Holiday travelers to the Mother lode were certainly blessed this weekend with perfect weather conditions. We’ve been enjoying daytime temperatures in the low to mid 60s and lots of sunshine.
Our family decided to make a trip to the valley for supplies and a fast food fix — we can’t wait for Arby’s, In-N-Out or Hometown Buffet to open in Sonora — assuming the rumors are true.
I found a fabulous floor lamp. We liked it so much after it was assembled that I decided to purchase a second lamp, when I made the trip to Modesto to pick up my car keys. Wouldn’t you know it, our son decided he had to have a Wendy’s burger — I enjoyed my meal so much, I ended up forgetting my keys. I frantically called grandma & granddad for assistance. They drove across town after 9:00 p.m., to pick them up. (Thank you grandma & granddad! You Rock!)
I made arrangements to retrieve the keys from Granddad and treat him to lunch at Hometown Buffet. We had a lovely lunch. With keys in hand, I spent all afternoon searching for window blinds, only to return home frustrated and empty-handed.
It wasn’t the weather that had me at my wits-end by nightfall, since I was prepared for that. I knew from our previous trip on Sunday that Modesto was experiencing cooler weather than Twain Harte, so I had taken along an extra jacket. Heading down the hill, Sonora was fogged in at noonyesterday. Once I reached Oakdale, the fog wasn’t an issue, I drove around checking errands off my list as I went.
It wasn’t until the drive home that I began to panic. I made it as far as Oakdale before dusk but was so tired that I decided I needed a break, so I stopped at K-mart to shop awhile. I brought home a t-shirt each for the guys and a couple posters for my anything-Sonic-crazed teen. Of course it was pitch-black out by the time I finished shopping.
The westbound traffic was bumper-to-bumper coming down from the mountains. I kept my eyes glued to the road and tried to stay calm. So far, so good, until I ran into more fog. I switched on the fog lights, breathed in a heavy breath and continued east on my journey home. Then it began to sprinkle. Doing my best to stay calm, I continued to drive — wishing I could see well enough to pull over and rest.
It was at this moment my husband decided to have a meltdown. He knows I hate to drive at night, in the rain — he also knew it was foggy. When he hadn’t heard from me for awhile, he began to text me, when that didn’t raise a response, he started calling.
Let’s recap: I was driving up the mountain, in the dark, with a procession of headlight shining in my eyes (some of them on high-beam), in the rain and the fog, with my cell phone barking at me. Mental note: Why did I choose that ring tone anyway? I drove for about ten minutes under those conditions praying for Jamestown to magically appear on the horizon. I was never so thankful for Jamestown in my life.
Finally, I could pull over, gather my wits, call my frantic husband and relax a moment or two. Did I mention that I had been leading a procession of cars? The cars tha tI had been following must have set speed records, they had left me behind miles ago. The cars following me, were happy to do so and refused to pass me — I was so thankful they maintained a safe following distance behind me.
Take my advice… If you come to Twain Harte, give yourself plenty of time to get off the mountain before dark. You will be glad you did.
Did anyone notice all the police on the road yesterday? I think I saw over a dozen police cars before I made it past Jamestown on my travels to Modesto.
