We had a pretty good run.  I met a couple of people (Rich and Jim), and Soren and I had a chance to do some sledding afterwards.  After a good breakfast, we spent about 45 minutes getting everyone's radios working right and then headed up the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. 




The drive wasn't much to write home about, but we chattered on the radio a lot (it was a HAM run afterall) and it was pleasant.  The waterfall at the end of the road was nice, Soren had a great time taking a ride in Jim's Series, and it was good to see some snow. 

All I have to say is HAM radios are fanastic.  Rich/Jim did a comparison to CB and both thought it was much clearer even over short range, and FRS isn't even in the running.  It's amazing how easy it is to talk on the radios when it is loud and clear.  Shirley used a small handheld and was very clear until we were separated by a mile or two and a large portion of a mountain.  Jim with a mobile mounted rig was still clear even with the hill in the way.










After the drive, Soren and I headed up to the Tinkham Rd only to find it clogged with Honda CRVs spinning their tires.  We turned around and went back down to the trailhead area of Olallie State Park right by the freeway off-ramp. Here we found a good hill with just enough snow to do some sledding.  The hill was really long but not too steep.  We had a lot of Father/Son fun sledding down it.  Afterwards I made some Hot Cocoa/Coffee and we headed back home.




The drive home was pretty bad.  We didn't slide at all, but cars were going all over the place and the snow was coming down really heavy.  When we finally got home we found our house buried under several inches of snow.



If you don't have a HAM radio license here is the good news:

1.  Go to www.arrl.org and find a test being given near you.  Pick a date when you will go take the test and then just study for it.
2.  www.hamtestonline.com - 5-10 hours studying max  ($50 2 year subscritpion - no book necessary)
3. Go take your test ($30)
4. Buy a radio (from $80, ~$150 for a good single band 2m handheld radio).  Or buy gear used at qrz.com

--Craig