Just in case you or your children did not get enough of the snow last week and are looking for some more sledding and play time you might want to check out sledding up by the Mt. Baker Ski Area. There is no specific area in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has been set aside for sledding, and it’s banned inside the Mt. Baker Ski Area. You will see signs within the ski area advising you not to sled as it can pose a danger to skiers and snowboarders.
Unofficially, you can go just outside the ski area’s boundaries to sled down the hills around the frozen lakes of Highwood Lake and Picture Lake. The area around Bagley Lake also is great area to check out. That being said be sure and pay attention on warm days or years when there is little snow fall to be sure the lakes are frozen solid and ready for sledding. We were up this weekend and the conditions were PERFECT for family friendly sledding.
Directions:Go east on state route 542 until you reach the Mt. Baker Ski Area. Park in the upper parking lot. Look for people carrying sleds or big tire tubes. You will find the lakes on your right hand side over the large snow banks. Little trails will be built in the snow bank to allow children and families to get up and over the banks and into the sledding area.
It’s that time again, time to update you on the latest in home loan and mortagage rates. If you are in the market for a home loan below are the mortgage rates as of today January 18th 2011, courtesy of Sidney Stonecypher at People’s Bank.
Down Payment
Interest Rate
APR
Credit Score
Points
Conventional 30 yr fixed
20%
3.750
3.861
740
1
Conventional 15 yr fixed
20%
3.000
3.184
740
1
Jumbo 30 yr fixed
20%
4.500
4.591
740
1
FHA 30 yr fixed
3.5%
3.500
3.933
660*
1
VA 30 yr fixed
0%
3.500
3.851
640
1
*Score requirement will vary by lender
To view homes or property for sale visit our Bellingham Real Estate Search Page. For more details, or a custom home loan quote, contact Sidney Stonecypher at People’s Bank, 360-676-4597 or sidney.stonecypher@peoplesbank-wa.com. Remember that many variables come into play in determining the rate a lender will give a borrower. If you are getting a rate quote from a lender who does not have all your information, that rate may not be real. What with the low rates, it is still a great time to buy a house!
We got a few inches of snow at my house over night and the conditions on my road look slick. With the weather we are having it’s always important to remember how to handle icy and snow covered roads this time of year.
Below are some tips to help you drive safely courtesy of AAA:
Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.
Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate: If you don’t have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.
Fishing out in the San Juan Islands has been pretty slow overall. The Black mouth Salmon opener was December 1st and from our reports it was pretty hit & miss. We did have 1 favorable report from over at Point Thompson (north end of Orcas Island) – a lucky fisherman hit the jackpot and landed 8 fish in 4 hours ranging from 10-20 pounds, unfortunately they were all native fish and had to be released.
This is pretty typical for the December fishery but as we get to the latter part of January expect the reports to heat up. Alden Bank outside sandy point was hot January 25 to 30th last year. The Reel Estate boat landed 25 salmon in 3 trips so if you are looking for the current report, make sure to call the hotline and see if the fish are in. 360-303-2734
The Roche Harbor Salmon Classic Invitational is February 2-4, 2012 and The Johnson Team 2902 Trophy will be at the cannon start ready to go at 7am sharp.
If you would like to be entered to win a fresh salmon fillet from the derby courtesy of The Johnson Team Real Estate tex the word JohnsonTeam to 22828 to be entered to win!
*Winners must be able to pick up fillet in Bellingham.
Just in case you or your children did not get enough of the snow last week and are looking for some more sledding and play time you might want to check out sledding up by the Mt. Baker Ski Area. There is no specific area in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has been set aside for sledding, and it’s banned inside the Mt. Baker Ski Area. You will see signs within the ski area advising you not to sled as it can pose a danger to skiers and snowboarders.
We got a few inches of snow at my house over night and the conditions on my road look slick. With the weather we are having it’s always important to remember how to handle icy and snow covered roads this time of year.
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