My VX snow video from today

[deermagnet]

We've been having some incredible winter weather the last two months, yet there have been almost no winter pics, vids, and stories posted here. We need to get going people! This latest storm is going to affect a huge part of the country. Just get out and take a pic of your VX in the driveway or any local scenery. We'll take a look at anything you have.

We had a nice little storm this morning before the big mess hits tomorrow. I went out to shoot some video from the pass seat of my VX while on the back roads. It's nothing special. Take a look if you're bored.

Two sizes, same vid. WMV files only.

2:17, 11.2 mb, 320x240-
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/vids2/2-1-11sno.wmv (http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/vids2/2-1-11sno.wmv)

2:17, 24.1 mb, 640x480-
http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/vids2/2-1-11snow.wmv (http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/vids2/2-1-11snow.wmv)

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/img/vx4/snosign.jpg

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/img/vx4/bearice.jpg

There could be epic conditions over a large part of the country by tomorrow night. If you do go out, please be careful and stay safe. :yesy:

Mark Griffin (a VX lifer) :_steering

http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/gizmotimetempbig_both/language/www/US/PA/Dunmore.gif

[Bob Barker]

I'm so happy to be living in central FL right now! Heck, today I was running in shorts and T-shirt outside and even got pretty hot and sweaty from it!

[nfpgasmask]

Its been cold, but sunny and clear in Reno! In a way, I'm jealous of you guys getting all the snow.

Stay safe.

Bart

[MSHardeman]

Watch out for the temperature drop coming behind the storm. We got just a little bit of snow here in the Aspen valley yesterday, but today the high temp was 12 degrees. It's supposed to get down to -15ish tonight and probably won't get much above zero tomorrow. The wind chill is making it feel like -30something and that's just unpleasant.

Be careful out there.

[Scott Harness]

ICE ICE BABY!
Dallas always gets ice instead of snow...area is mostly shut down...hundreds of 18-wheelers stuck on the road since 9am...single digits tonight
I can't bitch too much...some of you people live in Fargo!:p

[mindaugas]

Our high in Denver was -4, we got a little bit of snow, I did a doughnut ...

and look at the pic in my sig, it snowed the day after I got mine. I thought it was a sign, but apparently not. Oh well, I need to train anyway and I hate working out indoors.

[IndianaVX]

If I could get into the vx, I would get the camera and take a pic, but the truck is presently under at least 3/4" of ice. I did go out early thismorning backed up a couple of feet, then slid about 20 feet. Pulled back in my spot, and called it a day. I now know what a caged animal feels like. No one going anywhere for a couple of days.

[Scott Harness]

If I could get into the vx, I would get the camera and take a pic, but the truck is presently under at least 3/4" of ice. I did go out early thismorning backed up a couple of feet, then slid about 20 feet. Pulled back in my spot, and called it a day. I now know what a caged animal feels like. No one going anywhere for a couple of days.
Same here...the couch is my friend...some cool dude got his rock-crawler out and pulled a bunch of people up the highway probably on CNN or youtube

[Mile High VX]

Our high in Denver was -4, we got a little bit of snow, .

And I had to go to Phoenix this week and miss all the fun...:bwgy::smilewink:bgwb:

[deermagnet]

http://image.weather.com/images/maps/current/curwx_600x405.jpg

Look at those tight packed iso bars in CO and around IA and IL. The wind must be fierce. There's everything from a tornado threat down south to dangerous ice and blizzard conditions up north. :(

http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/mag/imag/cold.gif Mark http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/mag/imag/cold2.gif

[CrnCnn]

Sweet Vid, I miss the snow sometimes. What was the audio in the clip?

[vt_maverick]

We must be on the opposite side of this phenomenon. Today it was 42 and sunny, tomorrow it's supposed to be 70 (:eek:) and windy, then back down to a high of 41 on Thursday.

I thought the world was supposed to end in 2012? :confused: :p

[IndianaVX]

http://image.weather.com/images/maps/current/curwx_600x405.jpg

Look at those tight packed iso bars in CO and around IA and IL. The wind must be fierce. There's everything from a tornado threat down south to dangerous ice and blizzard conditions up north. :(

http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/mag/imag/cold.gif Mark http://www.wtv-zone.com/markg/mag/imag/cold2.gif

That first red dot to the right if the "L" is right above my house. Yes, it is windy, and there is the strangest sound from the wind, and what I think is all the ice cracking on the tree branches. I've never heard anything like it. Very erie!

