Thursday, Decmber 20, 2012

Road Condition Update

I walk the Forest Glen B/C roads twice/day.  Periodically I plan to take pictures to show the road conditions.  So far, so good.  After the 3 weeks of no snow, freeze/thaw, and dangerous ice, we received about 3-4 feet of light snow that has packed nicely for walking, skiing, and snow mobiling.  Paul Nell has done an excellent job blowing the road.  By blowing instead of plowing, the banks along the road are very soft.  So, concern about accessing cabins over the bank are, so far, unrealized. The snow is very light and you can walk right through the bank as many neighbors have done.  With our 4WD and snow tires we’ve had no problem driving to Brighton to enjoy the amazing powder skiing.  These pictures were taken 20 Dec.  We hope to see you all up here in Forest Glen.

Don Pickard 12325 Skyline View Lane

Safe Winter Traveling on Community Roads

This is a travel advisory. The entire top of the Canyon is experiencing a hazardous combination of no snow for 2 weeks and a diurnal cycle of freeze/thaw that has resulted in very icy conditions. We are suppose to get snow Sunday night, but if these conditions persist or happen again the following recommendations are provided:

Foot travel. We walk our (watershed) dog around the loop twice/day (with poop bags). We use Over Shoe Studded Snow/Ice Grips. They stretch over our boots and the studs grip the ice so well we don’t worry at all about slipping/falling. They can be purchased at many local stores, but Amazon.com sells a dozen different brands from $3.50 to $20. There was a suggestion to buy some and hang them on the gate for folks choosing not to drive in. Please let us know at forestglenbc@gmail.com if you are interested in this option.

Automobile travel. We have a 4runner and Rav4. Both are 4WD with snow tires. It’s been our experience that this combination is at least adequate for safely traveling our roads. Some folks have studded snow tires. With studs, folks have stopped in the middle of the Wildflower Lane hill to chat, and resumed travel without spinning. On the other hand, I’ve had two contractors come through the gate after they assured me they had 4WD and snow tires. Neither did, both got stuck, and I had to jury rig chains to get them out. 4WD is not good enough. New snow tires with 2WD are slightly better. 4WD with snow tires is the minimum safe combination. Studs are better. Chains are best. We keep a set of chains in our cars just in case.

Also,

Forest Glen Plowing. Paul has done an excellent job clearing our roads during the two storms we’ve had so far. If you have 4wd/snows, those of us that are paying for plowing (19 so far) invite all home owners to come in and check it out. If you like what you see, and decide to drive in again, you can talk to Paul about costs. It’s also recommended that you check out the conditions yourself before you invite guests to use the road. Use extreme caution when driving down the hill below the gate.

Guardsman Plowing. There was some confusion about whether or not the No Vote on plowing during the September HOA meeting included Guardsman. A message was sent to all cabin owners to determine if they still wanted plowing Guardsman and only one positive response was received. Given the confusion and believing that most of the HOA was tired of plowing emails, the BOD unanimously decided to continue plowing Guardsman with HOA funds. However, given the growth of our community, parking is very limited and there is no guarantee of a spot to park.

Lisa and I are extremely happy to be part of the Forest Glen community. Many days, it takes a long time to walk around the loop because there are many neighbors out and about willing to share friendship. Skiing at Brighton and Solitude has been exhilarating. Our neighborhood has incredible beauty.

Please note, these recommendations and comments are just my opinion and do not represent an official position of the Forest Glen BoD.

Don Pickard 12325 Skyline View Lane