But we drove up to stay in Idyllwild for a few days just ahead of the major storm that's hitting southern California... and we're getting snowed in. And our rental car didn't come with chains...
Breathtakingly beautiful when you don't have to live through it everyday.
8 comments:
"Breathtakingly beautiful when you don't have to live through it everyday."
That's how I felt about the Austrian Alps. Our bus driver drove those roads every day, and knew exactly how far he could push things, and did so, scaring the @#$% out of his busload of American passengers... including one bus driver among us. That was in 1978, and I still remember that drive.
Sounds like the Mexican taxi driver my stepsons hired... without the snow...
Enjoy the snow, and hopefully you'll be clear soon
Chains? What is it with Californians and chains?
I didn't use chains in New York, Nebraska, Washington, Alaska, or Germany.
Two wheel drive with good tires and a standard transmission should move you through just about anything as long as you maintain a reasonably low constant speed and stay off the brakes. You'll burn a little clutch if things are really bad, but you really can move in snow.
Ellroon, I lived in Idyllwild for about six months teaching at the boarding school up there (that has since closed) back in the early 1980's. I loved the fact that I could be ass-deep to a tall Swede in snow, then get in my Jeep Wagoneer and drive to Palm Springs and be in 80F and sunshine.
(BTW, Idyllwild figures prominently in Small Town Boys, the novel I'm working on at Bobby Cramer.)
I love chains...
Actually, Bryan, it is a reflection of our Southern Californian's deep fear of weather of any sort. If it isn't 80 degrees, we're cold. If it's raining we crash our cars. Thus snow scares the shit out of us... So if there is equipment like chains that will save us from our own antics behind the wheel....
Thanks, Map, we did enjoy the snow from inside the cabin we rented. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Until we saw the car under about a foot of snow. We got to use two snow shovels for about twenty feet of driveway. We conceded defeat and left early from the mountain because even more snow was incoming.
Mustang Bobby, that is so cool! I will think of you when we visit Idyllwild again in fire season. And thanks for the link, I will look forward to reading your story.
Post a Comment