[ibmx2]

love it!

[deermagnet]

What was the audio in the clip?
Yeah, I knew someone would find that song interesting. When choosing the music for my vid, I wanted something subdued to fit the slower driving speed and the winter scenery. Yet I didn't want it to be too quiet and boring. This song came to mind 'cuz of that great vocal piece that makes you listen as well as watch the vid. His tone of voice, the words, the strain in his voice and breathing just work great with that music.

The song is called Kobresia off of Substrata (http://www.amazon.com/Substrata-Biosphere/dp/B0000057OQ) by Biosphere, which is really just Geir Jenssen from Norway. It's from 1997, but I just discovered it recently and it's amazing!

The voice heard in the song is from a documentary. A russian telepathic is trying to identify an object on a table in another room.
This is the translation-
"This is either a metal, or... if it is a metal, then it's painted... cold surface... This is either a metal, painted, or could be a plastic... Colorful, there are... Bright... Seems like... is this a toy, probably? The surface is smooth, but... there are some bumps on it... Even the finger stucks in it... Probably it is... some marks, or is this a letters?... Or just a bumps... Looks like a toy... Colorful metal, or a plastic, painted as a metal... That's all.. Stop."

I've been looking for new music, and ambient and ambient house are what I've been listening to lately. Another incredible album I discovered is Lifeforms (http://www.amazon.com/Lifeform-Future-Sound-London/dp/B000003RVR) by Future Sound of London from 1994. It's over 1.5 hours of ambient and techno and probably some other genres that I listen to almost every day.

I also picked up a bunch of stuff from The Orb, after hearing their recent album with David Gilmour called Metallic Spheres (http://www.amazon.com/Metallic-Spheres-featuring-David-Gilmour/dp/B003YWUTKM). Amazingly beautiful music!

This is a YouTube vid for Kobresia. Listen to the whole song. It changes near the end with some great piano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2KkaRLiyxg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2KkaRLiyxg)

This is another song from Substrata I want ya to listen to called Sphere of No-Form. It's absolutely amazing and unlike anything you've ever heard in your life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr2odxE0vGw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr2odxE0vGw)

I just have to wonder how much incredible music is out there that I would love, but I don't even know it exists. :(

BTW, I can go off-topic like this 'cuz I started the thread. :p

Mark Griffin

[Ebenezr]

It was about 80 here today and very humid. All that moisture is headed north. I enjoyed your video. I miss the snow.

[mindaugas]

Pandora and Last.fm would probably make good friends for you

[VCrossfan]

Very Nice Mark...I'm in central Illinois and we got hit hard...

[WormGod]

Weather is weather here. Rainy, snowy, sunny, the only major concern we have is traffic. DC being the worst traffic area in the states, I would rather have the blizzards.

In the last 2 months, we have probably only raked in a total of 18" in my area. I personally enjoy the snow though, as long as I can have the roads to myself. ;)

[tomdietrying]

Got to sleep in late again today. School was closed another day today.
Peace.
Tom

[deermagnet]

Well, this storm hardly impacted northern PA at all. Yesterday morn we had 4-5" of powder that I was out in at the tail end. It was quiet all afternoon. Last night it started as sleet, with possible heavy icing predicted. This morning I awoke to just a thin coat of ice. Something we see several times each winter.

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/img/vx4/1306.jpg

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/img/vx4/1307.jpg

The local news reported no bad ice in the area. So we were lucky. Today we'll see a mix of rain, sleet and snow with a high of about 35°. I'm off during the week, but if I had work, I wouldn't have missed any time at all.

I know many others are suffering bad. Just hang in there and ride it out. Spring is right around the corner. :yesy:

Mark

[VX KAT]

And I had to go to Phoenix this week and miss all the fun...:bwgy::smilewink:bgwb:

Dang, we were in Phoenix most of the day Monday...coulda met up for a drink or something! Let us know if you're in town again.

