Busy Week!

I know everyone is busy getting ready for the holidays, and so are we, but that's not all that's keeping us busy this week.

On Sunday we got to see Laura and the kids (friends in Bakersfield). It's been too, too long and it was lots of fun to catch up over dinner. The girls had fun meeting the pets and kept the cats busy with toys until we went outside to try the hammock and foosball table. It was great to see them!On Monday, Noelle came for a visit. We had grand plans to get all sorts of Christmas stuff done--lights up on the house, cookie frosting, making krumkake, getting the tree. . . It didn't quite happen that way. On Tuesday afternoon, Ben called to see if we all wanted to go skiing on Wednesday because Pei had just been able to switch her work schedule. It was too late for Erik take a vacation day, but we decided that Noelle & I would go. This is how Wednesday went:

3:30am Alarm apparently goes off
3:45am Noelle comes in to wake me up and tells me that I've hit snooze twice and she's tired of hearing my alarm
4:25am We load up the car and leave for Pasadena. As we get close to the Grapevine we see signs that CHP are escorting vehicles along a nearby route and decide again that we probably can't stay until the hill closes as we'd like to be back through before it gets totally dark. Ha.
6:30am Arrive at Ben & Pei's EXACTLY on time. Noelle meets cats and gets quick tour apartment . . . then we watch them search for their ski/snowboarding gear ;-)
7:30am Leave for Summit
8:something Stop to grab breakfast and coffee. . . instead get something akin to dirty dishwater
9:something Start to run into snow; stop at "Chains Required" sign to apply said chainsAfter this the time becomes a bit fuzzy. . . we drove slower and slower in heavier and heavier snow until we finally came into Big Bear Lake--only a few miles to the hill!

. . . except the road to the hill is closed. Snow is plowed up against it actually--seemingly no intention of re-opening it soon. We grumble a bit because now we have to drive around the lake to get to the other access road (and could have come a different way if we'd known). In the meantime, more snow. We can't really see the lake though we're driving right alongside it. It's pretty though!

Traffic is heavier and slower now as everyone is re-routed and joins traffic from the other route. But we're moving. And then we weren't. At all. For a long time. And then we can finally see why. A delivery truck (...uh huh) is sitting in the road, blocking both lanes. Apparently he started to slip as he went up the hill. Then the driver walked by our car, calling out to someone behind him, "I'm not moving! I'll just slide. No, I'm not moving!" Riiiiiight. . .

So Ben gets out to see what he can see. There are cars in the ditch on both sides of the road all around the jam--people who tried to pass and people who tried to turn around without enough room. We help push a couple out and then get turned around ourselves, deciding that it was time to give up and head back.

We don't get very far. Because people further back in the line, apparently believing that the long line in front of them were just taking a little driving break, started passing them. So now there are two solid lanes of traffic stopped and facing the same direction. Smaaaaart. We hop out to help push a car who lost one of their chains, and Ben goes to see how far back the stupidity goes. We tell as many people as we can what's going on ahead so they can turn around and not cause more problems. . . and the majority reply with something like, "But. . . we want to board!" Uh huh. Good luck with that. Ben is helping folks merge into the correct lane at this point, finally making enough room that the 4x4 in front can make a path mostly on the road and traffic can start moving. Now the responses are more like, "But look! Traffic is moving now!" Yes, yes it was . . . and clearly not because THE SMART ONES WERE TURNING AROUND, THEREBY MAKING MORE ROOM IN THE STUPID LINE!

We stopped several times on the way out to help folks push out of the ditch, and had folks stop to help us out once as well when one of our chains came off. We did have one scary moment just when we were almost out of the snow. We'd gotten down to a low enough elevation that there was very little snow piled up on the sides of the road when we hit a patch of snow/slush/ice and spun in a very slow circle through our lane, through the oncoming lane and into a guard rail. Freaky, but we were able to drive away and think that the dent from the guard rail will be able to be popped back out. Thank heavens for guard rails!

2-ish pm We arrive back in Pasadena, stop for a couple frozen pizzas, and head to the apartment where Ben built a lovely fire. Ben & Pei then got stuck with two house guests because the grapevine (the highway through Tejon Pass, back to Bakersfield) was closed due to snow, along with all alternate routes. So we settled in and watched movies, ate yummy chinese food, had a cat fashion show, and SLEPT. The highways didn't re-open until the next afternoon, so we didn't get back to Bakersfield until 5pm--but we did finally get here! An unscheduled adventure, but good to be with Ben & Pei! :-D

Next week we'll be in Santa Maria for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Patrick & Debra, and meeting the boys' father and half-brother, and on Friday night family will start arriving here!

Safe travels and a happy, happy Christmas to all!!