Wisconsin Weather

Well you know I never blog about the good weather in Wisconsin, so it must be snowing again... I almost posted last week with temps in the 70s at the start of November, just because it was so nice, but I didn't. However, it was in the 70s for three days in a row, then the 50s, and now we're on out third day in a row of flurries. Not flurries of sunshine. So far nothing sticking, but it is supposed to get more frigid, and maybe get up to an inch or two over the next couple of days.
Soon on tap also is replacing the brake pads and rotors on the Volvo. It would have been better when it was in the 70s!!!
And with this talk of snow, I'm looking at more of the 700c Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 35mm tires for Dr. Katie's bike.

Auto Shop Class

So, I didn't really have too much time to get this car stuff done, but the Volvo needed it. Especially since the T5 is now our only automobile. Tuesday I came home and pulled her up on some makeshift ramps and changed the oil. It was not too messy, but while I was under there I noticed that some oil had leaked, and is dripping slowly from the turbocharger. The cause is as yet unnown, as my ramps were not high enough to get all the way under there. I think the oil change went okay, but I inda wreced my thumb when the drain plug finally loosened and my hand slammed into something on the bottom of the car. Well, it wouldn't be working onthe car if you didn't hurt yourself, right?
So, since that Auto Shop 101 project was done, it was time to get started on 102 and maybe 103. Here is what arrived last week from IPD: Spark plug wires, spark plugs, distributor & rotor, torx tool set, brake fluid & brake pads (not pictured).So I removed my bike from the garage and pulled down the workbench to get started.First step was to remove the spark plug cover, which is the black piece on the engine that proudly says "Volvo 20 Valve." I noticed while taking it off that one of the special Torx screws that holds it on is missing, and another is stripped. The rest are corroded, so I'll need at least two, but may as well get all six new. They're $1 each from IPD.

I removed the spark plug cover and was surprised to see oil sitting in the indentations on top of the engine. It looks like oil somehow seeps up out of the oil fill cap, and then trickles under the cover. That is a bit of a relief, since I was a little concerned about the old oil on the back side of the engine, and I'm sure this is where it is coming from, not from a bad gasket.

So I replaced the spark plugs one at a time with Denso Iridium plugs. I'd had Bosch Super plugs, which were copper. I've actually heard conflicting reports. But it sounds like if you are driving a Turbo and really pushing it a lot, Iridium plugs are not as good as copper, since they run hotter and Turbocharged engines generate lots of heat. But they actually do better where you are in a lot of traffic or colder climates where the engine does not achieve as high of temp. Sadly, I don't take many spirited drives in the T5 these days, so I think these plugs will be good.

After changing each plug, I went through and replaced the wires with a higher-quality upgrade. The routing of the wires was a bit of a pain, especially trying to get all of the clips back in place. I did it pretty well, but then lost part of a clip that clamps down on all five wires where they exit the spark plug cover. It sprung out of my hands while I was trying to force it onto a wire, and fell behind the fuel injector rail, and then out of sight.

Here are the new wires installed. I decided not to do the rotor and distributor last night, because I had a lot of other stuff to do and was tired of working on the car!

So what is next? Brake pad replacement and brake fluid flush need to be done, and maybe my dad will be able to help with that while he is in town. Also I need to take the car in to have somebody look at the turbo oil leak and at least tell me what the problem is. I've also started to notice some noise coming from the fuel pump, which is located under the back seat/cargo area. Hopefully that doesn't go out!

Finally, a weather report: Bring clothes for rain/snow/wind if you are coming to Wisconsin on Sunday.

Could it be? Snow?

What is less surprising than bleach-blonde women driving German SUVs thru the drive-thru at Starbucks and a parking lot full of Toyota Priuses at the local Whole Foods market? That's right: snow in Madison.
I know, I hear you saying " It is March! Average high temps should be in the 50s and lows should be in the mid 30s!" Well, never mind that stuff. It is still below freezing, and we're getting more of the white stuff.
The end (or at least a respite) could be in sight. We are slated to get above freezing this week every day, starting tomorrow. Night time temps will still be freezing, however. We won't be headed for any records as far as length of ice cover goes unless the ice sticks around until June 3. The latest date for the ice to clear is May 6, and that was in 1856! If it takes until the end of April we will be at 127 days. The average date for the ice to break up over the past 50 years is March 31st. Since 1990, the ice has been clear no later than the 11th of April.
Even though we are only nine days into March, I'm not apprehensive in my prediction that the ice won't break until April 15th.
One more thing about ice: most of the side streets in town are horrible. Many are deeply rutted with ice "medians" and kerbs. Once you are in the rut, there is no getting out. most of this is from snow that fell 2 or more weeks ago.
Bring on Spring!!!

