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Gary Keedwell
02-06-2008, 5:46 PM
Wow...Hard to believe that it has been 30 years ago today that the first flakes of the big storm started and didn't stop for around 35 hours.:eek: I remember that times were bleak for alot of people back then. The interest rate was around 19 % and unemployment was high. Nobody I knew was buying new cars and nobody was building houses. There was so many people loafing that the government invented a program called CETA. We were all out in the woods trimming trees for our "welfare check". After the Blizzard they called us into town to shovel snow.
Man...I was shoveling snow for over 2 weeks. We did all the sidewalks and fire hydrants and all kinds of walk-ways. Yup alot of memories of the big Blizzard of 78.
Anybody remember it?
Gary

Jason Beam
02-06-2008, 6:09 PM
Frayed Knot, Gary. I was only 2 1/2 :cool:

Matt Meiser
02-06-2008, 6:13 PM
Yep I remember it a little. Even though I was in preschool. :D We lived in suburb of Detroit at the time. My dad had to park a mile or two from home and hitched a ride on a snowmobile. The neighbors across the street were without power and stayed with us.

John Newell
02-06-2008, 7:47 PM
Oh yes. My wife and I were both in college. She was at Radcliffe and has great stories about Harvard College being essentially forced to close by the Governor and skiing down Mass. Ave. I had come home that weekend from Middlebury (not much snow up there before or after the storm that winter) and watched the snow pile up...and up...and up...

Ken Fitzgerald
02-06-2008, 8:13 PM
Remember it well! I'd just moved my family back to the Chicago area from central Oregon. We were staying in a motel. Schools closed for 2 weeks....a lot of restaurants closed.....3 kids....in 2 motel rooms for 6 weeks....

Most of the engineers working for me had a tough time shoveling the cars out of the snow. Where do you put it in the big city? I had a '74 Scout II 4 X4 and was running around Chicago from hospital to hospital repairing cat scanners because I could get around...

Kenneth Hertzog
02-06-2008, 8:26 PM
OH YES
I remember it well
I lived in a mobil home
in Dec/Jan it warmed up to 0 on some days
water froze to the point we only had it in the bathroom
plowed the driveway came home plowed the driveway came home:o
At work the snow was so deep that the snow plow had no where to push it
had to get a highlift to bucket the snow away to make room for more
haven't had a winter like that since

THANK HEAVEN
ken

Mike Cutler
02-06-2008, 8:33 PM
Yep

I was in Sub School in Groton Ct.
I had just come from So. California with a Camaro sporting D50-15's in the front. L-60's in the back on Cragar mags.
I hooked up with a 'southie. ( Another sailor form South Boston). We used to drive I-95 to Beantown in my car. He didn't know how to drive,and I didn't know where we were going. Great combo.
Take the foot off that gas and slide over the overpasses all the way up.:eek:

There are a lot of highway overpasses between Groton and Boston.;)

Dennis Peacock
02-06-2008, 10:02 PM
I was in Italy at the time, so nope...don't remember. ;)

Robert Payne
02-06-2008, 10:13 PM
I remember it well -- I lived in Rhode Island and it hit on a Monday morning -- by 9:00 AM all of the people that had gone to work in Providence were sent home, except there was so much snow at that point and all the I-95 ramps got slick -- wall-to-wall stuck cars on I-95 from the Mass line to South County. We had 38 inches in East Greenwich and my Volvo was the very last vehicle down our street for more that 10 days. Our local grocery store's shelves were bare (Almac's) and the National Guard brought milk, bread and eggs in all week. The flew huge front loaders into the old Quonset Point NAS in C5-A's and literally bulldozed all those cars off the Interstate... Yes, I remember it well.

Dave Anderson NH
02-07-2008, 8:54 AM
I was on vacation that week from my regular job. I drove to Boston Monday morning to the outdoor shop, Wilderness House, where I had a part time job figuring to make a few extra bucks for the week. The snow on Brighton Ave was over the tops of the plowed in cars, the wind was whipping, and we were nice and cozy in the store. During the day we sold X-C skiis. Closed the store at 6PM and skiied up the street for dinner and a coupla beers. Then back to the store to mount bindings until midnight. Slept in the store on foam pads with sleeping bags. Get up the next morning and make coffee and breakfast on a camp stove and open the store at 9AM. Repeat until Friday. By the end of the week, with no change of clothes and only sink bath we were getting pretty rank. Skiied home to get a change of clothes, a shower, and a shave. Returned to the store and worked the weekend. For my vacation we sold over 600 pairs of X-C skiis and I made an extra $1500. It paid for my skiing vacation later in the winter.

Cliff Rohrabacher
02-07-2008, 9:35 AM
Yup. A friend (yah sure) called me up desperate to get a licensed driver to take one of his trucks. The state was ordering him to put it in service or else they'd take it and use it themselves. I drove his 14 wheel dumper for 3 days straight. In Boston and Hull MA hauling snow to the Charles river.
This was the same truck I helped him repair an axle bushing on using my company's machine shop.
The cheap cheezy creep paid me minimum wage for three days of driving.
That was the last time I did him a favor.

