I'd love some decent snow. Instead we get "wintry mix". I hate that stuff... Snow can be fun. Freezing rain is never fun.

Snow flies or snow fleas?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_flea

Yeah i'd go with the fly that doesn't actively eat you... =D

My roommate has a statue that says "snowflakes are angel kisses".

If so, I'm feeling rather harrased.

Sand fleas, or horse flies...

for all you guys down river and those who would like to test their gear in the cold here is a shot of the Mississippi River at South Minneapolis,just a short walk from my place,at TWELVE BELOW ZERO--


i'm putting a post together on how to survive that hour in a busted down car waiting for the tow or your wife to arrive and save you---

Wow, that's an amazing photo.

-12F/-24C is pretty darn serious weather.

Tell your wife -- "Even crazy canucks wear gloves in this sort of weather. It's not unmanly at all."

Hope that helps. ;-)

Nice picture.
I am not sure, but it looks like open water at what I assume is the north bank.
Is the water pretty fast there, or is it just an effect of the light?

I assume you are giving the temperature in Fahrenheit so that would be about -25 in Celsius.
Not real bad but still cold enough, especially if there is any wind at all.

I myself am a bit undecided on which is worse, the Black Flies or the Snow flies.
I hate the Black Flies with a passion. They are even worse than mosquitoes and will gnaw you to raw meat.
If you let them they will drive you to madness.
I am OK with winter generally, except for white outs or black ice conditions on the roads. When the snow gets real deep it can be a pain.

OK, I was making a pun about the snow flying when I posted the question, but I am real glad you meantioned the snow fleas.
There have been days when it was not quite spring that I have seen the snow just black with them. They really seem to like the sunny sides of the ski tracks or boot tracks.
It is always hard to convince people who have never seen them that they exist until they see them, and it is always worth seeing their expressions when they realize what they are seeing.

I don't mind cold until it's too cold. I'm good down to -10 before it seems unreasonable to me. (-40F windchill isn't unusual here) Have to say though I'd rather be too cold than have flies buzzing around my head. I must not taste too good to the biting variety though, rarely have to use bug dope of any sort and haven't had 5 mosquito bites in the last 5 years.