Oakhurst White Out Memories

Before today the quilt in the frames was an item that screamed at us all the time: Figure out what to do with it! Roll it and store it, find someone that hand quilts and give it to them or let it sit.  Now I think I can work it.  It has been a little amazing. I was somewhat down today, bittersweet posting some pictures of Mom and stuff but being able to work on the quilt brought about a new emotion that I seldom have, it was almost hard to identify.  I was happy and it lasted.  That's a big deal.  It kinda felt like Mom was beside me urging me on and encouraging me.

We got caught in a white out a few years back. I didn't have snow chains nor winter tires.  I looked at the upper windows of Vons and told Mom we had to step it up.  It started raining as we went to the car. We got 1 mile and it was sleet. 1 more mile and it was snow.  I pulled over and started to turn around, explaining that I didn't think the car could get around the curves by the lake.  The bar there was known as Snowline - LOL

We went back through town, the snow was down into the town and up the highway over Deadwood Mountain.  I got behind a delivery truck, not a semi but one of those panel trucks.  My tires fit in his tire tracks.  We got up to the top of Deadwood and started down and saw the Highway Patrol closing the road behind us and there were three cars off the road, a couple crunched. 

We kept going.  "It never snows in Coarsegold!"  Uh huh, someone forgot to tell the snow that.  Okay, it won't be snowing at the Indian casino, we can turn just beyond that and go in the southern way to North Fork where we lived.  I mean, it never snows at the casino! 

You can see where this is going.  

It was snowing in Coarsegold, it was snowing at the casino and it was sleet at the turn off the highway.  All the while Mom is over in the passenger seat: "It's okay, you're doing fine. That's it, you've got it. You're doing fine...."  I was zeroed in on the guy's tracks and had good music playing and trusted my car as long as he cleared the way.  We turned and started up the south-east way into North Fork. Past Fine Gold and heading up Walker Grade.  Snow.  Got almost to the top of Walker grade and pulled over.

"You're doing fine, what's up," Mom said. (I could see her shaking, in California if you go off the road in the winter they might not find your car until spring). I told her we might get to North Fork but we wouldn't make the three curves getting into town.

"Call Bertski or Susie and ask if we can sleep on the sofa," I suggested and turned around.  We got back on the highway with snow caked under my windshield wipers and bumper.  We passed cars heading the other way and they looked at us like we were nuts. There was nothing on the weather reports about snow and the rain in the valley was a light drizzle.  WTH?  I looked in the review and saw the message sign from the Highway Patrol advising people that the road was closed at the casino.  No one could get to Coarsegold, Oakhurst, Snowline, Fish Camp or Yosemite without chains.

Her mantra during that ride: "You're doing fine. That's it, you've got this. You're doing good. Steady. You're doing fine."

I had never driven in a white out before and had driven in very little snow but Mom trusted me. Mama