Hikers, skiers enjoy the beautiful day

Posted by Geeky Swedes on December 22nd, 2008

4 p.m. update: The snow is slowly melting with the sun and the above-freezing temperatures. But it’s 33 degrees right now, and dropping.

A simply beautiful scene across Ballard this afternoon.

Many people took to long walks around the neighborhood.

Others strapped on their cross-country skis and snowshoes.

The roads, on the other hand, turned into a slushy mess, like here going up the Market St. hill. Underneath the slush is ice, sometimes in big clumps, making driving slippery and treacherous in spots.

This Metro bus is stuck just as you begin to climb the hill.

And down Fremont Ave., we watched this bus slide backwards through the intersection. It was able to make it through a short time later.

The forecast calls for the temperatures to hit freezing again tonight, turning all this water and slush back into ice just in time for the morning commute.

Tags: Ballard Facebook

CK

I cross country skiid across crown hill yesterday to catch the route 15 bus (on 75th & 15th) .

On the way home I figured the buses would be pretty packed so I left work early and tried skiing from downtown to Ballard via the Myrtle Edwards Trail. All along that trail was really nice and I was following some other folks' ski tracks. It got less fun once I hit the nasty train yard in interbay (with lots of hard packed ice) and along the edge of Magnolia to the locks was pretty nasty conditions... very chunky, lots of cars, and having to cross a lot of streets and shoveled sidewalks. But I eventually made it to the Locks, then along the train tracks was fun behind stone gardens. It took me about 1.5 hrs to go 5.5 miles. Not too bad. I was too tired to ski up 24th though, so I waited for the bus at Market & 24th. THAT part of the adventure took almost 45 minutes and there were tons of other folks there waiting for the 18 or 75 to come by westbound. When it did, it was packed like a sardine can, like always.

kim

amen to that pioggia! once you've learned to drive in it, it's like riding a bike.

pioggia

you missed the really fun part, around 5pm: just past that Metro bus stuck at the base of the Market st hill there was a huge flat-bed stuck halfway into the otherlane, right at the split where people take the left onto NW 55th place, making getting between the waiting left turning cars & the stalled truck quite the challenge!

Thank goodness Mr. Pioggia learned to drive in the snow back in one of those states that gets serious winter on a regular basis!

AJ

Whoops, here is the full post and correction:

32nd Ave NW was slushy from Green Market up to Cafe Fiore. 28th Ave NW is still covered in compact snow and ice (very dry, powdery still).
24th Ave NW - mostly clear roadway, with median area still snow covered.

Every east-west street from about NW 73rd to NW 65th and from 32nd NW to 24th NW is covered in compacted snow.

Amy

MyBallard.com - i love you guys. Thanks for being such a great source of Ballard news while I've been stuck at home for so many days :)

milo dakkat

Yes, it was a great afternoon for a walk. Nice to get out of the house and see the folks in the 'hood enjoying the snow.

We walked up to the Starbuck's on Phinney Ridge, starting near the Ballard Market. It was a slow, moseying 2-1/2 hour walk but the sun made it worth it.

It's kinda slick and slushy where the sun hits things, so ya gotta step carefully.

AJ

32nd Ave NW was slushy from Green Market up to Cafe Fiore. 24th Ave NW is still covered in compact snow and ice.

Bella

Do not be deceived, it is still super treacherous out there. Plenty of slick surfaces, big piles of slow, and a lot of the slush is chucks of ice churned up by tire chains which makes for a bumpy and slippery drive.
Walking is extremely treacherous. I could barely make it across a parking lot without slipping and falling.

Sheila

That looks so much better than this morning!

BlackSheep

OMG, you guys - THE SUN!!!

chelsea!

Market through downtown Ballard & the 24th/Market intersection are all super slushy. The hill up to the intersection from Shilshole is starting to get slushy as well, at least in the NB direction.