[VX KAT]

If I could get into the vx, I would get the camera and take a pic, but the truck is presently under at least 3/4" of ice.

Take some pics of your ice truck, that would be cool to see!

[nocturnalVX]

The VX got me home from work last night. 10:30 P.M. Even though it got me out of a 3' drift in our work parking lot and all the way home in very limited visibility, I'm sad to say that it didn't do it without suffering. My "Check Trans" light came on when I was 2/3 of the way home. The good news? Still under warranty! :dance:

We'll take some pictures and maybe video in a little bit. Right now we are focused on hibernating...

[Cobrajet]

I work from home, so I wasn't forced to go out in the snow. I don't mind driving in the snow, I just don't want to subject my VX to the chemicals they treat the roads with. I also prefer to distance myself from the other "expert" drivers on the road during these fun times.

However, I did shoot some video of the tree damage I found in the back yeard from the wet heavy snow we got last week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPpADyM24N8

[nocturnalVX]

Here's a pic of the VX parked in front of the house.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/February_2010_Blizzard_006.jpg

I moved it a little bit and the check tranny light was no longer on... maybe it healed itself? Yeah right... it's going into the shop ASAP!

[vt_maverick]

Nice pic! :thumbup:

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

Well, this storm hardly impacted northern PA at all. Yesterday morn we had 4-5" of powder that I was out in at the tail end. It was quiet all afternoon. Last night it started as sleet, with possible heavy icing predicted. This morning I awoke to just a thin coat of ice. Something we see several times each winter.

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/img/vx4/1306.jpg

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/publish/mgpa/img/vx4/1307.jpg

The local news reported no bad ice in the area. So we were lucky. Today we'll see a mix of rain, sleet and snow with a high of about 35°. I'm off during the week, but if I had work, I wouldn't have missed any time at all.

I know many others are suffering bad. Just hang in there and ride it out. Spring is right around the corner. :yesy:

Mark

Ditto! Carbon Copy of your experience 'cept I did work through it and as you said...stuff we see all the time!

[RickOKC]

According to the news, we got about 12" of snow in Oklahoma City. It's hard to tell because we also had 30-50 MPH winds. My yard, for example, was blown bare in places and there are 4 foot drifts in others. Snow blew in under and around my garage door and I had a 2 foot drift inside the garage! Also had to work on a 3 foot drift across the driveway and dig out a trail from the doggie door to the bare section of the back yard. (Actually did that one first - the poor dogs look kinda "backed up"!)

I couldn't help myself - I had to get out an play in the VX. I'd never driven a 4x4 in snow before and I'm absolutely amazed at how well it did. Around lunch time I had to rush home because traffic started picking up and, WOW, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Tailgating, texting, people passing in the rutted, un-cleared lanes, 3-4 cars at at time running red lights, pulling out into traffic as if the pavement was dry... Utter chaos! Every half mile there was a new winner in the "Stupidest Thing I Ever Saw" contest.

I didn't get to take many photos and those that I did snap were blurry as usual (my camera does NOT like snowscapes.) But one came out. Someone slid into a ditch and was pulled out. I'm pretty sure it was either a Dodge Ram or a Dodge Ram.

http://members.cox.net/radamsokc/Ram.jpg

[VX KAT]

I didn't get to take many photos and those that I did snap were blurry as usual (my camera does NOT like snowscapes.) But one came out. Someone slid into a ditch and was pulled out. I'm pretty sure it was either a Dodge Ram or a Dodge Ram.

http://members.cox.net/radamsokc/Ram.jpg

I love it, a grill print! Glad you made it home in one piece!

p.s..tip on taking snow pics with an autoexposure camera....if you can make adjustments on your camera, use the exposure compensation to over expose a few stops...will make the snow appear true white...not grayish. It comes out gray because the autoexposure program in the camera is always trying to make it a neutral, so the white snow ends up gray tone, like in your pic.

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

..................and then this dick in a pick-up pulled right out in front of me!




http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/Image.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/19880)

[vxaddict]

Here's a pic of the VX parked in front of the house.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/February_2010_Blizzard_006.jpg

I moved it a little bit and the check tranny light was no longer on... maybe it healed itself? Yeah right... it's going into the shop ASAP!

