It's been a long depressing spring and summer... Too many bad things followed by too much catching up... And too little blogging.
I am trying to break the funk with a little little trip and the return to the blog...
I am in Carson City Nevada... Here for Virginia &Truckee Historical Society Conference... (yes, I am spending two days listening to speaker discuss such compelling topics as "25 Years of Ore Car Research" but most of the people who know me know I am crazy and love me anyway)
I drove up last night after work... Through the tail end of the first winter storm of the season... Over the Sierras and through the snow... In the dark...
It was a non-event. I drive a 4 wheel drive... It has fresh snow tires... I carry chains for all 4 wheels... I was ready...
My biggest problem with Sierra winter driving is the traffic... Many if not most of the others don't know how to handle snow, don't know how to put chains on (if they even have them) and are generally a menace to them selves and anyone within their tegectery...
My personal solution is to avoid the commonly traced routes; highways 80 over Donner Pass, or 50 over Carson Pass... 80 is clogged with trucks, some of which invariably spin on the ice, snarling traffic for hours... Equally bad are the chain up areas, at there worse a confused mass of folk who have never chained up, using brand new chains that have never been out of the case before, and probably don't fit fighting with each other as to how best untangle them, and fighting with each other as to how to install them, fast getting wet as they kneel in the snow... Their fingers freezing and getting numb... The smart ones surrendering and paying one of the chain monkeys what seems like too much money to install them, the dumb ones installing them badly... Well enough to get by the CHP officer on watch... But are in fact too loose, and eventually, somewhere a few miles up the road break loose, beating the side of the car, leaving a distinctive, embarrassing, and costly scar. Eventually, the Highway Patrol surrenders and closes the road entirely.
My solution is to take an alternate, secondary route... I like highway 88... It's less known... A bit curvy, which to the unknowing is scary... And currently being upgraded... So The Caltrans web site warns of delays of up to TWO HOURS (if they are BLASTING between 13:00 and 14:00)... The curves, the possible delays, the threat of BLASTING, and ignorance keep the unwashed masses away... Last night it worked and I had the road to myself.
It doesn't hurt that the route is 25 miles shorter, and avoids much of the East Bay traffic...
The drive was fine... There was lots of snow (at least for this early in the season). There was more fog than I like, slowing me a little... But I still made good time.
Now I am here... Enjoying breakfast, and about to head for the conference room....
No comments:
Post a Comment