Ice Bike 2008

The rain last weekend cleared much of the snow off of the ice on the lake, and made it tempting for me to head out onto the lake. Many days there are hordes of ice-fishermen in the middle of the lake, almost forming a small town. I'm not sure why, but they tend to clump together. Maybe these guys are just always taking them to the same place.

Part of the ride on the lake was on a tin layer of crusty snow which provided pretty good traction. The rest was on bare, slick, shiny ice that would have made a zamboni driver jealous.

It was a bit tricky at times where the ice was shiny, but not smooth, on the way back to the path I rode at a pace no quicker than a walk. but I did stay upright. I probably could have gone faster, but I'm old and afraid of falling...

So, how long does the ice usually last? Check it out here...

Finally, a recreational bike ride!!

It warmed up to about 10 degrees today and it was sunny and not too windy. Also, I got some new windproof biking tights in the mail (thanks punkin!). Finally, my friend Amy had some pictures of the bike trail from a ride shed taken yesterday (it was part of her daily commute). The conditions were good (not like my normal commuting bike path) so I decided to go for a ride. So I rode for about 13.5 miles on the singlespeed Raleigh with studded tires. There were definitely spots on the the ride where the studded tire saved me. While the southwest commuter trail itself was great (I'd say "groomed" would be the best description, and it was groomed nice and tight, so there was maybe 1/4 inch of packed snow. There were only a few places where there was shiny ice, and those were out past the beltline highway. Once I got out to the Capitol City Trail, I took a left and rode out to the Seminole Highway before turning around. I saw a fox on the trail where it goes through the forest near the marsh.
On the way back I went by the stadium, and followed the path along the lake, which is my normal commuting route. The lakeshore path was horrible!! Much of it was shiny ice, cast in the shape of footprints and bike tracks. The effect was as if they tried to make a hockey rink, but put in uneven mounds the size of golf balls and baseballs. It was pretty hairy. My bike bounced dangerously along the path, the tires sliding into ruts and struggling for traction. But the studs dug in and found their way and I stayed upright the whole way. The ride was 13.6 miles and was pretty enjoyable apart from the rough quarter mile or so.
My pricey gloves worked well, and my fingers stayed nice and toasty. The new tights did an admirable job. I'm pretty sure they weren't designed for riding when it is 10 degrees. I'm pretty confident they'll keep me warm when it is 40. I could still use better face protection and a better jacket, though. Tonight is supposed to be -14, so I won't be riding in the morning.
Thanks to Amy for the pictures!

Drive? Bike? Crash? Fall? Ice.

The roads today are the worst that I've ever seen them here. The rain and snow that fell on the weekend have frozen solid, and the city didn't act fast enough to get the stuff off of the roads, so it is like an ice rink on most the roads, even the big ones. A section I drove on this morning was actually like driving on Disney's Autopia on ice. I would have slid to the kerb if the big rail of ice between the wheels had not been keeping me headed in the right direction. There was ice in the ruts and everywhere else. People were sliding all over the place, and I had trouble directing the car in the right direction on several occasions (this should be figuring into car selection, I know). In the end I made it home without incident, but decided that I didn't want to deal with the conditions and traffic on the way home, so I decided to bike into the office.
It was around zero degrees as I headed in this morning, and conditions were better suited for crampons than biking. Ice was forzen in the shape of footprints and tire treads betweeen a trace and up to one inch thick on the roads and paths. In most places the ice had some snow, which gave it a bit of grip and texture. On one stretch of road the snow was like heavy sand, and a bit greasy-feeling, making riding in a straight line difficult. The ride in was not too bad, overall.
The ride home was a different story. In many places the ice had been heated by the sun, melting the surface and eliminating the texture that had been there in the morning. There were many more places with smooth, slippery ice, and it was a much more nervous ride on the way home. It will be several days before the roads are better. It will be Thursday or Friday before the temperature rises above the magical 15-degree mark where salt will be able to melt the ice and make the roads grippier. The normal high temperature for today is 32 degrees. Today we reached 6.
No crashes or falls took place for me.

