240-plus days, and still no snow in Rochester

Where's our snow, anyway?

Summer's long since over, and winter is nearly here, yet we still have no snow in Western New York. In fact, we've had no measurable accumulation since last April, over 240 days ago. That has to be some kind of record for this area.

It's been an exceptional year for camping, with nearly EIGHTY Perfect Camping Nights recorded from April to September. September was spectacular, if a bit chilly at times, with very little rain. All the area campgrounds shut down in mid-October, as the nights stayed cool and the leaves finally fell. With a bit of cold-weather gear and judicious use of our Coleman furnace, we could have done weekend overnights right up through this weekend. The sun's shining today, with temp's in the low 40's.

Our typical upstate NY November brings freezing rain, biting breezes, bitter late night temperatures, and snow before Thanksgiving. Not this year. Maybe it's Global Warming. Or maybe winter is lurking nearby, rubbing it's frosted hands together in malicious glee and planning a devastating surprise attack. The local ski areas aren't pleased with the current climate, I'm sure. White Christmas? Hope so.

At any rate, for we Northerners the regular camping season is done. Did you properly winterize your camper? Or did you make sure your tent is nice and dry, and stored in a protected spot? I have a couple of good articles saved around here somewhere, from the RV.net Blog. One has tips for winterizing and the other offers some advice for maintaining your camper's awning(s). I'll see if I can't dig those up and get them posted for you. That site is an amazing resource for RV-ers, especially.

Had a thought about winterizing for you, too. Do you cover your camper for the winter? Store it somewhere else for the season? Garage it? Mine sits stoic in the side yard, with the windows cranked tight, tires on planks, battery stowed indoors and the water system completely drained. Seems to weather the worst of winter fairly well. Just wondering what other campers do in preparation for the long winter's night. I'll see if I can find those other articles.

Photo: Erie Canal widewaters area near Newark, NY, earlier this fall (JCB)

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How do you winterize? Leave your comments here.