Needed a boy’s weekend; days of skeet shooting, driving range (golf), evenings of cigars, bourbon (sometimes for a change, the local Tom Cat gin) exceptional food… and let us not forget about DRIVING.
Sorry, no pics. I had both hands occupied with the wheel and the paddles. NY state does an exceptional job of keeping up the quality of the roads through the state park. Vt’s roads aren’t bad. But the smokey has nothing better to do but watch for those going 1m over the limit.

The drive from Canton NY to Lake George NY can be boring if you choose the wrong route. But if you choose the right route…
(my boy and I have an equation; take the posted speed limit for a corner, double it and add 5. To be exercised in clearly the most remote of regions and only “slightly” over the limit on the straights)
With the temperatures hovering around the freezing mark at night, and comfortably warm enough for a light sweater in the days I decided to stay with the summer’s on the car. But I did prepare the tires by ensuring the air pressure was 10% less than called for. At at 38F no issues. At 29F, they were noticeably rigid and just a tad slippy.

The final destination was in fact Manchester Vt. My buddy with his ML63 made an innocent mistake and rubbed the granite curb with his front passenger tire. (I ALWAYS back into a parking spot so this wouldn’t happen to me) Ripped sheer through the sidewall. A local tire shop (Warren’s Garage, the owner is Wesley) sorted us out. Tirerack took 3 days to deliver the 21” tire. I’d go back to that garage anytime. Friendly, competent, fair.

The icing on the cake was a young guy in Manchester hunted us down at a parking lot… he was driving an 07 XKR! (but it wasn’t the right color, ;-). We talked how we were both on the fence about “when” to put on the winter’s.

 

Before Jaguar, I USED to put on winter tires on my cars for safety and stability only. The Nokians I bought for my Jaguar three years ago (still going strong at 3-winters), taught me there is such a thing as "Performance" fun in Winter---so the spirit doesn't have to go on hold until the spring.

Vredestein and Nokian are known for some "winter performance tires" that make you drive the dry bitter salt-trashed roads with the stable responsive feel of June performance rubbers. Not "snow tires" in feeling, but like sporty "performance tires" in feeling. Even though they are clearly have snow-pattern treading.

Come the time you need to replace your winter tires, find out what Winter Performance Tires are available around your area. It's a hard category to nail down, since it's not yapped about too much.

 

Sorry, but despite what was said in the OP, someone had to do it...so it's me.

 

I used to use Blizzaks for winter when I lived in the shyte. Nothing worked better than the Blizzaks. At least way back when I drove in snow. (snow sucks, a lot)

 

How did this go from "spirited driving" to "snow tires"??

 

My 2007 XKR and I reside in Rochester NY. The snow blows off Lake Ontario and if I rolled my car out of the garage at the worst time, snow would be over my front bumper. I run Firestone winter tires on my F-150 while my XKR stays safe in hibernation. Did I mention that they plow and salt the roads, my Winter Gold girl is on a salt free diet.

 

Because "LAST spirited drive of the season" isn't necessarily LAST if you have good winter tires.

 

!!! Holy Crap!! How did it turn to Snow tires?---and LOL, I feel bad that it's half my fault!

No this is NOT to be about snow---my comment was to plead about NOT stopping the twisty spirited landscaped driving just because it's winter. Keep doing the spirited driving all-year round, and yes one way to ace that is to switch to (YUCK, not snow tires) but to some of thos cold-weather performance tires designed with sporty cars in mind. They may not CONQUER snow compared with Blizzaks etc, but that's not what you want them for---you want them for the sporty ride, responsiveness, and controllable stability that a performance car craves on those rock salty dry days.

So sorry, Guy!

But wait, George is right! Give us some pictures---glorious upper NY shots with the leaves off the trees and some brown curving roads. Pull over on the SAFE inside of one of those curves, and take some shots for us.
(you can probably tell, I live down here in grunge central NYC----rat and pigeons and car-wrecks for scenery...)

 

We took this a few weeks ago in Livingston County NY. Beautiful fall drive as long as the deer stay out of your way. First snow was last night.

 

Home of the Eastman School of Music! and the HOG... Good town.

But I have bad news for you... cars are meant to be driven.
Cheers!

 

The Eastman is a fabulous place, I’ve attended many concerts.
Correct Sir, cars are meant to be driven. I plan on driving my XKR for years to come. Thus putting her up for the salt season so I can drive her for many years to come!