned a lessen in the ice and snow last year.

























Don't pass snow plows. She has only lived in snowy weather for three years now. It may not look to bad, but it was totaled.


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

I have a BOB in my truck, it has 10 mountain house meals, a sumo jetboil titanium with 3 large cyclinders of gas, a bear gylis survival knife, 2 camel bak bladders, 2 bottles (QTY-50) water purification tablets, US atlas, water proof matches, fire starting cotton balls with vaseline in a camera film case, a $25 compact fishing kit with extra fishing gear (line, sinkers, ETC), 2 changes of clothes including thermal base layer bottoms and tops, socks, under-roo's, sanitary items like toothbrush, waterless hand sanitizer, 20 packets of 'emergen-C" and other items too but I think you get the gist! My truck doesn't leave the driveway without this bag in it PERIOD!


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## tleeh1 (Mar 13, 2013)

I also learned the hard way to keep a jug of wiper fluid in the vehicle, too. Got caught in an ice/snow storm a few years ago and the slush on the roads was awful -- ran out of wiper fluid after about 100 miles and every truck stop or gas station for another 300 miles was sold out. What a miserable trip!


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

we spent about two hours last evening before going to church working on our trailer in the backyard. with a possible ice storm on the way we try to be sure she is ready in case we need to use her. when the power goes out she is great with on board heat, water and power. gb


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

I never travel more than an hour from home (or family and friends) during the winter unless absolutely necessary. Thankfully my job doesn't require more than the next county and genealogy research can wait a few months.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

dixiemama said:


> I never travel more than an hour from home (or family and friends) during the winter unless absolutely necessary. Thankfully my job doesn't require more than the next county and genealogy research can wait a few months.


I wish my job only required a drive of an hour or so. Two weeks ago I did over three thousand miles in one week. On one day I drove over one thousand miles. having a Really Good kit with me is not an option it is a necessity.

When I left for work this morning my wife double checked to be sure I had my cold weather bag and gear with me. GB


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

thanks for that report--we have 0° sleeping bags..your post was comforting.

And I have a BOB of nothing but light/heat items in my SUV equipped with lots of candles.

I also have the LED flashlights from TSC in every room and every vehicle.
They are awesome!!!
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/jobsmartreg;-244-led-worklight--9-led-flashlight-set

One on the right.


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## tleeh1 (Mar 13, 2013)

Dixie -- Cool! 'nother genealogist here.
Terri


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

I am also an amateur genealogist, but I got lucky on some New England lines and the connections seem to be endless. I'll be at this for years to come.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

My husband descends from Pilgrims and I from Jamestown so it keeps me busy! I inherited 40 years of research from my great grandmother and have 15 of my own. 

I have a foot locker full of lines I'm working on and once I get as far as I can (or it gets too big for the folder) it gets a bankers box and a place in my storage shed until I can type into book form then its recycled. 

I don't do computer records. Computers crash or just lose the information. All mine is paper.


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## tleeh1 (Mar 13, 2013)

Geek: Yep -- it is a life-long obsession for me. I am currently working on my research certification, so I suspect I'll be doing it forever!

Dixie: I do both computer and paper. There are advantages/disadvantages to both. I do multiple backups (in house and cloud) for the 'puter in case of a crash, and because (living in tornado country), I've seen the total destruction of homes and paper records. I like paper, too, because it's nice to have something to 'hold on to'.

This probably isn't a prepping topic, so if anyone wants to talk family history, contact me at [email protected]


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Geek, glad your New England lines have worked out well for you - my New England lines are my brick wall.

Dixie, which Pilgrims? We have William and Susanna White (and Peregrine, the baby born aboard the Mayflower in the Cape Cod harbor) on our family tree. Makes history fascinating for the kids because it's not just nameless/faceless people, it's family. This year for school we read Thanksgiving - not a genealogy book, but you'd likely enjoy it.

tleeh1, good luck with that certification! :wave:

- - - - - - - - - -

Okay, done with the hijack.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

Thomas Walling. His family was the first 'family' to arrive in America. His daughter, Anne was born in Plymouth Harbor aboard the 'Anne'. 

He also descend from Salem witches! Halloween and Thanksgiving are fun at our house. 

Yea, not prepping related, I apologize. PM if anyone wants to talk more lol


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

PMs are a bit tough for a multi-person dialog, but rather than hijack the thread further, I will start a new thread on genealogy.


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