When I first moved to Colorado, I could not understand why the roads were so bad. After living out here through a Winter, I realized why that was. The roads are being plowed all the time because of the snow. They also have this sandy stuff applied to help with traction in ice conditions. Add to that the freeze / thaw cycle, you have roads that take a real beating.

There is a lot of Spring and Summer hail in the Colorado Springs area. I am not sure why, maybe because of the altitude. Our house sits at about 7,000 feet elevation. The elevation of most of the “front range” (east of the Rocky Mountains) is around 6,000 feet. The hail can damage roofs and cars quite severely. Some hail storms have broken windows in people’s houses.

My first year here I noticed a lot of roofing companies and tire shops. Now I know why. Very bad roads and damaged roofs. Our roof was replaced from hail damage a few years ago.

I am sure other parts of the country have their weather issues. Snow and hail are ours. You just have to factor that into your daily expenses. ¹

Doug

1. I forgot to mention, we get an occasional Tornado in the eastern side of the state. But, I digress. ↩