My VX never made out of its parking spot in front of my condo. Snowplows immediately encased it in a 4ft snow fortress this morning. I'm waiting for the guys to come back and dig me out tomorrow morning now that the blizzard has stopped.

[nocturnalVX]

I'm PMing you my phone #... call if you want me to try to pull you out of that drift.

I just pulled out a stuck Kia Sorrento from across the street. There were a bunch of people trying to shovel/snow blow it out of the parking space, and they were amazed when I pulled a U-turn out of my spot, hooked them up & got them on their way in 2 minutes...

The VX ROCKS!!! :thumbup:

[pbkid]

i wish you guys could send some of that show our way... we have plenty of cold this week, but very little snow :(

i LOVE it when you get huge amounts of snow like Gill's pic

[deermagnet]

It's hard to believe so many people would even get on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago with 70 mph winds coming off the lake in a blizzard. :_confused

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2011-02/59171631.jpg

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0148c845052a970c-800wi

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0147e23c1624970b-320wi

Mark

[deermagnet]

Another storm will bring snow to Houston tomorrow and ice and snow in many of the same places as it heads for the northeast on Saturday. :sighy:

And we thought last winter was amazing. This is gonna be a crazy month! :yesy:

Mark

[vxaddict]

It's hard to believe so many people would even get on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago with 70 mph winds coming off the lake in a blizzard. :_confused

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2011-02/59171631.jpg

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0148c845052a970c-800wi

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0147e23c1624970b-320wi

Mark

That first photo of an abandoned Lake Shore Drive (LSD) will probably be THE representative pic for the Chicago 2011 blizzard. However I haven't seen the other two. I did see a really creepy one of an abandoned CTA bus with the doors left open. All of the seats were covered in snow and the whole thing just looked 'dead' and ancient.

[vt_maverick]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0148c845052a970c-800wi

I wonder... does this qualify as wind or flood damage? Guess it depends on how long it sits... :p

[tom4bren]

It kinda looks like there may be a baby seat under all that snow.

Why would anyone abandon their car with the door open like that?

[Exclamation]

and passenger window down? o.0 almost seems intentional......

[argoolsbee]

My theories: (1) someone took the opportunity to break into an abandoned car, (2) wind blew something that broke it, (3) plain old vandalism

[Ebenezr]

I would have taken a section of guardrail out then done a u turn....or maybe head for that cyclone fence.

[deermagnet]

I was just thinking that Speed TV show with O'Hare Towing in Chicago must have a bunch of great stories from this blizzard for new shows. :yesy:

Mark

[deermagnet]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2011-02/59185351.jpg

Lake Shore Drive was open this morning. They must have worked around the clock to get all those vehicles and snow removed. :_steering

Mark

[Triathlete]

This morning in Tucson it was freak'in 17 degrees with the wind chill 3 degrees...in TUCSON! Needless to say I still ran but relegated the bike to the indoor trainer. To cold for me. The good news is just as fast as it came (2 days ago we were in the 70's) it will be gone. Mid 50's tomorrow, 60's friday and back to the usual 70's by the weekend.:tweed:

[Mile High VX]

I was in Tucson on Wednesday in my short sleeve shirt...it was great and much better than the -10 back home in CO...the wind was a bit nippy though...:bwgy::smilewink:bgwo::bgwb:

[Triathlete]

Dude you gotta call when you are in town. Could of done breakfast, lunch, or dinner (the perks of being retired).

[vt_maverick]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2011-02/59171631.jpg


Looks like the Lake Shore Drive "incident" is a hot topic in Chicago:

http://www.suntimes.com/3637840-417/lsd-drive-heads-lake-shore.html

[Mile High VX]

Dude you gotta call when you are in town. Could of done breakfast, lunch, or dinner (the perks of being retired).

Next time in I will. This was my first trip and needed to spend all of my time with the business owners to see what they needed.

I'll be back in April/May.

[JAMAS]

Lake Shore Drive was open this morning. They must have worked around the clock to get all those vehicles and snow removed.

http://jalopnik.com/#!5750855/how-chicagos-using-the-web-to-reunite-519-snowpocalypse+stuck-cars-with-their-owners