Wind Storms and Snow Removal

 

The skies cleared up a bit for a few days but we just got hit by another wind storm. The meteorologist predicts gusts up to 40 knots with this one.

With all of this wind the drifting is going to pile up quickly. The sun has revealed some massive drifts we accumulated over the winter.

With temperatures rising into the -40s this means we can get a lot more equipment outside and clearing snow. Yesterday I learned how to drive a Skid Steer, how to pick up a bucket and how to pick up piles of snow and back drag them flat. I cleared the snow in front of doors to the "Do not freeze" cargo Jamesway that we will be using as a post office to mail our things home. I also cleared some thick ice that had accumulated on the floor of the Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF) shop. It was a lot of fun. 

This is from inside the cab of the Skid Steer. I probably should have opened the window.

 

Fun fact: Only two weeks until the first transient planes arrive (that means we just fuel them, they stay the night and move on to other parts of the continent). Three weeks until the first one drops off a few people to stay and help with opening, which is somehow only 30 days away! That crept up so fast!