Another year. A weird winter. One year, we get snow around the end of October with periodic snowfalls through December and January. This year, serious snow didn’t arrive until late January, and now looks to be gone before the end of February. The variations are just fascinating.
The 1968-69 winter was very different for the bulk of the Pacific Northwest. Significant snow arrived in October, snowed a lot through the winter, and finally melted off in March. I wish I had pictures of that winter to share.
While the variations are fascinating, they create some concern when trying to plan travel in spring and summer, especially for motorcycle trips. My past post about Thunder Road is one example of how much impact weather can have. That was a heartbreaker because I missed out on visiting a number relatives and dear friends across the country, and there will be no more ship’s reunions to attend.
Patterns
The changes in weather patterns gets some influence from the “El Niño and La Niña” shifts. More information about that can be found here. Being aware of these effects may help with planning. Or, it may not. Even meteorologists get challenged predicting accurately.
Last year’s trip with my brother and cousin was an incredible adventure, even through it was impacted by 100+ temperatures, and a surprise thunderstorm in Red Lodge, Montana. Fortunately, we got our campsite set up with rainflies in place before it broke out.
The point of that kind of trip is time spent together, riding through beautiful country, and seeing cultural and historic sites. It is through this that our bonds grow, we share events and stories with each other, and we gain memories we can share with friends and family.
New Plans
This year, we may have another opportunity to travel through four or five states and visit a number of amazing places. I have the proposed route shared with brother and cousin for approval. Yeah, it will need some refining so we route via highways, rather than Interstates. But the points of interest are all there.
Here’s hoping the weather cooperates!
Keep writing!
