Winter Embarrassment...

In the almost 3 decades I have been driving, I have been driving full size rear wheel drive V8 sedans.  I know how to drive them in winter.  I have been stuck in snow less than a handful of times.

AND SO it is with some embarrassment that I type up this post!

The other day, it was in the upper 40s and sunny here in Massachusetts.  That meant snow was melting BUT still hiding ICE underneath.  I pulled into a dirt lot to take a photo of an unusual locomotive.  It never came (assumed it stopped down the tracks to work) and what ended up happening?  I decided to leave... 

Now, even though Vic 1.0 has been gone for a while, I STILL can't get used to the larger turning radius of Vic 3.0 (due to the wider track).  I misjudged a 3-point turn and the front wheels pushed into a berm of snow just before the side of the road.  I had to stop to make sure no cars were coming.  And that was what did me in.  Normally it would be no big deal, BUT Vic had enough time to sink through the watery snow and onto the ice hiding under it!

It took:

• about a half hour of time
• a bunch of sand
• a cheap emergency shovel
• an old pair of plastic get-me-unstuck mats (one of which disintegrated)
• much embarrassment 

... to get the car free.  I couldn't even rock the thing, as the snow tires simply had nothing to rock against!  Sand did NOTHING.  A slight push would have helped but I was alone and few cars drove by.  

OH, and while I was stuck there... the locomotive stopped RIGHT next to me.  I took a break and nonchalantly took my photos. 

In the end, basically, once I saw that the rear tires were burning through the ice, I knew EVENTUALLY I'd hit dirt and that would help.  FINALLY I was able to get free in reverse (unusual, especially with directional snow tires).  I stood there, looking at the aftermath, thankful the road in front of me is lightly traveled, and hoping the train crew didn't notice I was stuck.

Chalk it up to "experience".  Also chalk it up to "ice is NOT snow"!

At least I got a photo... not the best BUT I got it...

Vic 3.0 Chats With a Relative

I was walking back to Vic 3.0 from a Dunkin' Donuts and what did I see parked rather obviously next to me?  Oh, notice who had the snow tires on and who didn't!

Snow Vic - 2/6/16 Edition