Chains required, but apparently not common sense.

[TallDude]

Paddled in the ocean this morning,  now shoveling snow off our cabin driveway. 

Well, it was a frustrating 5 hr crawl up the mountain,  but comical and enlightening
First of all,  OMG! People got to read their car manuals regarding chain installation.  A string of mini vans chaining up the rear tires. You'd think one person in that large group understands that those vans are front wheel drive?
Then the two custom Shelby Mustangs with chains on the front,  just chipping paint away. 
My favorite is the middle of the road chain installation.  Making the road almost impassable. Again chains going on the back of a mini van. I did roll my window down,  and get them headed in the right direction.  I would say that more than 50% of the chains I saw on cars were not on the drive wheels. 
Then there was hope.  A true mountain warrior.  Like Rick from the old TV show Simon and Simon. A guy with a classic monster Dodge power wagon pulling a double trailer fuel tanker up a steep windy icy incline.  The hill was a good 2 miles long and he had pulled that tanker more than half way up the hill by the time I passed them. Talk about power assist.  That was epic . 
See if I can ski and surf tomorrow. ?

[lucabrasi]

Paddled in the ocean this morning,  now shoveling snow off our cabin driveway. 
.......................
......................
See if I can ski and surf tomorrow. ?

In December? Do it...........go for it........
if the roads ain't like that.

I can't believe that many people using chains.
........all those Californians.......
I guess if you seeing as many people on the road in an hour as I see all day..........
See more and more mustangs and hemi's on the winter roads anymore tho.

[TallDude]

It was bumper to bumper. I lived in the mountains for a number of years, plus have been a part time Big Bear resident  most of my life. I know how to drive in blizzard conditions, but most of the LA flatlanders have no clue. Saw a couple with Beverly Hills on the plate of their BMW X5 with the wide tires. He had just tightened the chains on the face of the tires. Now he was trying to figure out how to get the chsin connected around the back side of the tires .  My 4wd Element does great in the snow. BTW, It's 12 degrees right now.

[PonoBill]

I swear people are getting stupider, or at least less technically competent.

[Dwight (DW)]

Years ago I was in Livermore on a business trip, thought I run up to Bear on the weekend to snowboard. They tell me you can't drive up there without chains, it's the law, they'll ticket you. Say what, I'm from the northeast, near Buffalo, we don't need no stinking chains. They don't even sell chains where I'm from.

Anyway, I buy chains and put them on the rental car. California sure is different 😜😃

[lucabrasi]

He had just tightened the chains on the face of the tires. Now he was trying to figure out how to get the chsin connected around the back side of the tires 

 

To give a little credit our chain law is 4WD, FWD with snow tires, or chains. Most people wait till after the first big snow to swap to their winter tires (and that is an exciting day) but pretty much everyone running something that will get a chain law around here is covered with their rig and tires. Quite a few Elements around here......
I can remember hearing "Chain Law" on Donner forever it seems and only have heard that around here in the last 10 years or so..........after so many Californians had moved out I think. 
Want good winter tires? Blizzaks. I think a season old set of those is still better than a brand new set of studded. Michelin has something similar as do Yokohama, Nitto, Nokian and maybe others. Without question, a set of those puts everything in a different league.

[hbsteve]

Blizzaks are great and a lot quieter than chains.

[Bean]

I swear people are getting stupider, or at least less technically competent.

Yep, lack of know-how.

[PonoBill]

Chaining up the rear wheels on a FWD minivan is a classic. I've watched people do that a dozen times. I've only intervened once, I said "excuse me, I think you're putting the chains on the wrong tires. The guy told me to mind my own business.

OK, yup, you're right, goodbye.

The other favorite is watching people with studs who think once they have them on, they've suddenly become competent at snow and ice driving at the world rally level. Diane and I used to live on a long steep hill in PDX. Watching people decide speed was the solution is my definition of winter fun.

