for piece of mind, but to be able to continue to travel when the highway
> department puts up the signs that say "Chains Required".
I see. In my native state of Montana, its assumed that anybody on the road should know what they are doing and will suffer the consequences otherwise. Chains aren't "required" since good sense is or you die. Things are very different in Kalifornia ...
This is not my
first trip out there or my first time to drive in snow/ice. without posting
> my entire resume, suffice it to say that living in UP Michigan and Kodiak,
> Alaska for a couple of years each, gives me a little experience in the > stuff.
OK, you know what is going on ... pardon my assumptions given your current geographical location. :-)
Except some of them. Ayone with respect for the mountain roads out there will use studded tires or chains when it is bad. I even lived in MT for a while in 90's and travel that state and WY and CO manyyears in winter and I have seen a lot of people 4x4 bite the dust because their magic 4x4 sheild failed.
Yup. Sometimes they run "Chain Control" on the highways headed into the ski areas to make sure everyone has them if they expect heavy snow soon but it's not snowing (or not heavily) right now.
They don't have to be installed - if you have a set of chains /with you/ that fit the vehicle, you can pass. (They'll look at the box, and if there's any question they may make you put one on to prove they fit. So don't bring the 155-13" ones for your Civic to fool them if your truck has 265x16" on it.)
If you don't have any chains you can turn around and either go get a set, or you can go home. This is to avoid the mayhem from City Slickers that have no clue getting up in the mountains, and once the conditions turn nasty then they can't get off the hill.
They don't have enough resources up there - tow trucks, Local Cops or CHP Officers, Firemen, Paramedics and ambulances, and hospital beds
- to deal with the resulting carnage from "Amateur Hour at Wrightwood." And it's never the idiot's fault that he got in the accident, he's a victim too...
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