Lawmaker skis home from Congress

[kpete]

Lawmaker skis home from Congress
By Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) - 02/11/10 12:09 PM ET

Since I was trapped in Washington in the snow of 1996, I have dreamed of cross-country skiing on the Mall. During that '96 storm, I had great runs through the city, but envied the people who were properly equipped; gliding across the snow, a crystal clear blue sky overhead, tree shadows sharply silhouetted on the fresh snow on the Mall.

As a result, soon after my election, I stored an extra pair of cross-country skis in my office, waiting for the day when I would be in Washington to share in that experience. While there has been lots of snow in my years in D.C., it has always appeared at inopportune times or quickly turned to slush and made skiing impractical. This time, however, I was in luck.

I arrived in D.C. in the middle of “Snowpocalypse” and “Snowover It,” as the city has dubbed them, the two massive snowfalls, and was able to ski home from the office last night. Even as the snow had started to fall, it was still difficult to navigate the plowed roads and not run into some bare pavement. This morning, after snow fell much of the night, there was a nice soft cushion.

..............

A city that was designed for travel by foot and horses loses some of its charm with modern traffic congestion. A deep snowfall is the perfect antidote, as it adds beauty, muffles sounds and discourages automobiles. The broad streets and sidewalks reveal their grandeur when covered with snow instead of cars.

more:
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/lawmaker-news/80733-skiing-through-snowpocalypse-rep-earl-blumenauer

[T Wolf]

1. Now if he cross-COUNTRY skied all the home to Oregon, I would really be impressed.

I can remember students getting around campus on cc-skis

[happy_liberal]

2. that's so cool

DC must be really beautiful right now

[kpete]

3. Best Sledding Hill Ever

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2010/02/best_sledding_h/

[gateley]

5. One of my fantasies is to be in DC after a snow such as this --

when the city has virtually shut down, no cars, just walking around looking at the beautiful monuments.

[Javaman]

4. I'm not a big fan of snow, I moved away from it for a reason, but...

I do miss the quiet and the sound of the snow falling.

Skiing home would be wonderful.

[gateley]

6. This is wonderful! I'm so happy he had the opportunity to do that!! Thanks for posting. NT

[Jennicut]

7. A reporter for CNN skied to work at the other day.

* Video
* Photo

Skiing to work

CNN office proves tough to get to

Updated: Thursday, 11 Feb 2010, 11:03 AM CST
Published : Thursday, 11 Feb 2010, 10:49 AM CST

* Reporter: Tom Foreman, CNN

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the blizzard ripped through, dropping at times two inches of snow an hour, even snowplows were pulled off of the streets for safety now and then, and the impassable roads made the commute into D.C. all but impossible. I had to strap on cross country skis just to break out of my neighborhood, where many drifts are running chest high.

In the video, you can see how getting out of the neighborhood is going to be tough at best. My skis are being buried in the snow. And they're not real trail-breaking skis. So, I'm going to keep slogging down this hill up here. And then, we've got a bunch of up hills to go to maybe make it to the metro, about three miles from here.

The snow has closed schools, offices, museums, even some White House staff members are working from home. The weight of the snow has caused some roofs to collapse, including one at a Smithsonian storage facility. Overburdened trees have broken, taking down power lines, and leaving tens of thousands without electricity at various times since the snows began.http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/weather/washington-dc-reporter-skis-to-work