A Ride Into a Storm incl. Video

[PaulG]

On Fri. Sep. 5/14 I cruised to meet some old friends to spend the weekend at a cottage in Port Franks, Ontario on Lake Huron getting Shiite Faced.  After 2 hrs. sleep (I work nights) I left Toronto on a Fri. afternoon about 3pm (an hour late) - what a mistake.  It took 2hrs! just to get out of the city!    Once out I flicked on my helmet cam for the next 4 hrs (RELAX - the video is "only" 35 min.  ).

It was a nice sunny late afternoon, but with a storm system forecast for later in the evening coming in from Michigan across Lake Huron.  Normally I would have arrived before it as I wanted to get there by 6pm, but being 3hrs late the inevitable happened.  I ran right into one of the biggest storms to hit the area in a long time with torrential rain, wind, and big huge gobs of lightning.  Zeus with bronchitis horking down on me.   

The video goes from sun into darkness into blackness being lit up only by brilliant flahes of lightning.  I drove through it for about 2 hours, and I don't think I've ever experienced anything like it.  Some of the lightning flashes I slowed down to 1/8 speed, and the bolts are incredible.  The camera can be seen to flicker on some, either due to the sudden brightness screwing with the CCD or maybe the EMP from the lightning (?)

Why not pull over you ask?  Because there was nowhere to pull over.  I was in the biggest agricultural area of the province - flat with not a single overpass.  The storm didn't pass until after midnight anyhow.  After all, it's only water... I've known these friends for 40 yrs or more, and it took us 6 months to arrange this weekend.  One of them is an award winning home brewer and he managed to whip up 40 gal of various nectars - which the 8 of us swished down along with his own (award winning) wine and a "few" single malt whiskeys.  When I arrived Friday night, there was no electricity, so they were all huddled in the garage around the kegs already pie-eyed when I got there.  They hadn't eaten anything due to the power outage (and refused to BBQ in the pouring rain  ), so they made due with a bag of chips and some kinda' goat cheese  )

They were getting a little worried because I was so late, as the last time I texted them was 2 hrs previous, just as the storm hit.  But alls well that ends well as the Bard said.

Another awesome soundtrack with some spooky classical mixed with some rock'n'roll.  Kieth Moon substitutes for the thunder for some of it.  Hope somebody enjoys it.  I'm still waiting for that call from that damn Spielberg. He promised.

If you can, view this on a large TV via the internet or USB (use Youtube Downloader and it reconverts any video back to mp4's)


video link (still can't seem to imbed these   )


http://youtu.be/7M5PXbkafRw

[TexasDave]

Great video. Good music. Good friends. Good Brew. Cigars. I would ride through all that lighting too!  Dave