It has been a stormy week here and rain/snow records were broken in many places. I'm one of those people that delights in dramatic weather. I have wonderful memories of hurricanes, storms and blizzards that stretch all of the way back to the 50's. But, that's another story.
This morning I had been checking the traffic cams all over Northeastern California and Northwestern Nevada, just to see the roads I used to use when going to work each day. At the time, traffic had been stopped on I-80 over Donner Pass. This was something I would see often when I was working in Sacramento and or the Bay area. It was usually stopped during a big storm so that the plows could clear a decent path through the drifts. Once it re-opened, the CHP would 'ferry' a group of about 10 cars at a time, over the pass, until conditions improved.
When working in Reno, it was a daily commute from Janesville. And back, of course. It was 75 miles each way and a very nice drive during the 9 months of good weather we used to have. But in winter time, it was a different story. In the early morning, the falling snow would usually wake me early. Yes, the fallen and the falling snow dampened all noise and it was the silence that would wake you. If I started my drive early enough I could get on the highway (US 395) before the plows did. The plows would always leave a thin layer of snow that would quickly turn to ice. The snow I drove on seemed to give me some traction. The disadvantage was the fact that you couldn't see the road. But, I had driven the road so many time, it was quite easy to find my way. Plus, there were reflectors on posts that were always visible. We would usually get 6" to 12" of snow, so driving was fairly easy. It was even easier if you could come across a big rig on its way to Reno. If they were moving at a reasonable speed, it was best to get in behind him and let him find the road while you followed. You had to be sure that the driver knew you were behind his long trailer, so you would drift over to the left every once in awhile so that he could see you in his mirror. Even better, back in the days of CB radios, you could talk to the driver and let him know what you were doing. I had a CB radio in both of our vehicles, for safety.
On those mornings, I could make the 75 miles in about 2 hours. In the middle of summer it was a 1 and a 1/2 hour drive....this post was supposed to be about working and it ended up starting with weather and ending with driving in the snow. I would call it 'Working'.
This blog started 14 years ago. If interested you can start at the beginning by going to this entry and start going up from there.
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