May 20, 2016 - Snow closes Summit!

This year was not a banner year for snow. It was also not a bad year since we had plenty of snow at Christmas for our ever other year family reunion.  But just as we had begun to think about pulling out the summer lawn chairs, we were hit by a major snow storm that closed I-80 from Baxter to Truckee.

I left Woodbridge for the lodge at 4:30 on Friday (I know, I know - should have left sooner).  Got stuck in traffic on the Capitol Freeway and then finally started to break free when I reached 80.  Called Jim to have him check on the weather since it was raining buckets in Sacramento.  He said it was snowing on the summit, so I asked him to check the chain requirements (I hate to put on chains).

That is when I found out that there we so many spin outs on Whitmore grade and the summit, that the highway patrol had closed the freeway.  Since I had some time to kill, I stopped by one of my favorite thrift stores in Sacramento.  Called Jose to let him know about the road closer.  Then I headed off again.  Checked the chain controls - the freeway was still closed at Baxter.

Next stop - Taco Bell in Auburn to get Quincy some cheese roll ups (his favorite) and me a taco salad.  We sat in the car eating and killing more time, while the weather went from cloudy to sunny then back to cloudy again.  Checked chain controls again - still closed.

So off we went to Safeway to pickup some food supplies, bought some gas and headed up to Colfax.  The highway had trucks parked in long lines at every off and on ramp.

At Colfax, decided it was time to take a nap (it was 9 o'clock) and parked at the local McDonalds (along with about 10 other cars waiting for the pass to reopen).  At 10:30, Jim called to let me know that all the hotels in the area were full from Auburn to Colfax. I decided that I should get some tea and use the restroom, then chanced it that the road was open and the chain control recording was wrong.

Started up the summit and everything was pretty clear.  There was a lot of snow, but the road had been plowed so I just took it slow.  I was the only car on the road for quite a ways.  No one was in front of me, and it took a long time for cars to show with their headlights behind me.  I got to Baxter and the chain controls had been lifted and moved up to Kingvale.  Called Jim and Jose to let them know and headed for our exit.

I wish I had been as lucky with our road as I was with I-80.  There was about 8 inches of snow on the road and only one set of tire tracks for me to follow.  I do not have four wheel drive.  But I was carrying so much big timber, that I thought my new tires were properly weighted.  I just took it snow and made it to the lodge.

It snowed all night and rained the next day.  We had Jose and two guys there working with Jim.  We started clearing some of the debris from the new property that we purchased next to the lodge and setting up for a bonfire.  But it was raining so hard on Saturday,  I could not get the fire going.

Sunday was a big work day.  Jim and team started installing the big 6 by 6 posts around the deck for the screened in porch.  I worked on burning the piles of branches at the new lot.  Later Jim and team installed the 6 by 8 post headers and worked on the support wall for the structure.

Monday we had a new propane tank installed and upgraded the exterior gas line.  Then back home again.  The sky was getting darker as I left the lodge.  Who knows, maybe another epic snow storm?