Lesson Learned: Strong Winds create unexpected snow mounds

Temperatures in high teens-low twenties. Partly Sunny.

So I was putting on my riding gear at my motorcycle and my loving wife asked me: "you're going to check out the escape path, right?". To which I replied, "I am sure it'll be fine". This was to come back to haunt me, I should have listened to the voice of reason.

The escape path, is neighborhood sidewalks that I've kept clear after snow storms since my 600lb+ motorcycle really does not do well on loose snow/ice. Loose snow and ice is what the neighborhood streets here are like usually after a good snow fall.

Well, I started off on the escape path, and all was well till I neared South Ireland Street. I spotted snow about 6-8 inches deep sloping down to about an inch thick as it neared the edge of the sidewalk and the street. There was maybe six inches of sidewalk that was not covered by windblown snow from the lawn next to the sidewalk. Damn.

I tried to ride as close to the right as possible, nearest to the edge where it drops off a few inches to the street but the snow grabbed my front wheel and down we went.

Luckily, I was going really slow and Maria settled softly onto the piled up snow which the winds last night had accumulated on the sidewalk. I was unhurt, still standing in fact. I got off the motorcycle, and picked up Maria with no undue effort and pushed her clear of the snow mound (about ten ft) and onto a clear portion of the sidewalk.

No damage evident to the motorcycle, I walked back to the house for a shovel, cleared off the 20 ft or so of snow mounds on the sidewalk, returned the shovel and got back to Maria and we escaped the neighborhood with no further issues.

So yeah, always check the escape path! Strong winds are more than just wind, specially when there's lots of snow bordering the escape path!

Followup thoughts:
It's just dawned on me what my frame of mind was during this morning's slow speed fall onto the snow bank. Unlike my other falls, I was not experiencing "a higher heartbeat rate", breathing hard or finding myself embarassed. It was kind of a matter of fact moment, with me saying to myself "well, that didn't work, pick it up and move it off the snow".

Perhaps it was because there was no damage thanks to the snow cushioning the motorcycle's fall, the fact I was not tossed off as before, or perhaps the confirmation that things like this will happen when one chooses to be "the local designated wack job on a motorcycle" and riding in sometimes suboptimal conditions.

Heck, I now remember whistling softly to myself as I walked back and forth to the house for the shovel to clear away the snow mounds in preparation for when I return home from work!

It must have been, upon further reflection, quite the amusing picture to people watching this; a guy wearing full riding gear and helmet, carrying a shovel and clearing snow with his motorcycle parked nearby. : )

Icy/snowpacked Parking Lots: Dicey!

Temperatures ranging from mid20s-30 F°, mostly sunny.

I took main thoroughfares as opposed to the usual back roads into work this morning. We had 4-6 inches of snow accumulation by yesterday morning here in the Denver Metro area which had snarled traffic quite nicely yesterday. I had the King Canute Escape Path ready to use by yesterday afternoon.

So, the roads I took were 99% dry. I saw little patches of snow/ice here and there but nothing not avoidable. The side roads, like my neighborhood roads were still snowpacked and nasty.

Made it into work just fine and that's when things go interesting. I caught brief glimpses of the parking lot's condition and it seemed doable. Boy was I wrong.

See google picture below(which I am sure was shot in summer, on a sunday due to so few cars in evidence), the red route is what I followed to the motorcycle parking area outlined in by the blue box. Initially, conditions were not bad but they got progressively worse. I chanced it thinking the motorcycle parking area looked clear but when I got to it, I could not back Maria into the spot since I was standing on what was basically ice! Not good.

Picture the above lot, ice/snowpacked

The approach to the motorcycle parking area, I rode in from the far end

Clear spot in parking area but no traction to back Maria into it

The way out, the motorcycle parking area is at far end

So, yes, the facility folks at work suck in terms of keeping the parking lot clear of snow/ice.

Yes, I probably should have stopped at the first row and called it good instead of venturing further in, or parked in the shopping center across the street. I will next time!

However, no falls or issues, and I realized that Maria can handle ice/snow at very slow speed so long as no braking is required! I will admit my heart rate was up during the long circuit I did of the hockey rink, I mean, the parking lot!

Pictures taken with phone's 1.3 megapixel camera, so quality not great, but you get the idea.

Bronze Buffaloes and another visit to the Golfball

Temperatures from 35-44 F° very windy and overcast.

It had snowed Friday night, about 1-2 inches of accumulation so I spent Saturday morning clearing the King Canute Escape path as always. We had company come in for lunch and so I was not able to ride at all on Saturday even though I had a way out to the main roads.

Today, Superbowl Sunday, I spent some more time clearing an approximately 30 foot section of sidewalk that was part of the escape path. There was no real drainage and so the melting snow have overflowed onto the sidewalk and had frozen overnight into a solid sheet of ice! I think I could have made it out on the neighborhood side road but I wanted to clear the ice regardless.

Finally after an early lunch, I escaped the neighborhood with no problems using the KCEP as the escape path will be referred to from now on. I was not planning a long ride, just run a couple of errands on the motorcycle. The route I took found me at Quebec Street and C470 where I picked up some disks at Circuit City, what a zoo. Then I wound my way back towards Parker via Lincoln Avenue which I took towards Inspiration Drive and eventually Smoky Hill Road.

I detoured through some under construction housing developments trying to get close to a reservoir for a shot of the snow covered water but ice/snow on the side streets finally dissuaded me and I ended up at the Golf Ball.


Nearby where I shot the picture of Maria at the base of the Golf Ball, there's a community swimming pool house with three bronze buffaloes in front. It's a family of three, the baby, the mother and the father buffalo.



It was a short ride, don't think I went over 50 miles in the two hours I was out and about. The weather was not too cold and the roads, the main ones, were nice and dry.

Shiny Roads can make you worry

Temperature: 29-31 F°, sunny.

I rode in today to work after getting back from a business trip yesterday. It had snowed the night before yesterday but the roads had looked clear as I drove the cage home yesterday afternoon from the airport.

Well, when I left the house at 0730, I found both Quincy and Gun Club roads to be very "shiny" looking in the barely past sunrise hour. They had that "sheen" one tends to associate with ice on the road and I was a bit concerned as you might imagine.

I would feel the traction qualities of these roads at stoplights and it felt fine, like moist roads perhaps but since the temperatures were below freezing, the fear of ice kept intruding into my thought.

Still, no issues, and I went around curves slowly and as upright as possible. Not much leaning into the curves today!

A bit dicey but not too bad

Made it into my work parking lot just fine and here's where I encountered many scattered patches of ice which I traversed just fine albeit slowly. Made it to the motorcycle parking spot and whomever had donw the snow plowing had thoughtfully carved out some space for my motorcycle. You'll notice I left room for any other rounder/rider/fool who might show up on his motorcycle.