We knew the weather was going to be bad, and indeed, it was raining as we left the RV park at Visalia. When we reached Tejon Pass, the visibility became very poor for a short time. (Thanks to my friend Sue for setting us straight on "Tejon" Pass. When you're on I-5, it's "Tejon". On I-15, it's "Cajon". Okay, got it.)
You might think with such limited visibility, folks would turn on their lights and slow down. Ha! You're so funny! Of course, it wasn't long before we came upon this mess.
We must have arrived not long after the accident that caused this because the back-up wasn't very far. All four lanes were closed because of an overturned truck. We could just squeeze by on the shoulder of the road.
Okay, and we white-knuckled it the rest of the day. The weather improved off and on, but I really can't stress enough how crazy fast and reckless the driving was. It was unbelievable. Here we came upon another mess on the Hollywood Freeway.
And these were only the accidents that hadn't yet been cleared away. We came across half a dozen areas where cars were facing the wrong way, but pulled off to the side so that traffic could move again. There was standing water on the roads, and folks driving fast enough to produce rooster tails in both directions. Did they slow down? Oh, you're so funny. No, they did not. Obviously, those cars facing the wrong direction were hydroplaning, and lost control. Good grief.
And I haven't even talked about the wind debris blocking things. In one spot, there were so many tumbleweeds against the side barrier that the lane was closed off because of them. And then there was this big guy.
Finally, we were off the interstate and onto Hwy 78 that runs through Vista, where Mike and I grew up. We were all set to breathe a sigh of relief to finally be able to make some time when we came upon yet another back-up. This one was caused by a downed power line.
The one in the image below was still intact, but fallen over. Shortly ahead there was one broken off into splinters, obviously hit by some driver. That, no doubt, ended badly for the human occupants of the vehicle.
Had we not been so committed to our destination, we would have pulled off earlier in the day. We were being very careful, and never felt that pulling off was a must. Still, the commitment kept us moving forward. We have pulled off for lesser weather and traffic than this.
We made it to Borrego Springs after dark. It was 9 hours of driving to cover just 330 miles. Quite a day. The wind last night was ferocious, but it's beautiful this morning, and there's no rain in the forecast for the next two weeks.
We got a good night's sleep the last two nights with both kitties on the bed with us. They make a little more progress every day, and they are traveling well. Smitty has been out for a few walks, and Maggie is holding her own. We met up with our friends, Deb and Tom, last night and had dinner out. We're just getting going slowly this morning, and we'll meet up with them in just a bit. We're so glad to be here and off the road. The rest of the trip should be smooth sailing.
15 comments:
goodness, what a day trip. Glad ou are safe and sound and can relax a while to recover. enjoy your time.
What a horrible day on the road. Stay safe and enjoy the rest of your holiday.
:o I am totally scratching my "drive down through CA instead of through Montana" plan for moving now. Glad you made it safely, eventually!
I hope you waved as you passed us. Going through that pass (Tejon) also known as the Grapevine, is scary any time of year. I've probably been one of those scary drivers on occasion. The downhill around the curves is especially scary and I'm surprised there aren't more accidents up there. After the long drive through the San Joaquin Valley, it's always a pleasure though to start up the steep grade because I then can smell home....and smog, gack. Yesterday was definitely not a good day to be traveling, so very glad you made your destination safely and hopefully with nerves still intact. Are you enjoying today's winds?
Definitely a high stress drive, but I'm glad you made it safely to your destination. I hope you get to enjoy the rest of your adventure and have plenty of beautiful weather to make up for your journey.
QuiltShopGal
www.quiltshopgal.com
You made me tense just reading about this, crazy people everywhere. I'm glad you made it safely and can relax for a bit.
That kind of traffic would have me crying to go home, lol.
Glad you made it safely and can't wait to explore with you.
Debbie
That's much more eventful trip then anyone would want. In case you are wondering, it's no different here in Oklahoma. We had similar storms right after Christmas and drive home on the turnpike was a nail biter. Glad you got where you were going safely and have good weather to look forward to.
California and rain. Not a good combination. If there has been a dry spell road oil builds up and rain pools. Slick, slick, slick! On top of that it's as if no one has ever driven in rain before and no one slows down. Glad you made it in one piece. (There was 6" of snow in Tehachapi on Sunday. Glad to see no snow on the Grapevine for you.)
Sounds as if the kitties are glad for being in one piece also. After such a stressful day and if the wind is howling, it's time to overcome any differences to be next to mom and dad as it is very comforting place to be.
That is crazy insane! I don't understand what about getting in a vehicle makes people so reckless... and Holy Tumbleweed Batman!
So glad you are safe. I can never understand people who do not turn on their lights in rain and fog. Here's hoping the bad weather is now behind you.
I was thinking of you on Sunday when that wild storm blew through San Diego. We don't usually get gale-force (65-85) winds and up to 3" of rain in one day! Trees were blowing down all over the city and officials were asking people to stay home. I'm a California native and I haven't seen a storm like that since a tornado moved my carport in Ill. We have branches down in the backyard and we lost the cover on the gazebo but we were lucky none of our trees came down. Stay safe out there. Borrego should be lovely and Yucca Valley is a wonderful place to visit now.
Also, by law in Calif., if your windshield wipers are on, your lights must be, too. Just saying......
So glad to be of service Barbara! I confess that our friend, Mr. Google, did assist me. Sounds like it was a "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" last Sunday, indeed. And I was just working at the Colleges in my little basement office while all that wildness was going on. Whew!
That looks like a nerve racking day.
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