John Schreiber
02-07-2008, 10:20 AM
In Chicago, it was the Blizzard of '79. The snow was so deep that driving through residential streets was like going up and down blind canyons. And I had just got my learner's permit. We had school off for three days.

The mayor of Chicago basically lost the next election because of how poorly the city handled it.

Bill Lantry
02-07-2008, 10:32 AM
Hey, folks,

Just for fun:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=5g8&q=Blizzard+of+'78&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Yikes!

Thanks,

Bill

David G Baker
02-07-2008, 10:56 AM
I lived in California at the time and do not remember it at all. :)

Jeffrey Makiel
02-07-2008, 11:24 AM
Gary...I'm just a bit south of you and I don't remember a bad snow storm eventhough I was a senior in high school. Either it didn't happen here, or I've blocked the memory...to which I'm getting better at doing.

I do remember the interest rates. I also remember the interest rates on savings accounts being high. It truly was a time to save for the future. Boy...has that changed. Now, where's my stimulus check? :)

-Jeff

Greg Heppeard
02-07-2008, 11:58 AM
I was in England at the time, but my dad sent pics of snow drifts up the side of the barn...wish I could remember where I put those...........

Bruce Page
02-07-2008, 12:35 PM
I had just moved to Los Alamos in northern NM and watched 42” of snow fall in 1½ days. This was a big deal for a 27 year old kid from Los Angeles.

Craig D Peltier
02-07-2008, 1:07 PM
I was living in Fairhaven Mass and I was 4 years old.I remember we went out the window cause the snow was too deep around door an the snow was above my head. I think it was about 30-36 inches.I still have the newspaper insert from that event from the Standard Times.
I didnt know it affected other states as well, like Chicago area and Mn and PA.

This year in the NW they have had the most snow at this time of year in 60 years at snoqualmie pass. They usually have 5 foot 8 on ground they had 10 foot 4 as of last week and I think it snowed at least another 2 feet. Elevation is only 4000 feet.I was there last april and all the house slooked like they were in tunnels.
I also saw on news ID has state of emergency in a northern county there. No where to put snow. Cour De Laine (sp)ID has doubled there normal snowfall.
Theres a town here on the way to Stevens pass 60 miles from Seattle called Skyhomish, they have no where to put snow either. 6 feet on ground.

Crazy winter snow.

John Bailey
02-07-2008, 1:33 PM
Remember it well. I lived out in the boonies, tried to get out of my house to check on the little ole' neighbor lady about a 1/4 mile down the road. First, I couldn't get out of my house because a drift had covered the entire side of the house. When I shoveled out I couldn't see anything. I hit another drift - couldn't see how high and couldn't get through it. I was only about 20 yards from my house, but couldn't see my house. I had to get on my knees to see my footprints to find my way back. The wind had, almost immediately, started to fill in the footprints. I, honestly thought I might not get back.

Oh, the old lady. She was 93 and a week later, when we were able to get through, she told me about the storm of ought-8, or something like that. She said that one was worse. Nobody got down our road for about a week and school was closed for 2 weeks.

John

Per Swenson
02-07-2008, 9:13 PM
I was in college in 78

I don't remember a thing

Per

Martin Shupe
02-07-2008, 11:49 PM
I lived in Houston and was in high school in 1978.

One day it snowed a whole inch and they closed school for two days!

We almost had enough snow for snowmen.

Lance Norris
02-08-2008, 1:56 AM
Great thread. I was a freshman in high school. I live in NE Ohio. We had thunder and lightning. I dont mean a few flashes and booms, a real thunderstorm and snowing like h3ll. My neighbors had a 4' chain link fence, and after the snow was done, all you could see were the caps on the posts. The state highway we took to school had to be opened by a front end loader and after the road was open, the snow drifted higher than the tops of the school busses. I wish we had radar back then like we have now. It would have been cool to see the size of the storm. Anybody remember the tornado super-outbreak in '74? Thats another thread, for April.

Mike Langford
02-08-2008, 2:12 AM
.....I got out of the Army and got married in '78.......My wife and I just celebrated our 30th anniversary last Saturday (Feb 2nd...GroundHogs Day!:D)

I seem to vaguely remember a blizzard but........I was in the South and newly married so blizzards were the furthest from my mind! :eek::rolleyes:

Jim Becker
02-08-2008, 9:16 AM
I was in Happy Valley (State College PA attending Penn State) in 1978. I don't specifically remember any blizzard, but there's no surprise in that! LOL

Mike Marcade
02-08-2008, 12:15 PM
I was living in Southwestern Michigan at the time. There was one family in the neighborhood that was making grocery runs on snowmobile for people that needed food.

