Day 2

And I thought my decisions to Just Keep Driving yesterday were questionable. Holy crap was today a flat out logical mystery.

I got up, checked out, and got on my way. For some reason I had the idea I should get chains. 'Cause, hey, I-80 in winter, I guess. Donner pass, cannibalism, all that fun stuff.

So I drove around for a while trying to find an auto parts store.

If Reno is a pretty working class town, why couldn't I find an auto parts store? Couldn't even find a Pep Boys or Schucks - and those guys are like roaches (or PT's) in Vegas.

Finally I gave up and decided to just get on 80 and start heading west.

Just as I left the city limits, what should hit my windshield but sleet. That's not a good sign. I've got a small pickup. No 4WD for me. No weight over the driving axle. I can barely move when it rains. Really cold rain is just going to kill me.

So I kept going.

The little signs that say "chains required when flashing" weren't flashin. Hey, that's a good sign, right?

Jackass....

I passed the border into California. By that time it's snowing. Big fluffy flakes falling gently onto the windshield of my OH MY FUCKING GOD I'M GOING TO DIE....

So I kept going.

Finally I got to the "chain control area". This translates to "it's snowing, jackass, put chains on or the CHP marches yo ass back to Nevada." Thankfully there were guys selling chains and installation services. $60 + tip for a set of chains and installation. Score!

Well, I shouldn't say it was a good thing. Had I not gotten chains I would have just gone back to Reno and stayed at the hotel for a couple days until the storm passed. That would have been relaxing. That might have been the smart thing to do. Guess what, kids? Uncle Binky ain't too smart.

Driving through the Donner pass, snow falling around me, feeling eerily crushable by the eighty thousand pound semis on all sides... Not a fun time.

Some highlights:
1) On a banked curve, the semi that was passing me started sliding down the bank towards me. That warmth I felt wasn't Jesus reassuring me, I'm pretty sure I wet myself.

2) Some guy ditched his truck. No one stopped to help. But they did all stop. This was after I'd taken my chains off (I gave in to peer pressure, eveyone else was doing it). By the time people figured out that if they weren't going to stop they should at least keep going, the road was covered in snow. I was stopped on an incline. A steep one. Through skill and perseverance (although most likely just dumb luck), I managed to get the truck moving.

3) My chains got stuck. On the tire. I couldn't get the passenger side chain off. Took me about 20 minutes. By the time I was done there was over an inch of snow. On me. There was more on the road. I looked down and decided I'd just made a mistake. But, ya know, what the hell.

4) Somewhere in there I realized I didn't bring a jacket with me. Good thing I'm about as honkie as is possible.

5) With not much room in the cab of the truck I figured I should keep the expensive stuff like the cameras and laptop in the cab. My clothes? In the back of the truck. 'Cause, really, it's almost summer - it's not gonna rain on me. Once it stopped snowing, it started raining. For 150 miles. Until I got to Pacifica. Then it stopped. For an hour and half.

6) At least I got to eat at Tam's.

7) Chains + Low Profile Tires = Rides Like Crap. So much so that I was worried I was doing damage to the tires.

8) Bay Area drivers are the least cooperative drivers in the U.S. In Vegas they run into things a lot, they're bad, but at least for the most part they cooperate. In the Bay Area they don't.
a)I saw some guy with his turn signal on, indicating that he wanted into my lane. So I opened enough space in front of me for him. He reacts by refusing that space and pushing into the lane ahead of the guy in front of me.
b) I saw another guy turn his turn signal on. There was enough space to change lanes. Then he turns his signal off and waits for the space to close up, then lurches over into the lane. Huh?
c) Two lanes were merging, everyone's got room, we're not really slowing down. Nothing to stress out over. So some lady rides the car ahead of her so that I can't merge in ahead of her. Awright, I guess everyone's got their issues.

I think L.A. is the only place I've ever been where people understand that if we all just cooperate we'll get there a lot faster. And maybe Singapore.