New car research

So, since we're having freezing rain and another 6-12 inches of snow today, we won't be going out anywhere to run errands. They've cancelled almost everything in town today, including bus service and even the casinos are closed. Each storm system seems to be worse than the one before it.
So, some stats on cars I've been researching:
(I looked primarily at model year 2000 cars, just to get an even comparison)

Year, Make, Model, HP, EPA Economy, Agerage cost
2000 Mazda Miata (base),140HP , 25/29mpg $6715
2000 Mazda Miata (LS),140HP , 25/29 mpg, $8034
2000 Mazda Miata (Special Ed.),140HP ,25/29 $9234

2000 Honda S2000 240HP, 20/26MPG $13,693

2000 Audi TT FWD, 180HP, 22/31 $9550
2000 Audi TT Quattro, 180 HP, 20/29, $10,375

2000 Porsche Boxster Base, 217 HP, 19/27MPG, $15,200
1997 Porsche Boxster Base, 201 HP, 19/26MPG, $11,818

1996 Honda Civic Del Sol S, 106 HP, 30/39MPG, $3518
1996 Honda Civic Del Sol Si, 125 HP, 30/36MPG, $4008
1996 Honda Civic Del Sol VTec, 160HP, 26/30MPG, $4369

2000 Toyota MR2, 138HP, 25/30MPG, $8874

What am I forgetting?

BRR Cold...so cold...

It dropped from 30 degrees yesterday to -8 this morning. I can't bear to go outside, so I've spent much of the day on the internet. I'm looking for the perfect songs to play at the wedding (everything has to be perfect for the wedding, including the songs) but I've also been looking at this and that, much of the eRandomness that abound on the internet.

I came across Sacramento's Velocab. The drivers are independent contractors. They rent the cab and the company cell phone for $5.00 and then hits the street. Fares are $2.00 for the first block and then $0.50 for each block afterwards. All fares go to the driver. (I think the cab owners make their money thru advertising). So the question is, how much money do you think a cabbie earns in an average day? They're only in operation from 10am-6pm, so they can't really cash in on the happy hour or late night crowd.

I wonder how it would go in the snow.

Speaking of snow, more is on the way!!!

Analytical Site Statistics

So a while back I signed up for Google Analytics, a program designed to track usage on the site. I thought it would be interesting to see how many visitors see my ramblings about bikes, Swedish cars, and the weather in Wisconsin. The results are presented with big colorful graphs and maps.Over the last month I've had 286 visits from 39 countries! I've had 191, 15, 11 and 8 visitors from the USA, Canada, the UK and Germany respectively. Mostly domestic, but the rest of the world is starting to catch on. So how do they get to my site?
About 90-95% are referred from Google. Images.google.com referred 25%, google (organic) referred another 16%, and google.ca referred all 11 of my Canadian visitors (3.85%). sixteen percent of people type in the address directly, and another nine percent are directed to the page from another blogger.com site. Minimal referrals come from saablog.blog.com, auto-snob.blogspot.com, autosnob.blogspot.com and forums.sweedspeed.com. The rest come from worldwide google sites.

So what keywords are people searching for that land them on the site? Various combinations of "Madison," "earthquake," and "icequake" make up 12 of the first 30. Fields Auto Group comes in at number three though, so don't think that my ranting and raving has not been heard! Most of the rest are various combinations of "Volvo," Tailgate struts," "running costs" or "madison snow." Only a couple about bikes.

So what does this all tell me? Well, not too much, but it does tell me that although not too many people see these pages, a few people from all around the world do see the site. It also tells me that since most google hits came from images.google.country, having pictures in the blog is the way to draw more traffic. Pretty soon, I'll be an internet superstar!

BRRRRRR!!!

Now that we've had the snow, it is time to get cold again!!
Statement as of 8:41 PM CST on February 07, 2008
... More Arctic air on the way for Saturday afternoon into Sunday... A strong Arctic cold front currently over western Canada isexpected to blast into the Dakotas Friday night and acrossWisconsin Saturday. Temperatures will plunge below zero Saturday night and Sunday morning as a result. ...Winds gusting 35-45 mph will generate blowing snow and wind chill readings will be 20-30 below zero.

