well, i am moving on thursday. any tips or things i need to know? i have never lived in a cold weather climate before so don't think i already know the basics, cause i don't!

so far i am planning on getting an undercoating, cables, and a bunch of clothes.lol, any other suggestions are appreciated.

 

Sand bags for the back of the truck for when there is snow and/or ice on the road. When it is really bad, or going to be really bad I put two 80 lb sand bags in my bed, behind the rear wheels for added traction, HUGE difference. I use a 2 X 8 fitted in the slot of the bed to hold the sand bags in place.

Reason I use sand bags is if I did happen to get stuck somewhere, or go off the road I might have a chance of getting unstuck with the sand from the sand bags...

I have the 3.55 Limited Slip which is a HUGE difference then just an open rear-end, but the sand bags still help.

 

yea, i will have to pick some up when i get there. i have the open diff tho...

oh well, i will make it work. any other suggestions guys??

 

Welcome to the frozen north; at least you got out of "the late, great State" before it self-destructs, implodes or falls into the Pacific.

First off, get it out of your head that we all talk and act like the dorks in "Fargo." We are pretty laid back, but strangely "distant" til you get to know us. We are friendly, but you may have to initiate the conversation. The women aren't all blond-haired and blue-eyed, either. Soda is "pop," casseroles are "hotdishes," and we say, "You betcha," and "Ya, shuure," a lot.

We have had a very dry period from early July to now, and most of the lawns are brown. Although it has been hot and humid recently, this morning it was 42F at my place in the country in SE MN. Very nice today; about 78F. low humidity; prefect day!

Our state fair is just wrapping up and kids will be back in school Tuesday.

Learn how to play hockey and make sure your kids play (if you have any).

The winters aren't as bad as the mythology says they are. The last dozen or so have featured very little snow and moderate temps. Very few days of -20F; mostly +20 to 0F in the dead of Jan-Feb. Forget about much of a Spring until late April.

Alexandria is a nice resort town in Western MN; lots of great fishing and outdoorsy stuff to do. Known for the Kensington Runestone...a supposed Viking tablet-artifact left by the Norsemen in 1023...something or other (now widely believed to be a fake).

That's about it from sunny, mostly sane, but strangely odd Minnesota.

We're OK.

 

LOL you minnies so peculiar like green eggs and ham.



Anyways yeah. Snow is bad for cars in the north, trucks are fine. But sleds are the best and foremost way of transportation in the winter. Watchout for blackice (ice that looks like the road). Do not make sharp turns in the snow or speed. If you have the oppurtunity when at a bar or some place where alcohol is served. Get one of your friends **** drunk and wait for them to fall asleep. Then put them in the driver seat of a car, you and a few friends get in the other seats, and have some other freinds behind the vehicle and have them push the vehicle in clockwise rotation or counter either way. Get the car to spin (make sure it doesn't spin into a pit (keep it stationary yet spining)). Once your up to the speed you want, everyone in the car scream in fear at the drunk at the same time.


LOL

 

that is why i am going there. i am going to play junior A hockey for the Minnesota Blizzard of the NAHL.

anything else?

 

*Learn to enjoy Walleye and wild rice.
*Buy yourself a snowblower.
*Learn how to hunt and fish.
*Make sure you have lots of tread on your tires.
*Ask about Ludefisk, Lefsa and Kringle.
*Prepare to switch brands of beer.
*Get a fly swatter.

Every time I've gone up there, I've found the people to be good, honest, trusting and friendly. Its different than CA, but its hard to beat the Midwest.

 

Everywhere is different the freaking CA. I grew up there and moved in 1993 to this place back east, GOD what was I thinking...

 

They forgot a few things.
The first morning it gets down to about 40 degrees, you will discover you needed an ICE scraper. You can use - the first time - one of those fake credit cards they send you in the mail. Then you will go buy one. Do NOT pour hot water on your windshield regardless of who tells you to.
While at the auto parts store, you should also get: Antifreeze, a dipstick oil heater for your engine, "Fire and Ice" windsheild washer solution for light frost, "Lock out" defroster for your door locks, actually it is better to you treat all your locks with graphite before they freeze, (or a propane torch used to heat up the key before insertion works well too) Gloves (to hold heated keys), more gloves for when your first pair get wet (or burned)
Oh, and don't foget to keep at least one show shovel (and one propane torch) inside your house. It's a bi!ch when you have to scoop away the snow by hand, or kick it with your feet, just to open the garage door to get to the show blower!

 

Two Words
Remote Starter...<G> Something like the Crimestopper Cool Start 900IV or one of the many equivalents...
http://www.crimestopper.com/rs900.html
That way, while you're brewing the morning java, you crank up the old truck and it's all warm and cozy when you walk out to it.
Next best thing to

 

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with the undercoating. What is going to rust is going to rust. The trick is giving it frequent car washes in the winter to minimize (yeah right ) the salt exposure. Cars turn white with all the salt used on the roads here in the wintertime.

Get a GOOD ice scraper if you are going to be parked outside - you WILL need it just about any morning the temp is below freezing. The joys of scraping the window off on a cold morning... Thank god I have a garage now!

I used to drive my '97 2wd with open diffs around with NO problems in the wintertime. I used 280lbs of sand over the rear axle a good set of tires. If your tires are worn over halfway in terms of treadwear, get a new set before winter. Keep the old ones and run them until they are worn out in the summer, but have GOOD set for the winter. It does make a difference. Carrying a shovel to dig yourself out in the winter is a good idea too, as is a set of Jumper Cables, extra gloves and hats, candles and matches, and some snack type food like granola bars. never know when your going to get stranded somewhere!

Most of all, you will never enjoy winter unless you get OUT and enjoy it. Snowmobile, snowshoe, ski, ice fish, whatever ... personally my favorite is playing hockey outside over in the neighborhood park. Sounds like you've got that one covered.

We may seem a little cool at first, but get to know us and you'll be all right.

Lots of hunting and fishing opportunities up in Alex. Should be fun iff you are into that.

Oh, and be prepared to hear words like Uff Da a lot.

 

YES SIR, man does that make winter a LOT better or what...

 

Having moved a lot over the years I've noticed that it is the things you don't think about that suprise you the most.

Here's a few: Don't expect to find sushi, latte, or tapas at 2am (if ever). No Safeway or Jack-in-the-Box. American cars rule the roads.Most people speak English, second languge is French,German, or one of the Scandinavian ones. Going to the mall can involve a long car trip (not because of traffic, the mall is an hour away). Single screen movie theaters still exist. DSL?-Some folks have rotary phones.

If it sounds like I'm poking fun, I'm not. I love the midwest, and I'll wind up back there some day. Most people from either coast that find themselves in the midwest quickly realize that if it isn't on the East or West coast it doesn't happen. I often think that the midwest is the vast wasteland between the coasts where eveyone else lives. Never featured on TV except when a storm is headed "from the midwest into the Ohio valley". I miss TV starting at 7 ending at 10 and Letterman and Leno at 10:30.

It will be a shock, but it really is God's Country. Good Luck!