Over the River and Through the Woods
Among all the winter driving reminders news media offer this time of year, one important item is: Don't use your GPS to navigate through mountain territory ... whatever the season.
Holidays mean the opening of resorts throughout snow country, bringing hordes of lowlanders to small mountain towns for recreation. Some populations grow by astonishing numbers. Truckee, CA., for example, often sees anywhere from 85 to 100+ thousand visitors each high season weekend, filling vacation rentals and restaurants to capacity. They also clog the roadways with their urban assault vehicles (SUVs) that rarely touch ice more than a few times a years. That's when the fun begins.
A build-up of grease from exhaust fumes coats the asphalt during the warm months. When the first moisture hits the pavement, it becomes an oil slick. Add a patina of frost or ice in shaded spots and spinouts litter the interstate. As I write this, I-80 is closed in both directions over the Sierra Nevada because drivers didn't observe the 30 mph speed limit. Dozens of cars ended up in ditches or nosed against median barriers or other cars. And the ski lifts haven't even started yet.
Every year, we see articles warning people to drive cautiously in winter conditions. Slow down and follow chain requirements. That should be a no-brainer, but urbanites herding big SUVs on winding mountain roads think they are invincible. After all, they're driving a four-wheel-drive, technically superior road machine that guarantees stability without deigning to follow winter driving skills. The car practically drives itself! Well, not yet.
The husband and I fought to control our amusement one day when we passed a young couple standing, embarrassed and confused, next to their SUV that lay on its side in the road. We were glad they were unharmed, but how did they explain it to the insurance company? As navigator, she probably saw the desired street sign and yelled, "Turn here!" He did, cranking the steering wheel sharply while going 45mph. Physics rules the Universe, folks, and he didn't allow for momentum … or black ice either.
Black ice is a tricky little bounder. It lies in wait, its coloration hiding it even from the most prudent driver. I got a nasty surprise one day when I slowed to turn right at an intersection and slid all the way through it. Spinning the wheel frantically didn't help. The terror on my face must've warned the other driver not to enter the intersection even though my turn signal flashed. We were all very lucky. I chalked up another lesson learned. As old-timers in snow country will tell you, even snow tires with studs will not totally grip a road covered with ice.
Other admonitions appear in articles about winter driving. It always bears repeating. Slow down. Carry a set of strong chains and learn how to install them, or fork out the bucks to the chain monkeys who will install for you. AND carry blankets, water, and snacks in case you get stranded in traffic or lost on some lonesome mountain "short cut."
It's this last thing I'd like to warn people about. Do not rely on GPS devices to guide you through mountainous terrain, especially in blizzard conditions. Homeward-bound traffic from places like Lake Tahoe is monstrous. I get it! Bumper-to-bumper from Truckee to the Bay Area is a seasonal tradition.
However, DO NOT RELY ON YOUR GPS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS.
Why not, you ask? Because, as happened during a blizzard in the Sierra Nevada a few years ago, dozens of people thought they could circumvent the freeway traffic jam by taking alternate mountain byways. Our intrepid explorers ended up wedged in snowdrifts on unplowed roads, where they waited for hours, without blankets, water, or food, fnooking with indignation that local search and rescue teams were just not diligent enough in digging them out in a timely manner. Complaints and threats of lawsuits fell on deaf and very unsympathetic ears.
Some of those bucolic two-lane routes can even get you lost in summer, taking you to some burg far away from your expected destination. Our daughter fell into this technological trap when she borrowed a GPS to guide her from Turlock to San Jose for a family function. The little voice led her through a winding backcountry road that was short by mileage but not by time. She finally made it, but it was a nerve-wracking ride that left her in a state of panic.
Another bewildered driver emerged from a mountain road at Mosquito Lakes on Hwy 4 one lovely summer day. Her GPS showed her a route through the Sierra Nevada that would take her from Truckee to Yosemite. It looked almost like a straight shot compared to the freeway route. After we recovered from our astonishment at her story, we advised her to follow Hwy 4 to the Central Valley, then continue southward, paying close attention to road signs and, gosh, maybe even find a paper map to use. It was already three o'clock, so she probably didn't make her 7 p.m. reservation at the Ahwahnee Lodge. It was a very scenic drive, though.
So, it bears repeating: DO NOT RELY ON YOUR GPS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS. Use a paper map! That alone will be a search for the Holy Grail. Even gas stations no longer sell them. It's worth the effort to find one, however, along with a set of chains.
photos by Sue Cauhape
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All my books, Paradise Ridge, When the Horses Come and Go, and Ghost in the Forest are currently available on Kindle.
Ghost in the Forest, is also available in paperback for ten bucks. Paradise Ridge is out-of-print, but the Kindle version is re-edited and better quality. Hard copies of “When the Horses Come and Go” are gone unless that dusty box in the corner still has some.
Book Review of Ghost in the Forest:
"Ghost in The Forest" is a great read! Take note People. If you love stories about environmentalism and nature, its clash with urban mindsets, as well as personal transformation, this is the book for you!
"Ghost in The Forest" is a quick 126-page read. It's the story of Dori, a woman trapped in a mix of grief over parental loss and refusing to accept how her hometown and her friends have changed over the years. Because of this, Dori has become a recluse and a self-imposed misanthrope who finds more comfort amongst the hiking trails around her hometown of Morristown than in her dealings with the raw reality of other humans.
The book, in some ways, resembled Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire” in that the story follows a protagonist's love of nature and angst about humans encroaching on it. In this case, it’s how Morristown is transforming into a mountain biking destination where cyclists run rampant on trails and nature.
However, a tragedy involving said mountain biking becomes a major pivot point for Dori, leading to a series of events that eventually bring about personal evolution and discovery.
If you're a nature lover, this book is a must-read. It beautifully portrays the clash between environmentalism and urban mindsets and the journey of personal transformation. The book's vivid descriptions of nature and the protagonist's love for it will surely intrigue you.
Paradise Ridge Review by western author D. B. Jackson:
If you draw circle roughly around an area that includes northern Nevada, southern Oregon, and southern Idaho, within that circle exists a culture and people who live a lifestyle largely untouched by modern values. These are the "buckaroos" and Basque characters author Sue Cauhape brings to life in her literary novel, "Paradise Ridge".
Leandro, the illegitimate seventh son of patriarch Xavier Arriaga and his mistress, Gisela, is at the center of this intriguing story that travels exceedingly successfully at both the personal level of the characters, as well as the compelling level where the story is told.
Cauhape writes in a literary style that reminds me of Annie Poulx. Paradise Ridge, on the surface, appears to be an upscale Western novel...once inside the pages, you will soon discover a potential classic waiting to be discovered.
I rated this book a 5...because that's all the stars there were.
🤐
I’m not going to add anything. We have several new neighbors from certain sunnier climes who are a legend in their own minds. Laws of physics don’t apply to them.
I prefer to let nature cull the herd!
That photo of the nearly buried stop sign is priceless. Such a great post, Sue. It must be a nightmare every year for the road crews that have to deal with overly confident idiots on the snowy roads. Driving across the mountain from San Jose to Santa Cruz in the rain courts the same disaster. No one slows down and accidents stop traffic for hours every time it pours -- especially during the first rains of the season when the oil is not yet flushed from the road surface....