Record snows in Madison

We've received approx. 13" of snow today (It has actually been snowing since yesterday), and that makes it the biggest snow event for this part of Wisconsin for 18+ years! In addition, we're about 3.5 inches away from the all time record 0f 76" for a season. The university closed down this afternoon, and the city pulled all of the busses off of the road. I was glad I rode my bike as I saw cars skidding all over the place and creeping slowly down the poorly plowed main streets. It took me a few minutes longer to get home tonight, but it was no longer than if I had driven. Snow is in the forecast for most of the next 10 days! When will it end!??
From the forecast for tonight: Snow , Definite Snow , Definite Blowing Snow

Update: Up to a foot of snow coming

That's right! Up to another foot of snow. And we still have 6 weeks of winter left!

Snow depths are now at 60.3", only 16" away from the all-time seasonal record of 76.1" set in the winter of 1978-79.

At least I'll be able to say I was in Madison for the snowiest winter on record!

Earthquake in Madison!!!

Well, if not an earthquake, it was an icequake:
Seismograph image
Posted Thursday --- January 31, 2008
UW-Madison geologists record ice quake near Lake Mendota

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The shaking some University of Wisconsin-Madison staffers and others felt Thursday afternoon near Lake Mendota was most likely an ice quake.
UW-Madison geologists say they recorded a tremor at 12:50 p.m. that last a few seconds.
UW-Madison seismologist Cliff Thurber says ice quakes are caused by large shifts in ice and often triggered by drastic temperature changes -- similar to those seen in the past few days.
Thurber says a fresh break or pressure ridge may be visible on Lake Mendota after Thursday's event.
Ice quakes are usually accompanied by loud cracking noises, and the university says a number of people called UW police and facilities workers Thursday asking about the rumbling.

Finally- A bike with snow tires!

When I first moved to Wisconsin I purchased some studded snow tires (700c Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 35mm) from Nokian, a Finnish tire manufacturer.
I was very excited to put these tires on my red Cannondale. Ol' Red is a bike I purchased used for $350 in Seattle. I raced the bike a few times in Seattle, and when I moved out to Wisconsin I started using the bike as a commuter. I added lights and fenders, but otherwise kept the bike pretty much the same. It is a fairly quick commuter, but is essentially a race bike from the early 1990s. It is kind of like using a sports car for your commute. It is not too practical or roomy, and the ride can be harsh, but it is light and fun to ride. There are no eyelets for fenders or racks, so I've improvised with some cheap clip-on fenders, but I get muddy if it is wet and my cargo capacity is limited by the size of my bag.
When the studded tires arrived I was disappointed to find that they would not fit on the bike. The low-clearance nature of a racing bike did not allow clearance for such large tires on the bike. There was not enough room at the top of the fork or in the rear triangle.
So, since my $50 tires would not fit on the bike, I started looking for a new bike. I couldn't really afford to spend too much money on a new bike, so I delayed and delayed buying a new bike, and eventually spent two and a half winters riding, still on the same slick tires. If conditions were too treacherous I wouldn't ride (I mean, I have a nice car) but I would ride when there was snow. (Here is Ol'Red with the racing tires (trying to ride on the lake).)

This mostly worked out for me. I have become a pretty good rider by learning to stay on top of a bike and making it go the direction I want it to, even when conditions are pretty tricky. I had a pretty good record of not falling. I fell once on black ice in December of 2005, but then not again until November of 2007. Both of the falls in November were on ice, and there was no warning. Each time I fell I slid 15-20 feet on the path after falling. It was slick!!

I had kind of given up on winter cycling. Especially because Madison has had an extra-snowy winter thus far and the city and the university have done a poor job of clearing roads and paths. So just as I had resigned myself to a winter of driving, I received the gift of a new bike!! My friend Amy had an old Raleigh road bike frame from 1979 or 1980. It was a 10- or 12-speed with working shifters, but no wheels. She told me I could have it if i wanted it, so iI told her I'd take it if my snow tires would fit. I took the bike home after returning from Peru, Dallas and Cocoa Beach (It had been 80 in Cocoa Beach and 10 below when we got to Madison) and found out the tires would fit!

I bought some new wheels (single speed w/ flip-flop rear) and took off the shifters and dérailleurs. I bought some new brake levers and bar tape, and spent a couple of days cleaning the bike up and putting everything back together.