Chris Padilla
02-08-2008, 5:09 PM
We had the Bilzzard of '82 in Denver...X-mas time. I recall about 4-6 feet of snow in the front yard...drifts to 8'!!

I live in California now but I really SERIOUSLY do miss snow. I actually rather enjoy shovelling it--that always draws strange looks! :)

http://www.rogerwendell.com/snowday.html Scroll down a bit to the Blizzard of '82 section. fun, fun, fun

James Carmichael
02-08-2008, 5:26 PM
Here in N. TX, it was the Ice Storm of 78 (though I recall lots of snow as well).

Working @ D/FW airport at the time. Back then, even during rush hour, you could actually drive at posted speeds (and faster) on Dallas/Ft. Worth freeways (in HS, I once circled Loop 820 at 100mph.) But that day, the freeway was littered with spun out cars, including mine. I just got out and pushed, then went on to work. Racked up lots of OT, plus a couple nights stay & room service at what was then the Airport Marina hotel.

IIRC, 78 was one of three or four harsh winters in a row, which had "experts" were predicting the next ice age was upon us:eek:

Gary Keedwell
02-08-2008, 5:43 PM
IIRC, 78 was one of three or four harsh winters in a row, which had "experts" were predicting the next ice age was upon us:eek:


What's old will be new again.....:cool::)

Gary

Wes Bischel
02-08-2008, 8:59 PM
I remember it very well. Lived in Evanston (just north of Chicago). The warehouse across the alley from our apartment collapsed from the weight of the snow. My HS closed for the first time in years - naturally I found out after I walked in the front door.:rolleyes: The grocery store where I worked had to take deliveries through the front door. We set up conveyors up and over the snow banks. For weeks, the only way into and out of most places was a 6' deep trench.
Oh, I'm thankful I didn't need to drag myself into downtown Chicago everyday.

Wes

Joe Mioux
02-08-2008, 9:43 PM
hmm,,,

I was a senior in high school, I don't remember much of that snow, but I do well remember the big snow of '82 when I was a senior at the UofI.

Roger Bell
02-08-2008, 11:06 PM
I was living east of the Rockies back then and remember it well. I recall going into a windowless fern bar after work when it had just begun to snow. I spent a few hours getting drunk on wine with a beautiful woman, and finally came out to encounter two feet of snow. It kept dumping snow all night, but I was otherwise too engaged to notice it much.

I was doing quite well in 1978. I was driving a classic Porsche 356A and recall later that year buying a new pickup for the outrageous price of $4000 cash.

Rod Torgeson
02-09-2008, 9:56 AM
I was living in Woodinville, WA in 1978 and I think I remember seeing the pictures on the news. However I do remember very well the snow storm of 2008. Theses pictures were taken on 1-31-08. The one picture(with the satellite dish) is my shop. Normally there are two windows there. The other is the front porch of the house. The back porch looks the same.

Rod<---in Appleton, WA

Ken Fitzgerald
02-09-2008, 10:29 AM
Rod....Yup you got snow!

Matt Meiser
02-09-2008, 11:50 AM
What satellite dish?

Bruce Page
02-09-2008, 1:48 PM
I was living in Woodinville, WA in 1978 and I think I remember seeing the pictures on the news. However I do remember very well the snow storm of 2008. Theses pictures were taken on 1-31-08. The one picture(with the satellite dish) is my shop. Normally there are two windows there. The other is the front porch of the house. The back porch looks the same.

Rod<---in Appleton, WA

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ray Sheley
02-10-2008, 9:06 AM
Won't ever forget that year, Working and on overtime, going to night school, just divorced raising my son on my own living in the snow belt (Rochester N.Y.). My life that year was get up, get the boy going, feed him, shovel to get out. him to school, me to work. Shovel to get in, feed us, do his homework, get him to bed, do my homework, wash clothes, clean house, iron, prep the next days meals, some nights classes, etc., all shopping on Saturday. Probably the worst period of my life, but in some ways the best.
The best part? Certainly the fact that my son who is now a young man (37) and is a success with his own business and life. The Next? It's actually these days when listening to some feminist rant about men, I get to raise my hand and go *Ahem*....
Usually things wind down with "well most men....", but it's usually a rant killer.

Tony De Masi
02-10-2008, 1:34 PM
Remember it very well. Was in college in Bridgewater, Mass. and they let us out early. I was a commuter so me and my buddy set out on our 30 mile trip back home. However, we never made it. At least not that day. It was a Monday, and we left school at 1300 and headed north. Got to within two miles of route 128 when the traffic stopped for good. At 1800 we made our way, on foot, to a local tavern and stayed there til Thursday morning. We then walked about five miles to my aunts house where she fed us and washed and dried our clothes. After that is was another five mile walk to our houses. Everything was deserted. Walking on route 128 was fine as they had one lane cleared by then, but once off of that it was walking through waist deep snow for the remainder. Stilll have the Boston Globe from the day after.

Tony