eastern Oregon roads

[old_guy]

You might want to keep your gas tanks full this year if you are going through Oregon, they have shut down I 84 a few times already this year. you may be sitting and idling your truck to stay warm. they are using a combination of chemical spray, rock, and salt this year to keep the roads clear. I checked the roads this morning and they look nice and clear of snow and ice. please drive slow and safely. hope you have a good trip south

[profdant139]

I would bet that in Sweden (for example), you could get a custom windshield with embedded heating elements. I seem to recall that some Mercedes sedans come with heated wipers, to prevent them from icing up.

[Bob_Olallawa]

I guess it would depend on the conditions you are in. If your windshield and or wipers start icing up and you can't see much, try keeping the windshield cooler and see if it helps.

[profdant139]

paul, that's exactly right. But most defrosters are adjustable -- you can warm up the dry air conditioning that flows out the vents. The challenge will be when it is cold outside and I have to persuade DW that we should keep the defroster on maximum cold to keep the snow from sticking. That should be a fun conversation! 😉

[paulj]

What might work in the small cab of a truck (windows wide open, driver dressed for cold), won't work in the larger volume of a car or RV. People inside the cab produce a lot of warm moist air that condenses on the cold windshield, fogging up the inside. Dealing with that is the job of the defrost (and the AC with usually runs with defrost).

[ORbiker]

kmac7800 wrote:
Profdant, it is to keep the snow from sticking to the windshield. If it was not warm, nothing would melt, therefore nothing would freeze to it. The snow will just flow over your rig.

//KMac

Wouldn't it depend on the outside temperature?

A cold dry snow would be gone, bet a wet snow would be sticking no mater what.

[profdant139]

Thanks, kmac and Bob/Olallawa! I have learned something useful. I would imagine that the defroster would be the best way to direct cold air onto the windshield.

The only problem will be in persuading my poor DW that we need cold air, not warm, when we are driving in a snowstorm. (And we do quite a bit of snow travel --up into the Sierras. So this is not just a theoretical discussion.)

Another thing I learned by watching other folks in snowy weather -- when you park the truck next to the trailer, pull the wipers away from the windshield so they don't freeze to the glass.

[Bob_Olallawa]

Thanks Kmac, I sure don't miss those long nights fighting the snow storms.

[kmac7800]

Profdant, it is to keep the snow from sticking to the windshield. If it was not warm, nothing would melt, therefore nothing would freeze to it. The snow will just flow over your rig.

//KMac

[profdant139]

OK, Bob/Olallawa -- I will reveal my ignorance. (Sigh.) Why would you keep the window COLD in those conditions?? Isn't warm better -- melts the ice?

(Cue the hearty laughter from the experienced folks who live in cold climates. Have pity on a poor ignorant Southern Californian. Tonight it may get down to 60 where I live -- maybe time for a second blanket on the bed!!)

[RideSlow]

We were looking at getting away in a couple of weeks. Don't think we are going anywhere east. Chinook and Cayuse are closed, SR 20 closes tomorrow per WSDOT. Probably lowlands or coast now.

[rhagfo]

ORbiker wrote:
I'm still working. Today's work was driving over Willamette Pass (58) to 97 from the Eugene area to fix some laundry equipment in Central Oregon area. 58 was wet, 34*F with maybe 4" of roadside snow. Returning to the Eugene area on Santiam Pass (20 to 126) it was also wet and 36*F with close to a foot of roadside snow.
It looks like an early winter is coming to Oregon.

Safe travels, KEN

Yep, early opening for many ski areas on Mt Hood.

[ORbiker]

I'm still working. Today's work was driving over Willamette Pass (58) to 97 from the Eugene area to fix some laundry equipment in Central Oregon area. 58 was wet, 34*F with maybe 4" of roadside snow. Returning to the Eugene area on Santiam Pass (20 to 126) it was also wet and 36*F with close to a foot of roadside snow.
It looks like an early winter is coming to Oregon.

Safe travels, KEN

[ksg5000]

Yep - last year was pretty bad (10 inches snow in Portland) and anytime I head towards the mountains (east or west) I make sure I have a full tank. Over the years I have occasionally been stuck for hours and as I get older appreciate having an on-board bathroom.

[obgraham]

Next week I'll make my annual trek from Eastern Washington to Arizona. Though the weather is looking okay so far, the Eastern Oregon bit is always the most difficult. Those ups and downs between Baker City and Ontario can be truly nasty.