New Year’s Eve in Mammoth
Ed and I got in at Mammoth around 11pm last night. I didn’t get in the house till after midnight though.
It started to rain lightly just south of Big Pine. The sign in Bishop said we had to put chains on 16 miles north of there, or about half way up the Sherwin Grade. We had snow all around the highway starting in Lone Pine though, so a few days ago it must of been a very slow drive.
We got up to the chain on place, and it said snow tires OK. So that’s good, we just kept on moving. Not even any snow on the ground there, but it was just starting to drift down. A few more miles, and there was a thin layer of snow on the ground, but we were able to mush on. When we got off the highway at Mammoth, the sign said to be four wheel drive or chains. So we moved on in four wheel. That is what I bought the truck for of course. The roads in town are usually plowed well, and there was at most a half inch on the ground. The sign below Canyon Blvd, said that snow tires were ok still, but we left the truck in four wheel drive. Going up Canyon, the road had not been plowed recently. There was a good 3 or 5 inches in places, and only where other cars had driven was the snow pushed down. At 20mph the truck would bounce a bit, and slide left and right over the bumps.
My dad wanted us to park in the garage up on Ridgecrest. But to get there, you have to go on a street that is plowed less frequently than Canyon is. But my dad had the garage shoveled out. But there was no way we could make it up that hill, so we simply shot for the main driveway off of Canyon. Slammed right in to 2 feet of snow. Ed keeps saying that if I was going faster, I would of made it, but that’s not true. Snow will act as a good barrier and create friction, not letting you go over it. Particularly when it’s a few inches above the bumper.
So we were stuck. Tail of the truck sitting out in the street a little.
We start putting on the chains. Took about an hour, as these were relatively new (had only been on the truck once). But we got them on, and shoveled out a spot on the drive way. Parked the truck, and started bringing things in.
I forgot to bring my camera in last night, or else I’d show you a picture. But right now, after the porch and driveway had been cleared around midnight, we have 2 new feet of snow on the porch. It’s going to take me half an hour just to dig to my truck, let alone dig it out.
In the back yard, the snow is up past my waist.
This is a lot more than a week ago, when I didn’t even both pulling my camera out, because nobody would want to see brown muddy dirt.
tonight, probably over to the Savages for dinner. And celebrations will probably be over by 9pm too, but that’s ok. 6 hours of sleep last night…. I want a lot more for tonight and tomorrow night.