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Wednesday morning I woke up to the pouring rain, it was coming down in droves. It wasn’t long before the rain turned to snow, and the temperatures dropped and you can guess the rest. The roads turned on motorists and created some nasty road conditions.

The Market was packed yesterday, when we stopped in to pick up a few things. I haven’t seen so many tourists in Twain Harte since summer. Everywhere you looked last night there were Subaru’s with car toppers in the parking lot and most of the cars were covered with snow.

I sat at my window and watched in amazement as fancy little cars with slick tires, tried and failed to navigate the hill, only to give up and turn around. The roads didn’t look all that hazardous but if you looked closely, you could see the ice crystals on the pavement.

Many vehicles had to be escorted down the Twain Harte grade by police, due to the dangerous road conditions. There were cars sliding off the road all along highway 108.  It’s fun to play in the snow but motorists need to put chains on and monitor road conditions closely. After dark, temperatures in the mountain can drop like a rock, making already nasty roads very dangerous to travel.

Many Motherlode vacationers will be ringing in the New Year Friday night. I have just a few words of advice.

1. Get where you are going – early and stay put if you can.
2. Don’t drink and drive – plan ahead for transportation or better still get a room, so you don’t have to drive.

Need a ride?

Tipsy Tow Keeps Drivers Safe on New Year’s Eve

AAA will offer free rides home for drivers who have celebrated too much – and for their cars.

AAA is offering a free tow service — and a ride home — for drivers who overindulge on New Year’s Eve. The service is available to both members and non-members. Anyone can call for a free tow, including drivers, bartenders, party hosts and potential passengers.

Tipsy Tow will run from 6 p.m. on Friday night until 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. Reservations will not be accepted.

To get a ride, call 1-800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP), and tell the operator that you need a Tipsy Tow.

AAA will send a tow truck to transport the driver, the driver’s vehicle and as many passengers as will fit safely inside the tow truck (usually one passenger). Rides will be given up to 10 miles from the pick-up location.

“AAA has long been an advocate for traffic safety”, said Matt Skryja, a spokesperson for the California State Automobile Association, Northern California’s AAA affiliate. “The Tipsy Tow program is just another example of that.”

“Tipsy Tow is available anywhere in Northern California. There are no boundaries or exceptions,” Skryja added.

Happy New Year! and Stay Safe!

The day after Christmas has turned out to be a gorgeous day. I had my doubts when the snow began falling last evening around 6 p.m. or so. A good inch of Sierra Cement fell through the night — the snow is really wet. It’s no wonder since the rain and snow fell intermittently right up through morning.

Basically, what we’ve been left with is a thin 1/2″ layer of slush, which, if the sun is any indication it won’t last long. It should be a wonderful day on the slopes at Dodge Ridge, with the fresh snowfall being added to the pack.

10″ of New Snowfall, Temp in the Mid 20’s, Perfect!

Sunday, Dec. 26 – Last night brought 10″ of fresh powder combined with cold temperature in the teens. For today we’ll have low temperatures in the mid 20’s with partly sunny skies and 41 groomed runs, by all definitions its going to be an incredible day on the slopes.

Kohl’s is having a sale in Sonora. If you haven’t already, sign up to receive e-mail specials from Kohl’s. Just today I received an e-mail taunting me with 15% additional savings — even on clearance merchandise. I do love saving money and if you plan to shop Kohl’s anyway, it just makes good financial sense to save as much as you can.

I read a rumor on Facebook over the weekend that Sonora will be seeing the addition of a Petco in the near future. In this economy it’s hard to believe so many large companies are taking a chance on building in Tuolumne County, especially in light of our high unemployment rate. Does anyone else have a sense of impending doom? Let’s hope all these new businesses bring prosperity to our area.

I’ll be cooking our Christmas turkey today (or tomorrow…), since it wasn’t thawed enough to cook yesterday. It was just as well, my guys were still recovering from their wonderful dinner at Grandma’s house. Last night, I warmed up some clam chowder and served it in my own homemade sour dough bread bowl — the results were appetizing.

We spent a nice quiet Christmas day at home as a family. It was refreshing. Did you celebrate Christmas at home at family or friends? Was it everything you hoped for?

Yesterday, Tina Falco reported that the Whistle Stop on Highway 108 had been given a fake $100 bill.

Jamestown, CA– The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department is warning businesses and the general public to be cautious of counterfeit $100 bills.

According to Sgt. Jeff Wilson, the Whistle Stop on Highway 108 in Jamestown received a fake $100 bill early Monday morning.

Deputy Lee Butler who responded to the call, discovered that the $5.00 bill had been  altered to look like a $100 bill that could easily be accepted without a close inspection.

I’m guessing the FBI sting operation was unsuccessful in apprehending the counterfeiters. We were in McDonald’s eating breakfast when two FBI agents were overheard discussing a “buy” from a counterfeit operation — right here in Tuolumne County.

I find it hard to believe they were after someone turning $5.00 bills into $100.00 bills — I guess stranger things have happened. Local businesses should be on the lookout for fake bills. I’m betting this isn’t the last we will hear about this issue.