Why do some of us motorcyclists live in snowy states?

[caseyjones955]

The other thread discussing snow and allowing us an avenue to express the desire for it to go away now got me thinking. It begs the question, what reason do we have for living with the snow? I'm aware that the vast majority of us here are adult males, hence we can live anywhere we decide we want to live.

I left the west coast because of the serious problems with overpopulation, over-taxation and over-legislation. For me nothing sucks the fun out of riding like widespread gridlock. Besides folks generally seem much more high strung and angry than here in the middle. I like people, but in extreme moderation. Crowds and traffic are deal breakers for me. I might have looked somewhere in the rural south but I'm not a fan of the humidity. Just on personal preference I took the cold winter instead of a hot humid summer. Besides it looks like most of the south is pretty heavily populated too so maybe I would be just changing seats on the titanic to go south. A cold winter is a very small price to pay for the advantages I enjoy. Advantages that I know others may not feel are worth it. I gave my then wife the choice to stay there or come with me, but the choice for me to move had been made and was not negotiable. I would no longer suffer to placate someone else. While my bikes sit for the winter I remember what I got for allowing this to happen and I smile. I'm where I belong.

Since YMMV I'm really interested in why the rest of you folks that live where winter exists choose to stay? What is it about where you live that makes it worth putting the bikes away for a whole season?

 

[Eugene Brad]

Can't answer your question regarding the snow but where I live it gets cold enough and we get lots of rain so the max is certaily down for the most part from about mid Nov to March. Not freezing though so there is the occasional opportunity to ride in the winter months, or one could, as many do, gear up and ride it out.
I love where I live. Hour from the coast, hour from the cascades, and tons of outdoor recreation spots all a stone's through away. Still get distinct seasons, although chance of rain is nearly always included in each season. Oh and world class ; micro brews, weed(don't smoke anymore), mushroom picking, kayaking, and sand dunes make it easy to stay in this area.

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[Traumahawk]

I dont have to put the bikes away for the whole season. Probably 30 days total out of the year. Now, I do ride with it being in the 30's....I have done some in the 20's, but usually just in town.

Ice and snow are at a minimum, so MAYBE a couple of weeks thru out the year, is all that the bikes are benched.

As far as benefits....OK is a conservative state, that allows open carry, as long as you have concealed carry.

 

[Bill Seward]

I've managed to ride at least once in the last 26 consecutive months. Seeing that it's supposedly Spring out here in Western NY, I ought to be over 32 or 33 months by late fall. By far a record for me, living in the snow belt..

 

[rebeltaz83]

I used to live in upstate NY. Watkins Glen area. Moved to SC about 4 years ago. For about the same reasons, over taxation, a dip shit gov. And the weather. I now work year round and make over twice as much as I did in NY. Have some family near by, and I can ride year round if I desire. Humidity isn't really that bad, not as bad as Florida lol. In the winter we average between high 20s to low 40s, rain. Maybe snow over night but it's gone by 10am, and is only a dusting. I truly like it down here wished I'd moved years ago. I transferred my job, so I kept in the same company, my wife and I were moved and settled in less than a month from the time I hatched the idea. Two weeks of that was for my job too find a replacement for my particular job position, from what I hear it still hasn't been filled and it'll be 4 years in Sept. It was a good move on our part, going from living with others and struggling to pay our few bills, to living on our own with more bills and still having money left to go do things. Financially its been better, and I think over all we are both happier...... We are looking at buying a house now which was not gonna happen in NY. The same house here is half of what the same house would be in NY. It's just jaw dropping at some of the price comparisons. I do miss it though, it was home. Both our parents are still up there, we trying hard to get them to move lol. And the people, actually wave back if you wave. Very friendly, it's easy to strike up a conversation with a stranger lol. I used to love the snow, and then I got riding motorcycles, and hated winter ever since lol.