We watched one guy ditch his car halfway up and decide to walk to the top of the hill, talking on his cellphone, wearing his Ferragamo loafers and clutching his briefcase. He fell and his briefcase slid into the middle of the street. He inched across the icy street until he got within a few feet of the briefcase, started to fall, dove onto the briefcase, turning it into a high-speed sled, and flew the quarter mile down to the bottom with his black cashmere coat flapping.

It almost killed me. I couldn't breathe. I'm laughing typing this and it was at least ten years ago. Diane asked me what I'm laughing at and now she's laughing.

[jdmotes]

Glad I'm a Floridian!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[yugi]

"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." - Mark Twain

I live in the mountains. It's not only on the roads the ego-bloated idiots surpass themselves. Lack of common sense never ceases to amaze me.

Same same story on water of course.

[all~wet]

Christmas in the mountains in California is akin to 4th of July on the beach.... it is amateur hour... brings people into an environment they are completely unfamiliar with for that one weekend of the year.  Add a blizzard, or a big south swell and you are bound to be entertained/and/or horrified. In another era, I suppose natural selection would have run it's course, but in this day and age it is usually up to someone... a capable passerby, a lifeguard, a highway patrolman or firefighter to intervene. So much for thinning the herd.

Although the masses has never had so much access to information, been in some regards more adept with "technology" (ok, at least using it)...... the trade off seems much less independent stock... less capable with hands on work, adapting to changing situations.... critical thinking, problem solving. With little reluctance to wait for "help".   Concerning.

In defense of Californians  .... I'll have you know- there is a massive part of the state that is wide open, beautiful, lives way outside the broad-brush, mass media stereotype. Has nothing to do with LA, vacuous reality TV personalities. Is salt of the earth, rural - good people.   

[TallDude]

The ski then surf didn't happen.  Snow was too good. Ran into old friends and skied all day with them. My knees are talking to me right now.
While eating lunch I saw this in the parking lot.  It's 2wd, I checked. 

[Dwight (DW)]

There are so many kooks putting chains on wrong axle, it makes me wonder, are they thinking about how they loose control, then picking axle to chain.

If you drive like an idiot, way too fast, chains on the front reduce push on a RWD. Chains on the rear with FWD would reduce tendency to swap ends.

Twisted logic I know, but might be fun to try it.

[lucabrasi]

It's 2wd, I checked.

Not many of those around but they are out there.
New snow.........friends.....why leave. Glad you had a great day.

There are so many kooks putting chains on wrong axle, it makes me wonder, are they thinking about how they loose control, then picking axle to chain.

If you drive like an idiot, way too fast, chains on the front reduce push on a RWD. Chains on the rear with FWD would reduce tendency to swap ends.

Twisted logic I know, but might be fun to try it.

I have a friend who will chain up the front of his dual axle RWD when going down a hill. Futile if going up. Back when I would hunt I would chain up the front of my 4WD when I was in 4x4 to get me further into the woods. More I think back on some of the things I would do...........I could get anywhere with that Bronco I thought but if I got myself stuck that far back in the woods it was going to be spring before I was getting out I am sure. Something to say for youth and ignorance tho that would border on stupidity. 
Had a FWD Caravan that was an amazing snow vehicle. We bought a set of chains for it and never used them. There wasn't "chain law" postings/warnings at that time out here.
I am the dumb kid from California that when I saw my first blizzard out here I couldn't believe they didn't shut everything down. Scared the crap out of me. Getting close to 35 winters out here later it still amazes me at times that really everything still goes on despite the conditions. I am also to the point that if conditions are just downright treacherous I stay home or where I am at. That usually happens when it warms up and turns everything to water on the snow or ice which seems to happen more often every winter, even in the middle of it and not just in March or April. I am also still the slow guy on the roads but that seems to fit most all what I do.
If they are chaining up their FWD at the bottom of the hill to go up.........or the guy pictured above in his Denali.....plenty of those fools out there still and far more than to think the logistics through of why you would want chains on the non drive wheels.
I love the bullet proof lady in her 4WD Suburban or the local kid with his big ass mudders going 50-60 on ice.......just stay out of my way and don't be on the road when I am please.