The new bike is heavier than Ol' Red, by a long shot, but it almost feels like driving a bulldozer in the snow. The traction is (obviously) far superior to that provided by the slicks. Also, the gearing is a little bit heavy for the tires and conditions. I will probably need to get a smaller chain ring for the front, as I am currently running 42X18. The fixed gear side is only a 14 tooth cog, so that will be tough even with slicks on!Here are some pictures from riding my bike on the lake on the way to work today (about 1000m on the lake). The snow was deep enough that my feet were in the snow on the bottom of each pedal stroke! The gearing was a bit heavy, and I really had to work to keep momentum up. Disconcertingly, I rode over a couple of places where the snow was slushy underneath. (The lake is frozen solid, but it warmed up to about 15 degrees today and this causes some of the salt compounds to melt and run off into the lake (or on to the lake in this case).) It was a lot tougher to ride where the snow was slushy. I was considering a ride across, but it has started snowing again, so the ride home will be enough of an adventure!

Must be time to talk about the weather...

I guess we've been lucky here so far this fall in Wisconsin. But the good times are past. Even as we had temps around 70 last week, today we've had our first snowflakes of the season. We'll have flurries and 25-25 mph wind tonight, and a "hard freeze" in the middle of this week. Brrr. At least I got some new gloves. Working outside my hands have been getting cold (because when I'm working outside, I'm pretty much the only one not working hard enough to stay warm....)

Now onto one of my other favorite topics. I was walking to my car today and as I walked past the back, I noticed that my rear bumper had been tagged by some idiot, scraping the paint off of the corner. Pretty typical for the clientelle around here. We have a few really nice Euro rides in the lot, but quite a few dumpy Japanese cars in various states of disrepair. I'm pretty sure one of them pulled in and didn't quite make it past my car.

In other Volvo news, the old "R" wheels I used to have on my car were sold this weekend. I have had the standard "Turbo" wheels on since the fall of 2004. It was pretty sporty with the old ones, but I couldn't find tires for them that were up to the challenge of carrying the heft of the Volvo.

On a last note about the Volvo, I purchased petrol today for the first time Sept. 30.

The weather again...

Dang it! After three days of decent weather (temps in the 50s two days, and then nearly 70 on Tuesday) yesterday grew colder all day long. It was in the 50s in the morning, and then it was 33 by the time I went to bed. There was even some rain and snow mixed in. I thought maybe we'd be rid of the ice soon, but there is still a way to go...

The One thing I didn't want for my birthday...

Temperature this morning was 7 degrees F. Now, more snow...

Snow Totals

February saw 22.3 inches of snow fall in Madison, making it the 2nd snowiest February in the history of Madison (or at least the 2nd snowiest since they began keeping track of those things in the 1880s.) So far the seasonal snowfall is 46.6 inches. But not to fear, it is snowing again today and tomorrow, and it looks like we'll definitely top out above 50 inches for the season.

Today is the 8th day in a row of snow here in Madison, and I am grudgingly looking again at a car which needs to be cleaned off before I can drive it. (Fortunately I got the headlights put in last night!) I saw a story on the local news here that said that 8 of the city's 50 snowplows are out of commission from working lots of long days. They definitely are not keeping up with it. Which means that I get to go sliding around town (usually intentionally).

I know, it snowed in Seattle yesterday, and boo hoo, I'm crying big tears for everybody out there.

Michelin snow man

So this phone to blog thing worked pretty well the first time, but now it can take days to upload. I sent this on Sunday, and it is now finally posted on Wednesday. I know, it was really worth the wait. Since it did not go thru the first time, I sent it again. So it is up twice.

The Blizzard of '07

People are digging out from the massive blizzard that dumped more than a foot of wet, slushy snow in the Madison area. Much like Seattle, the plows could not keep up and the roads were a mess. Buses stopped running, businesses shut down, and people blew their backs and hearts out while shoveling the heavy snow. It has continued to snow wet, warm snow all day today, and the bike ride to work was treacherous, but fun. Temps are supposed to be in the low 30s in the days, and mid 20s at night. They are calling for another big storm on Wednesday or Thursday, and they say that it will bring a lot of precipitation, but they're not sure if it will fall as rain or snow. Fun!! As an aside, this guy said his tractor goes 0-60 in 5.5 seconds in the summer. Also, he has the only tire chains in Madison.