|
|
|
|
And craziness fell from the sky in the form of snowflakes |
|
|
Friday, 11 January 2008 |
By Lara Kirkner
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
It all started last Wednesday when I went to Vons. Not only was a heavy storm being predicted with warnings and updates galore floating through town, but a new batch of tourists had also recently arrived for the weekend.
When the parking lot was so full that I had to park near the Booky Joint, I knew my visit was going to be a long one. Living in town for four and a half years, I do know better then to step foot inside the store on weeks like these, but I had no way around it. My cupboards were bare, as was my fridge, and even if the impending storm did not turn out to be as big as they were claiming, there was no way I wanted to have to eat out all weekend with the town 90-100 percent full.
So I braved it. It wasn't that bad. One hour and 15 minutes later I was back outside.
Wednesday turned into Thursday and by that time Vons was completely out of bread. Rumors of what was to be expected continued to grow and KTLA visited town to film people wandering through the Vons aisles.
“I heard the wind was going to be blowing 120 miles per hour on the crests,” said one local Thursday evening.
“Well I heard it was going to be at 150 knots, which is 200 miles per hour,” another local said back to him.
The County was sending out reverse 911 calls to anyone who had a land-line, and that became our town's latest controversy. Were the Town and the County being alarmist? Some argued that they were sending visitors, and the pocketbooks, away from town unnecessarily. Others said sending them home was for their own good, since they would most likely be the people who tried to drive in the middle of what had now been upgraded to a blizzard, and would end up getting stuck or hurt.
The main point that stuck out was that our town is based on tourist dollars, and on a almost fully booked weekend, we were sending those dollars home.
And then, Friday morning, it was upon us.
It started in the wee hours and got heavier and heavier throughout the day. Gusts of wind blew through the streets every now and then, and the snowplows' constant beeping was heard far and wide.
Roads closed and people were told to hurry up and go home from work. Yet there I sat, along with a few other brave co-workers who had made it into the office. I am a lucky one since I simply live around the corner from the office and easily could have walked home if necessary, but there were other brave souls in offices surrounding mine that had made it all the way in from Big Pine. They left in the early afternoon, however, so as to ensure they could make it home before the roads closed for good.
It continued to come down in a wet, heavy pace throughout Friday night. Snowplows, again, were everywhere doing their best to keep the town clean. Many people were walking, but many others were in their cars despite the warnings.
Saturday's snow was lighter and fluffier, but it was coming down so fast that it seemed the snowplows couldn't keep up. Lakeview Boulevard, Horseshoe Drive and Beaver Trail, the few roads I was brave enough to drive on that night, all had several inches of snow piled up on them. It was coming down so hard that at times it was difficult to see.
I made it home safely and went to sleep as the snow fell silently all around me.
I awoke Sunday morning to a parking lot full of people, visitors and locals, digging out their cars. Obviously not everyone had hightailed it out of town, and now we were all going to reap the benefits of what this giant storm had done for the mountain.
The conditions were awesome on Mammoth Mountain, which made me completely forget about the wind that was still whistling through the trees.
Monday morning was the true day to be out there, with the sun shining on bluebird skies, and I envy all those who made it; I had to work.
Overall, this storm, whether overly hyped or not, was just what we needed. Thank you, Mother Nature, for our 6-8 feet of fresh pow!
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent policies and opinions of the staff or owners of the Mammoth Times. Reader response is encouraged. –MT
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 18 January 2008 )
|
|
|
|
