|
| |
|
NOTHING WRONG WITH
STAYING AT HOME |
|
Did you sit at home during the holidays? Did you long for the
open road, envying others who were able to get away for a few days? Well,
this story ought to erase any jealousies you might have.
It's not about me, it's about my daughter, her husband and
their soon to be 5 year old and 3 year old daughters. They jumped in the
car from their Mill Valley home at 6 a.m. a week ago Tuesday, on their way
to their cabin in Tahoe City for a few days of skiing.
Why 6 a.m.? Well, they're not crazy. They knew Interstate 80
was closed due to heavy snow, but Highway 50 was open. With their early
start, they were thinking they might even make it by 10:30 or so. They
knew they'd probably hit some traffic, so 4 ½ hours seemed like a good
bet.
Lo and behold, they made it by 9:30!! Unfortunately, it was
9:30 P.M., 15 ½ HOURS AFTER THEY LEFT HOME.
A big rig had jackknifed right before the summit, closing
Highway 50 completely. They sat for five hours, unable to turn around
because of the divided highway and gridlock. No cell service, spotty GPS,
and the snow was starting to fall again.
In the sixth hour, they started to inch along and finally
found a spot where they could make a wide turn and head back down the
mountain. That's when they got stuck in deep snow.
After almost two hours of digging, they managed to get moving
again. Highway 50 was still a mess and showed no signs of improving. They
heard 80 had reopened, so down the mountain they went to connect with 80.
That was a mistake. It took another three hours to get over
Donner Summit. Chain control, bumper to bumper traffic, and darkness. They
now had cell service, so I naturally asked her how the girls were doing.
"Better than I am," was her only reply.
It would have helped if they could have got out of the car to
play, but the girls were still in their pajamas, their snow clothes at the
seemingly unreachable cabin.
Finally, 15 ½ hours after they left home, they arrived in
Tahoe. Their vacation could begin. It was time to do a little skiing.
Little did they know, their adventure was just beginning.
Leaving the girls with some friends, they headed out on
Thursday, when the sun finally came out. Good weather, fresh powder---it
doesn't get much better than that. Apparently, everyone else thought so,
too.
They chose Homewood Ski Resort, the closest to Tahoe City.
After their marathon drive, they didn't want to fight the traffic to Squaw
Valley (I'll eventually call it Palisades Tahoe---just not yet). It can
take two hours to drive the 10 miles to Squaw on busy days.
After waiting one hour for a shuttle to take them from the
auxiliary parking to the lifts, they paid $200 each for a one-day ticket.
Yep, $200 each. At Homewood, a relatively tiny ski hill. Obscene.
Nevertheless, the skiing was fantastic for the two runs they
got in before their chair lift broke down, leaving them stranded 30 feet
in the air.
After waiting 1 ½ hours in the very cold weather, they
realized a rescue with Ski Patrol ropes was at least another couple of
hours away. Teenagers were starting to jump the 30 feet into the fresh
powder. So far, they had all survived. And it was getting really cold.
My son-in-law jumped first. He's a surfer, so he thinks he's
a teenager. My daughter was too cold to film him with her phone, so there
is no record of him jumping. But there is of my daughter.
The video he took is both scary and hilarious. She's alone in
the chairlift. She's kicked off her snowboard and is talking with the
crowd below.
"How old are you?" one teenager asks.
"I'm 40!" she replies. "I've got kids!"
That probably shook a few teenagers up. But they didn't
dissuade her. She crawled out of her seat and hung from the chair,
lessening the distance of the fall. Nowhere to go except down.
With a mighty scream, she let go and dropped 30 feet into six
feet of powder. She literally disappeared.
Next thing you know, her head appears, and she had only one
thing to say to her husband and the teenagers: "I'M ALIVE!!"
So if you were sitting in your home last week with a good
book or watching a great series on Netflix, feel good about it. No crowds,
no lines, no airports, no traffic. I'm sure that's exactly what my
daughter and son-in-law will be doing for Christmas week next year. |
|
|
