Getting home

[SmartWombat]

... or not, that was the question.
Monday was horrendous, we weren't allowed to go home when the snow started (I won't listen to that manager again) and as a result our cars were effectively snowed in.
Those who managed to get out of the car park didn't get much further, one got to a friend's house at 8am next morning.
I had a call from ReadingR warning me that Chineham was impassable, but by then Basing View was blocked too.
Here's a few views, through the day and my trip home on the garbage heap (aka train).

[SmartWombat]

and the rest of the journey.

[Franglais]

This is 5000 ISO in the Olympus EP-1? That's pretty good. I'm starting to get interested.

I tried to make a picture story out of my trip but it's too boring. I have some good ones of distressed EUROSTAR passengers in Paris but no model release. There hasn't even been any snow in Stratford-upon-Avon. Pictures of my car parked on a sheet of ice don't cut it.

[CaptainPenguin]

I've been lucky working from home all week and its been pretty good weather in the West Midlands so none of the problems you had down south,nice shot of the railway though

[Dylan8i]

You guys on that side of the pond, just need to learn to throw a little salt down. that much snow isn't even enough to plow over here.

[jetrim]

Surely doesn't look like smart car weather though

[gahspidy]

I like the shots of the train station in the snow. Good night scenes and fine results from 5000 iso.

[Ridgetop]

I'm one of those crazy Americans with an SUV (Nissan Xterra) with great snow tires. As long as no one gets in my way I can get home. I live in the U.S. west in the Sierras. Had almost 2 feet a couple of weeks ago. But, I sure saw a lot of two wheel drive cars stuck and a lot of SUVs that were going way too fast. . .now stuck or upside down. It was scary driving around.

[Franglais]

I'm one of those crazy Americans with an SUV (Nissan Xterra) with great snow tires. As long as no one gets in my way I can get home. I live in the U.S. west in the Sierras. Had almost 2 feet a couple of weeks ago. But, I sure saw a lot of two wheel drive cars stuck and a lot of SUVs that were going way too fast. . .now stuck or upside down. It was scary driving around.

An SUV makes sense when you have a lot of wild country, no other vehicles - and nobody to help you if you get stuck. When I visited California and Nevada I was surprised at how much empty space there was.

The problem in places like southestern England and the Paris area is that the roads are full of cars and lorries. Even if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle you can't get anywhere because of all the other traffic which is stuck.

The last two weeks have been difficult because a lot of people have hardly ever driven on seriously snowy, icy roads. It's the first time I've had to do it with my current car which is is six years old.

[freygr]

The is a YouTube video shot on a hill in my home town, in fact there are two videos (there are even more videos I did not find the other video the second video was on a hill in SE portland, the first is in SW portland on a very steep hill jest out of city center). I have tire chains which let's me drive all over without slipping and sliding all over the place. The problem with SUV's and 4 wheel drive's they can get going but can't stop just like the unchained drives and they slide into other cars and trees etc.

Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMzeiMJQrvk and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV8sVeQIqic

[armando_m]

Thanks for the pictures, hope you can pick up your car some time soon!

[Ridgetop]

Your definitely right about not being able to stop. Sheet ice is deadly. Studded tires make a big difference but don't make sense if you don't always have to deal with the ice. I can imagine all those people trying to get home on those city streets must have been a nightmare. One car gets to where it can't move and no one else is going anywhere. Yikes.

[SmartWombat]

Picked the car up today, after doing the last minute shopping.
No problem on the way home except an idiot in an Audi nearly wiped out Angie's car.
Way too fast, wrong lane on a roundabout, and instead of doing a lap and trying again just pulled over in a panic.
She didn't want to go out again.