Getting to the ocean before 2010
I don’t know why I don’t live closer to the ocean. In fact I don’t understand why the Universe has decided that mountains and deserts were all that I was gonna get for the last 8 years. I mean I exaggerated a little, for I did get to see plenty of ocean traveling around the country from coast to coast with BAS the last 5 years.
Now post-BAS and post-married life, I find myself seeking out every opportunity to be close to the sand and the crashing waves and the soaring seabirds and the salt in the air. I am putting forth my message to the Higher Powers loud and clear: I would like to spend more time by the sea in 2010!!!!
I have been invited by my friends, Dick and Jenny B. to spend time with them in the Santa Cruz area. So I took off and drove straight west on solstice night to hurry to the waves. Most of the drive went very smoothly, including the entire length of Wyoming; which for those of you who’s ever had to drive through the state, know about the unpredictable and tempestuous blizzards that could strike at the most inconvenient moment. But Wyoming was bone dry the entire stretch of I-80. It only started to rain and snow a little as I was about 100 miles from Reno.
Having experienced 9 winters in Colorado, I naturally thought nothing of the little sprinkling of precipitation. I also conveniently ignored all the traffic signs that warned about “chain requirement”. So I finally arrived in Reno with a ravenous hunger at around 8pm and checked myself into the In-n-Out Burger by Sparks. After a greasy sandwich, I was ready to push through the final stretch of my journey. As I kept going up the mountain, I started to pay attention to the number of vehicles, trucks and non-trucks parked on the side of the highway to put chains on their tires. As I approached Truckee, a few miles from the summit, it occurred to me for the first time that I might have to put on chains like everybody else in order to be allowed to proceed. And sure enough, a couple of miles after that realization, I found myself stopped at a checkpoint in Truckee, amidst all the semis and non-semis, 4-wheel drive vehicles and non-4WD ones. I was informed that if I wanted to drive on to and through the summit, chains were required on my car.
The gentleman who broke the news to me ran an on-site “chain support” business. He offered to sell me a set of chains and offered to put them on for me for a package deal of $70. But I declined. Not only because of how much he was charging, but mostly because I was tired enough that I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of putting chains on and taking them off and putting them back on again. Especially in the cold, in the dark and in the snow.
What happened in the next 16 hours was definitely an interesting study of my tendencies as a human and my relationship with the Universe. So after I bade the chain support guy farewell, I veered off the highway and found myself in downtown Truckee at 9pm. I kinda just drove around town trying to decide what to do next. I was definitely annoyed with the Universe for this inconvenience. I left Colorado to get away from the snow, and there I was, 16 hours later, stuck in the snowiest and coldest place in the Sierras, indefinitely…
So after going around the block the 4th time, my tired mind and my swollen right foot decided that it’s time for me to quit driving and retire for the night. The question was, ‘where?’ The answer was, ‘here in the car.’
It really was interesting to note that, one, I was such a ‘cheap’ person, not willing to even consider the possibility of finding an affordable lodging with a bed and hot shower, and two, that I didn’t bat an eyelid to the potential danger of being frozen to death with temperatures expecting to drop below zero in the middle of the night.
So basically, I found a little corner spot in a parking lot in a strip mall, parked and blasted the heat for about 3 more minutes, turned the car off and curled up into my sleeping bag at the back of my 1989 Toyota Camry station wagon and went to sleep.
So obviously I survived the experience, as I am now sitting here in a cafe in the Mission in SF a week later, having just dropped Dick & Jenny off at the airport to fly to New Zealand for their 6-week long camping vacation.
The rest of the story was just me waking up in the car around 8:30 in the morning, the insides of the windows were all frosted over with condensation from my hot steamy breath overnight, and the outside was completely covered in snow. It turned out to be just fine; my sleeping bag did what it claimed to do, I waited till around noon before they finally lifted the chain advisory. Until then, I really had no idea how much longer I might have to wait. I was having intimate conversations with the Universe the whole time and checking my phone for the status of the freeway. And it wasn’t when I finally gave up and pulled in to a gas station ready to purchase my first ever set of chains that I looked down at the freeway and gasped in ecstasy that the roads looked completely passable and no semis were parked on the shoulders unlike the chaos that was just 10 hours ago.
I learned quite a few things from this whole experience. But I have to say, the biggest lesson I learned was once again the transient nature of Life. I was reminded once again of how if we gave things and events and people time, they would all eventually run their courses and move on. Of course, here I am mostly referring to unfavorable situations. But I think it is equally important for us to keep this in mind with things that we love and enjoy. I think we will start to cherish every little moments of our lives and live each moment and love each other to our fullest heart-capacity.
It is closing time at this coffee shop, it’s time for me to bring this story to a wrap and go get something to eat.
For those of you reading this, I love you all and I wish us a magical year ahead and most importantly, that we live out the remaining 4 days of this year with grace and embrace all the little and big miracles that happen every moment.
to be cont’d.
