'Snowplow vs. Blizzard at 7,000 Feet'

The gigantic Pacific blizzard has snarled and held traffic from

crossing the Sierra for eight hours until several feet of blowing,

swirling snow can be brought down to a driveable level, then police

escort packs of autos with traction chains on their drive wheels over

the high Sierra on California's Interstate 80 in near total darkness

and, further, visibility almost obscured by blowing, swirling snow,

blocking headlights, then suddenly, the snaking line of cars is passed

by the blazing lights of a road grader/snowplow, passing by trying to

open the 'fast' lane, startling the car drivers who try to keep from

skidding off the ice-slick road. Your ratings, critiques and

observations are invited and most welcome. If you rate harshly, very

critically, or wish to make an observation, please submit a helpful

and constructive comment; please share your photographic knowledge to

help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! john

Taken while 'snaking' in that line of traffic climbing up the Eastern slope of the Sierra to the summit of I-80 in the snow and not even knowing what that glare of lights overtaking from the rear was except it 'had something to do with snow removal' so I took the photo.

Driver's side window was rolled down, camera was held out window, and this shot taken on 'instinct' which some may say was 'shot blind' (but not really 'blind', though, as 'instinct' resulted in pretty good framing, exactly as wished for).

john

John (Crosley)

Exposure time for this 'on the go' photo (both vehicles and snow moving), 1/10th sec, ISO 1600, Nikon D200, again, shot without use of viewfinder.

iohn

John (Crosley)

You deserve at least a 6 for just being at 8k feet during a blizzard!

Maybe I just ought to have my head examined.

After eight hours stuck in traffic with no place to pee and no exits, there was no place to go but forward, over the pass, follow the leader.

But you know me by now, I just took a camera and placed it in one hand, with everything preset and every time I passed a truck or a truck (or trader/plow) passed me, I had that (power) window, snow blowing into the car and was taking photos.

In any case, that snake line of cars was only inching its way to the crest of the Sierra, so there wasn't much speed involved.

It's really not as reckless as the initial presentation makes it appear because of the low speeds involved and my extensive experience driving on snow, plus chains on my drive wheels and a freshly plowed road (filling in with snow very fast, but sanding being done right in front -- still inches of snow underneath the car and ice below that, though, no bare pavement.

I'm an experienced low speed ice and snow driver (and won't drive at high speeds), and sticking a camera out the window was not really a safety hazard, since I really did NOT look where I was shooting and did it by INSTINCT.

But I'd happily take a good rate for this is anybody thinks it's good; I like it very much, though it's 'cutting edge' and many may reject it for lots of reasons.  

It may just be hard to understand for some.

I used to drive that pass (Donner Summit Pass) quite regularly, so I know all its twists and turns . . . . which made things much easier for me.

My worst moment on ice and snow was losing control in Vermont as a youth in a Volkswagen with bad steering (pulled to one side), braking and losing control on a very, very long bridge over a huge and wide raving and fishtailing across two lanes of traffic on 'black ice' early one morning.

It was a newly-purchased second-hand Volkswagen and the dealership promised me that they had renewed the steering and there were no problems with it, but not only did it have a steering problem so subtle it only showed as a 'pull' on ice and snow (not regular pavement) but it also had a slightly pulling brake, so if you hit the brakes, it was certain to try to send the car into the beginning of a spin.

There was no oncoming traffic, or I might have killed someone or just as bad, have gone sailing off that bridge 100 or 200 feet down into that ravine.

I have HUGE respect for control on icy surfaces and ALWAYS drive slowly, and even then have seen it so slick that you could not even stop a stopped car so that gravity would simply pull it down a slope from a stopped position.

And it's always worse the closer to freezing it gets.  

Traction gets much better as it gets VERY cold so the ice doesn't melt from the weight of the vehicle.  Pressure causes ice to melt, and a vehicle's weight will cause ice/snow underneath wheels to melt and cause extremely hazardous driving if the ice underneath is just barely below freezing; few know that.

(These hairy moments relived just for writing this comment . . . . causes me practically to break into a cold sweat . . . . helpful this hot summer anyway).

Thanks, GJ.  I imagine the Rockies present their own problem for you, especially in the start and end of the season when it hovers around freezing and the snow/ice is especially slick.

john

John (Crosley)

The caption and any comments that refer to altitude of Donner Summit should read '7,000 feet', not 8,000 feet.  Donner Summit's roadway does not climb to 8,000 feet, though nearby ski areas that are part of 'Donner Summit' do indeed climb that high.

I apologize for my memory failure and take total responsibility.  I place great value in accuracy in comments appearing under my photos; hence this correction.

john

John (Crosley)