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Unlike the previous snowfall, this is a real blizzard. The wind gusted up to 25 miles an hour
as we got about a foot of heavy snow. One of
these snowbound cars will remain here until about ten o'clock at night.
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The trails I walk on aren't plowed, so I am going to
walk along one of the paved roads out to the county road, then take the gravel road.
These poor ducks and geese have to ride out the storm. Amazingly, they move around
quite a bit during the storm.
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Here is the radar picture of the storm. I am located where the red smudge is.
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The snowmobilers have had little to cheer about this dry winter.
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Turning on the gravel road.
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A large flock of geese are in the area just north of the gravel pit. They get up and
leave as I begin to walk down the road. It's twenty two degrees out.
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Just opposite Two Oaks, the scene ahead dissolves. Out in the countryside during a blizzard, the form
of the landscape determines whether it's whiteout or near calm. You find both conditions
during a blizzard. Where I am standing is sheltered by an embankment along the gravel pit, so
it's calm. Up ahead the wind whips across Field #1 and creates wind tunnel conditions
as you walk up there.
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Someone has liberated the teddy bear since my last visit.
Bear
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Here you can see the power of the wind whipping across Field #1. Note the variation of
snow in the various gusts.
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From under the power lines, looking north at the little tree seen in the pictures above. The
two rightmost pictures are taken on the road looking south. I am walking in ruts in the
snow made by a car or truck that has previously passed by.
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Coming up on the farm driveways, the wind again hits. In the leftmost picture, you can
see the mailbox shown in the middle picture. The St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper is for
sale, and locals fear it will be combined with the other local daily paper and disappear.
The blue item at the bottom of the post is the newspaper thoughtfully wrapped in plastic.
You can also see the a leftover cornstalk from last year's crop. The rightmost picture
shows the East Farm.
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If you enlarge this picture you can see the wind has carved layers
in the ground.
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Again in a calm area, snow piles up in brush along the road next to the West Farm.
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Making the turn.
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Drifting snow leaking out from brush in front of the West Farm.
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Gene drives through the blizzard to tend his livestock.
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Geese and ducks were active during this snowstorm, here too is a sparrow that for some reason
sees fit to flit out in the snow. In the leftmost picture the sparrow is almost dead-center.
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Two days after the storm.
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Snow Drifts. For you city folks, drifts can get so high that they can render a
country road impassible.
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Pheasant tracks. Now that ground that was nearly bare is snow covered again, pheasants must
be moving around looking for food.
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It looks like during the storm a vehicle ventured too close to the edge of the road and
hit the soft shoulder and got stuck. Because of the warm winter the ground is not deeply frozen
like in a normal year.
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I tried to snap a quick picture of two pheasants who were just inside the tree cover.
I have never seen pheasants signs this far down the road - this is Bluebird Treeline.
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