You said -- "Well since I have been in this state for over 50 years I guess you are not as Oregonian as you think. Having skied on that mountain numerous times, I know how bad it can get below the level they were at. They had no idea being from TX how bad those winds are. What they tried was crazy."
It seems according to you -- that you can't be an Oregonian unless you've surpassed 50 years. I'm afraid that would exclude a lot of our distinguished citizens and legislators in Oregon, who may have the mistaken impression that they are Oregonians.
But, I never did claim to have outlived (in the state) the natives that Lewis and Clark found -- so I definitely never thought -- in my wildest imagination -- that I would surpass your time in Oregon.
By the way, does that count for those from NY, too? Just wondering how their winds are there.
And..., by the way, you've heard of the Columbus Day Storm, I'm sure (being a "native" and all). Well, I wonder how those people in Texas compare that to the Galveston Hurricane and Hurrican Carla and so on? Were their winds so paltry? Or, maybe, those Texans just have short memories and can't remember how strong the winds are in those storms.
Oh..., that reminds me, I think I heard that the strongest winds on earth occur in Tornadoes. I remember that those F5 tornadoes can produce winds over 300 miles per hour. Those Texans wouldn't be thinking of those, would they?
Just wondering...
You said -- "The fact is they made a bad decision and now people have to leave their families and risk their lives because of that decision."
Well, a lot of things happen that is not the result of bad decisions. In fact there were some climbers on Mt. Hood, a number of years ago, where they were well equipped, very experienced, and were holed up in a snow cave, while rescuers were looking for them. They were perfectly fine.
The fact of the matter is that they made *good decisions* and they were well and alive, with no problems. It still generated a rescue. So, it's not bad decisions that generate these things. Just as one makes decisions that are prudent according to whatever they see the conditions are at the time, the searchers made a prudent decision to look for the climbers (somewhere back in 1995). And so, no one made any bad decisions.
That's the way it is in Oregon. The weather can turn bad and all good decisions can be made. Sometimes people make it and sometimes they don't. That's the Oregon way.
Regards,
Star Traveler