 

[Redbone]

I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I was born and grew up until mid teens. Family brought me back to the along with the prospect of a good job for the area. I have now lived here 34 of my soon to be 59 years of my life so this is home for me. I have also lived in the Flint MI, Atlanta GA, New Orleans, LA and Oak Harbor, WA..
Quality of life is great here, lots of lakes & rivers, hundreds of miles of state and national forest surrounding us, and miles upon miles of non congested roads to ride on. We have all four seasons that are very distinct from one another which allow for a variety of outdoor sports including riding motorcycles. The riding season are generally from May to October but sometimes we get early and/ or late riding seasons. When it snows here motorcycle riding comes to an end for the season.
Why do I stay? Family is the first reason, but also the people I have known for most of my life. In addition, the weather is not a negative for me as I have lived in hot climates (which I acclimated to fairly quickly) and near ocean and mountainous locations (which I really liked living in the proximity to both), but the winter snow is just another opportunity for outdoor pursuits. The snow that keeps us from riding is our "bad weather" which is very tolerable when you consider the bad weather (tornado's/ hurricanes/ flooding/ earthquakes) that other locations have to deal with.

 

[Fire-medic]

I think the NY Finger Lakes is a beautiful area, I grew-up by Lake Ontario north of you, but moved to Florida as a barely-in-his-20's guy. Sure, it's humid in the summer, but I'd bet that it's about the same humidity in your summer as it is here. We're close to the Atlantic Ocean, six minutes on my bicycle & the only thing between the ocean surf and my feet is sand.

In the month of October my dad and I would go to the Formula 1 race at Watkins Glen, something I looked-forward to all year. The fall colors in the southern tier (southern NY) are spectacular. I lived in the Snow Belt until age 21, and while it's much-more crowded here than when I came here 45+ years ago I still like it, now even more, since we're both retired. Many of my friends from 'up-north' now spend part of the year in the deep South, or even Mexico. Guess what part of the year that would be? I was never much of an outside winter sports guy, but riding year-round and living in shorts off the bike is for me, a great reward for nearly 50 years of work.

 

[Bill Seward]

Waking Glen... Good times. I've got pictures of the infamous "Burning Bus" in the Bog. I also had the pleasure of meeting George Harrison there.

 

[jdeitz1979]

I don’t go to the races or anything but, running down to Watkins Glen is a nice ride I live in the finger lakes region. Beautiful place to live, and ride. Takes to long for riding weather to get here, but worth the scenery when it’s here.


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[Fire-medic]

Don't plant those spring plants just yet!

A winter storm watch has been issued for about the northern half of Lower Michigan. A four-day storm will likely bring a long period of freezing rain to part of northern Lower Michigan and central Lower Michigan. Just north of the zone which is mostly freezing rain will be a zone of heavy, wet snow. Extended power outages may be possible, the National Weather Service said.


Extended power outages possible across Michigan with weekend storm
Forecasters say there's still lots of uncertainty over where the ice storm portion of this could fall, so stay tuned to MLive for more updates.



The winter storm watch is in effect from Friday night to Sunday in the northern half of Lower Michigan. The southern row of counties in the winter storm watch area won't have the watch go in effect until Saturday.

The storm will start with rain over most of Lower Michigan Friday. The cold air will move in from the northeast. The cold air will mostly be near the ground, causing surface temperatures to drop below freezing from north to south across the northern half of Lower Michigan.

The freezing line will be located in far northern Lower Friday evening. By Saturday afternoon, the freezing line will stretch across the Thumb, Saginaw area and just north of Grand Rapids.

A well-in-advance forecast of ice accumulations looks for 0.25" to 0.75" of ice accumulation.

There will also be an area of northern Lower and the U.P. that gets over 6 inches of snow, with the possibility of up to 15 inches total snow.

Somebody tell Redbone to put the bike back in storage!

I was in the pool yesterday, the water was eighty-six degrees F. I hope this is the last of the frigid storms for the season for you northern dwellers.

 

[caseyjones955]

Here in the Black Hills area we're expecting another 10-12" before Friday evening with blizzard conditions. I guess We'll be waiting to drag out the grill, and bikes. We often get one last bitchslap by mother nature in the spring. I see a whole lot of folks are going to get frosty at least ome morr time. Stay warm and safe folks.

