Well, “hate” is probably too strong of a word, but I do find the winds in Nederland somewhat annoying. Anyone who has spent time in Ned during the Fall, Winter, or Spring will know what I am talking about. When my wife and I moved here in the Summer of 2010, we had heard about the wind. Thoroughly enthralled with the beauty of this place, we could hardly imagine that the winds could really be that bad. But then that year in the middle of the night on the eve of Thanksgiving, we awoke to the sound of a freight train and the creaking and groaning of our roof. We don’t live anywhere near the railroad. That sound was the wind, gusting that night up to a mere 81 mph.
Over the years, the Bora and Chinook winds have wreaked various amounts of havoc around our home and neighborhood:
- Our BBQ grill became air borne during one wind event and ended up across the road on our neighbor’s property
- We’ve had several trees come down
- We’ve lost several shingles on our house
- We’ve lost a few small pets, but they were found in Kansas
Ok, I was kidding about the last one, but seriously, anything that is not tethered or bolted down outside on our deck could easily end up in the next county.
These winds can last days, and they are a pain in the butt when you are trying to work on something outside. Today’s adventure was setting up our inflatable grinch and snowman in our front yard, a lot of effort for decorations we may be able to use 4 or 5 nights between now and Christmas – thanks to the wind.
Now don’t get me wrong. While we do get 80-100 mph winds, the thinner air at our altitude means that they do not pack as much force as hurricane strength winds at sea level. Also, the trees here, nearly all pine trees except for a few aspens, have adapted very well to the wind. And heavy snow load. And drought. Also, our county requires homes in this area to be build to withstand 170 mph winds.
I’m just venting, or draftng. But the winds will be strong and gusty the next few days, and we will be battening down the hatches and small pets.