Today after seeing the Common Pochard yesterday Bruce, Ken and I headed north. The plan was to avoid the windy snowy pass on Hwy 199 and instead drive up 101 and come across where the hills were less high. Along the way we wanted to check for the King Eider that had been seen near Coos Bay, OR and then closer to home drive the loop road at Ridgefield NWR. We headed north on 101, and by the time we got a bit into Oregon the snow on the Hwy 101 was getting heavy, and on trying the side road to the Eider spot turned back because of deep snow on unplowed roads. Then after going a ways farther north a state trooper had closed the Hwy due to wrecks blocking the road on a hill. We had to turn back, and came across on Hwy 42 to Rosewood. This road was not too bad, but a major detour. As soon as we got onto I-5 the snow was again heavy, and we again slogged north for a couple of hours or more before the weather cleared, and the drive was clear the rest of the way. Anyway it was dark before we got to WA so Ridgefield was off and we just drove all day, about 10 1/2 hours all told. Still we got the Pochard, so a success.