 

[Redbone]

The predicted snowfall for our area is 8"-12" Sunday and 1"-3" on Monday. Sunday sounds like a good day to make the 140 mile round trip to visit the Upper Tahquamenon Falls state park, good place to get some easy snowshoeing in, to bad the Tahquamenon Falls Camp 33 restaurant and brewery will not be open, it has a delicious bacon wrapped filet mignon and a glass of their black bear stout to wash it down. I will have to stop by the The Inn for a meal, if they are open as this is our in between season so the snowmobilers have generally left for the season and the summer tourist will start arriving in May once the spring finally arrives, generally the birders arrive first this area is part of raptor flyway.
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/tahqua/tahqua.html

 

[caseyjones955]

We're just getting started, the wet heavy spring snow really pulls down on the trees and is likely to bring some power outages. As much as I'm ready for the snow to be done I cant deny that I still find it beautiful. A fresh layer of snow is a great acoustic treatment as well. Im going to promptly send this snow east for the rest of you guys!

 

[Redbone]

We're just getting started, the wet heavy spring snow really pulls down on the trees and is likely to bring some power outages. As much as I'm ready for the snow to be done I cant deny that I still find it beautiful. A fresh layer of snow is a great acoustic treatment as well. Im going to promptly send this snow east for the rest of you guys!

Why thank-you Casey, I'll build a snowman just for you....NOT!:rofl_200: It sure is beautiful, I can agree with that, covers up the old dirty snowbanks too.
If we get all the predicted snow Sunday it will set a local snowfall record for April in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.. A new record for snowfall is nothing new for SSM as we have had the most snow a couple different times the last few years, and I remember having more snow back in the 70's as a teenager!
So guide that snow either north or south if you will please!:eusa_dance:unk:

 

[caseyjones955]

Why thank-you Casey, I'll build a snowman just for you....NOT!:rofl_200: It sure is beautiful, I can agree with that, covers up the old dirty snowbanks too.
If we get all the predicted snow Sunday it will set a local snowfall record for April in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.. A new record for snowfall is nothing new for SSM as we have had the most snow a couple different times the last few years, and I remember having more snow back in the 70's as a teenager!
So guide that snow either north or south if you will please!:eusa_dance:unk:

Oh no you did NOT! Hahaha. You insensitive monster, its a snowperson! [Snowperson]-snowman vaginized according to current societal norms. I suppose you will have to build your snowman with a formidable snowcock just to clear up any ambiguity passing motorists may have haha. OH shit! Im gonna make a snowtranny!!! You want snowperson, then a snowperson you shall have! You are all very lucky I'm at my clients home this week or you would be getting a highly offensive "snowperson" pic! Im sending you snow I dont even have yet for nearly sending me into another rant. See what you done gone and did haha.

 

[Redbone]

LOL, close one! I'm sorry about the political misstep, for the most part we Yoopers tend to say what's on our mind. We are very conservative in our views and modern social protocols do not shape our daily lives. It is hilarious to watch a flatlander (person from southern Michigan) try to figure out how to act when hanging out with a group of Yoopers.
I will still make the snowm....PERSON but in a non political location that won't offend anyone...it's going to be a long snowshoe trek into the deep woods!:rofl_200:

 

[caseyjones955]

Im pretty sure I can hear the musical bliss of dueling banjos through the trees haha. Im a fiscal conservative but a social libtard. I dont care what folks do as long as we dont have to pay for their shitty choices, or build separate bathrooms to protect their stupid feelings. Whats got my attention lately is that so many of my male friends and acquaintances are spineless pandering simps. One of my friends actually took a honey do list from his underemployed wife (the same wife that forbid a motorcycle purchase) and spent his day off with it. Apparently finding his testicles and laying down the law were not on that list. Hes getting exactly what he deserves... Shit! You got me! Hahahaha aaww man, shit! You trolled me! Haha On a different not, we got less snow that forecasted. Its still coming down but we only have 6" and the roads are pretty clear because of the nice days earlier this week. Some places around us got it worse but its not up to the hype so far. Either we didnt get it or it is on its way to you now heh! Take that!

 

[caseyjones955]

Looks like it just left SD. MN and IA should be enjoying it now. I hope it lost some steam. We got off easier than expected here, compared to 09 or 13 anyway. Sorry bout that gents, tried to send it south instead. Late last night I heard the weatherMAN say they were watching another possible system, I hope not but it's what he said.