My daughter and I just got back from our annual snowboarding trip to Seven Springs Ski Resort, in Seven Springs, PA and let me tell you we had a really good time. The snow was incredible with over 2 feet of snow in a 3 day period.


The picture of above is my daughter making snow angles while resting from the awesome down hill boarding.

I made a few videos that you can watch if you want to which I uploaded to youtube. I will post the links below. These videos are fun to watch if you like the snow life. All videos are on youtube and open in a new window.

Mr Bump snowboarding in white out conditions

My Daughter Snowboarding Gettin Some Air

Mr Bump snowboarding helmet cam awesome conditions


Mr Bump helmet cam snowboarding to the big hill for the big bump

Our second blizzard  and snowiest winter this year breaks our record snow fall in Baltimore, MD which was previously 62.5 inches in Baltimore in 1995-96, and 54.4 inches in Washington in 1898-99.   As of Wednesday afternoon, Baltimore had 72.3 inches so far this winter which beaks the all time snowiest winter record.  Blizzard video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VcPEjdLZtM 

Snowmans NOT, we are talking Igloos, we have so much snow you can tunnel your way all around your yard how cool is that?  The only problem is shoveling out your vehicles, we have had back to back blizzards with over 2 feet each within one week and let me tell you shoveling isn't just shovel and throw, it's more like shovel and carry, then throw, because there is nowhere to throw it, so you have to carrry it to a new pile.  Pretty crazy weather but hey, love driving in it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCbM9Ov6oQ8

Baltimore is bracing for another big snowstorm with 1 to 2 feet of snow expected. Could be a history making snowstorm which should rank in the top 5 all time snowstorms to hit the baltimore area.

Here are the lyrics to my snow version of hit song "Pants on the ground" by Larry Platt on American Idol.

Snow on the ground
Snow on the ground
Lookin' like a fool drivin' sideways through the town


Drivin' real fast
Car spinning round
Snow on the ground
Call yourself a cool cat
Lookin' like a fool
Drivin' sideways with the snow on the ground


Car in a ditch, hey!
Get the snow off the ground
Looking like a fool
Drivin' sideways with the snow on the ground


Car in a ditch, hey!
Get the snow off the ground
Lookin' like a fool
Drivin' sideways with the snow on the ground

Why is my daughters 97 Honda Civic EX Heater Blowing Cold Air?

This happened the other day when I went out to warm my daughters 97 Honda civic up one cold morning. I turned the car on, put the heater on full blast, locked the doors and went inside. After about 20 minutes, I came back out and the engine was hot but the heater was blowing cold air. Huh? It's not that cold outside...

So I do what I usually do when I have car trouble. I called my brother Chris who is a mechanic in Florida. He tells me to let the car cool down then check the radiator fluid level and if it is low, filler up.

So I checked the radiator fluid level, and yes it was low. The overflow was empty and as I looked into the radiator I could not see any radiator fluid. So I started the car, let it idle while I filled it up. Put the cap back on. Fixed, so I thought... My daughter had to go to school so I didn't have time to test it.

When she got back from School, and after the car had time to cool down I went outside to recheck the fluid level. Empty and so was the overflow bucket. So, I called my brother Chris again. He said to first check for a leak, so I filled up the radiator and started the car leaving the top of the radiator off. I turned the heater on full blast and watched the level of the radiator fluid which just stayed motionless as the car idled. It looked like the fluid was not flowing through the cooling system so I called my brother Chris again. It must be the Thermostat he said. So, I asked him does he think this is something that I can fix myself? Yes, a couple of dollars at the auto parts store and another gallon of anti-freeze.

Important. I am not going to walk your through replacing the actual thermostat but I will provide some helpful tips.

1. When removing the original thermostat, make sure you look at it as you remove it and make a mental note to yourself how it came out as you need to make sure you install the new one in the exact same position as the old one came out.

2. When at the auto parts store, make sure you purchase the gasket along with the new thermostat. If it doesn't come separately, make sure you open the box in the store and see if there is one inside the box. If not, ASK the auto parts store for a gasket.

3. After you have everything put back together, fill up the radiator and start the engine. Leave the radiator cap off and turn the heater on full blast. IMPORTANT: During installation you lost anti-freeze, you will need to keep filling up the radiator to force out the air bubbles. Even though the radiator looks full keep pouring in more radiator fluid, the weight of the fluid will force the fluid through the system. Trust me on this, it may look full but it's not.

4. Once all the air bubbles are out of the system and the heater is blowing hot air, fill the radiator overflow bucket up to the FULL LINE.

5. Dont forget to replace the cap on the radiator.

This cost me about $25 in parts, anti-freeze, and about 1 hour of my time to complete. Well worth it for a do-it-yourselfer like me.

Mr Bump would like to wish everyone in Bumpland a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!