November 28: Winter Wonderland

At this time of year two things are going to happen. Two things that happen every single year and at least one of them has probably happened since the dawn of time. The first is that in northern climes it will get cold and it will snow. No way around our winter weather. The second thing is that drivers will be unprepared mentally for this change. Even if they have winter tires, they will approach the white stuff like it is the very first time they have seen or driven on it. Taking this into consideration, the odds are that this person behind the wheel in this pic is more than likely to hit the guard rail or go off into the trees, instead of going around the bend. This sort of behavior drives me around the bend.

Now before you say, "Hey Barry, what makes you so great?", please keep in mind that I'm a very tentative snow condition driver. Hate the slippery stuff and am overly cautious, but that being said, I haven't ended up like this unlucky driver......

Wonderful balancing act and a very good way to have you and your car go viral. Now, I realize that there were contributing factors to this poor soul's unfortunate drive home, but my point is that somebody screwed up and didn't drive according to the conditions.

No doubt because of our northern weather, the sales of suvs have skyrocketed over the past few years. The added attraction of all or four wheel drive makes many (most?) drivers feel invincible. How that explains their popularity down south, I have no idea. And as you can see from this photo, here is a family that wants to cover all their bases, all the time........

Snow? No problem! Just pick your weapon of choice. I guess that with all their money being spent on so many Jeeps, they couldn't afford the more winter friendly and more comfy hardtops.

A winter accessory..........

Winter tires. Lots of deep tread to help you, along with some uncommon common sense. Both will go a long way to making the winter much less of a dreaded season. But even with these on your steed of choice, a good friend to help push you thru the deep stuff might be necessary.......

.....since you gotta remember that even with those wonderful winter treads, you are definitely not invincible.

And about those suvs or 4x4's, remember that they are a help, but they are guaranteed not to protect you, if you persist in driving like an idiot. It's often been said that a really good suv will simply get you into trouble further off the beaten path and in deeper snow. Think about that the next time you see some cowboy (cowperson?) flying past you on a snow covered road at double the sensible speed.

The same goes for those of you who can afford to drive your ultra expensive summer ride thru the winter, because it has AWD and the most expensive winter rubber you could lay your hands on......

No matter, when those icy conditions send your DB11 head first into that wonderfully solid wall of snow.

So maybe the next time you are faced with this.......

......you should resort to this........

Enjoy your winter!

Until next time........