Longer daylight is becoming noticeable, or would be if the fog would go away. That is expected Saturday through Monday. I’m getting 8 hours 45 minutes. This is 14 minutes, 34 seconds longer than the December solstice (Dec 21, 2024). For the dates near the solstice there is almost no change. Now we are gaining over 1 ½ minutes each day.
The cold air in Canada is quite far away – in Manitoba and heading over Hudson Bay. At 8 PM Friday it is still 38°F here at the house. A 14 day forecast has us remaining somewhat the same. It has been hovering below 40 since October. Seems to be compensation for the very cold we had in December 2023. Suits me.
Thursday morning an icy fog rolled across the Naneum Fan. My covered ramp had ice half way up, about 12 feet. The roads were a bit tricky. I had to go to the winery and left at about 10 minutes to 8:00. The turn 2.5 miles south had the back end of the truck sliding some. 1.5 miles east at the next turn I didn’t notice an issue and after that the roads were good, except for a 60mph fog going over Ryegrass Summit – about 2,500 feet elevation.
There were no road accidents on my travels, but there seems to be a number of head-on collisions in the State. In the latest, a small (older) pickup hit a large (modern) one. A photo shows a deployed air bag in the new vehicle with a responder at the driver’s side at an open door. The driver’s side of the other truck is crushed beyond recognition. Air bags became standard in 1998 and this little truck looks like a late 1970s model.
On another highway (SR #18) there was a 6 car pileup: “A car on its roof was pushed up onto the hood of the car behind it, and the latter car was partially under an SUV behind it. The back end of the SUV was on top of the car behind it.” This road is one of the most dangerous in the State.
Back to the winery: We bottled 80 cases of a mix-red called Trinidad Red. The name comes from the now gone railroad stop named after a town in Colorado, and land scam promoted on the site where the vines and winery now are. Sites on the web claim Trinidad is a ghost town but there were only drawings used on the east coast to promote sales. There never was a town.
Pictures are being posted: Comet ATLAS (C/2024 G3) is falling toward the sun for a (possibly fatal) close encounter on Jan. 13th. The “2024 G3” is important when searching. So far it is just a speck.
Keeping Track
on the Naneum Fan
John