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By Michelle Portesi
Happy 2017. What the new year will bring is anyone’s guess. We hope you and yours had a wonderful and safe holiday season. Emphasis on ‘safe’. Mother Nature has really been putting us through our paces lately, with copious snow one day, then below freezing temps, and warm, torrential downpours the next. Slick and icy roads and threats of flooding all add to the driving hilarity. Mix in the usual holiday crush of crowds, road accidents and frustratingly long traffic delays seem to abound, which makes for a long commute to just about everywhere.
In other words, it’s just like a normal rush hour in L.A. or the Bay Area, while driving through 8″ high mounds of 7-11 slurpees or a sheet of frozen ice pops. Good Times…
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But this too shall pass.
If you’re heading out on the road, allow extra time for travel, bring plenty of patience, water to drink (Coffee, Hot Cocoa?), maybe some snacks and a gas can – just in case . I myself idled away a quarter tank of gas for 3 hours just getting from Squaw Valley to Truckee. Even though I could SEE the gas station from where I was, the complete road gridlock made me fret I would run my tank dry just before I could reach it…and therefor become part of the problem. Thankfully I had a gas can in my car so I could pull off the road and hoof it over to the station before disaster struck, if for no other reason than to give me peace of mind that I wouldn’t get stranded. ‘Be Prepared’ is a motto not just for the Boy Scouts.
In hindsight, I probably should have just turned around and grabbed a bite to eat and a glass of wine in Squaw Valley’s village for 3 hours…
Speaking of which, Squaw Valley will be shooting off fireworks on the mountain every Saturday night at 6pm to keep you entertained in town instead of stuck in traffic on Highway 89.
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Yup. Holidays in a tourist town…
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And the same ‘take it easy’ attitude would do you well in the grocery stores too. I personally try to avoid the them from Dec. 21 through January 5th…or longer. The racks always look like a swarm of locusts ran down every aisle, devouring everything in their path anyway…but hey, that may be just me. Make sure you’re stocked up before big storms though so you’ll have food to eat!
It’s a good idea to sign up for Nixle on your smart phone. You’ll get alerts about accidents and warnings on threats in the area. http://local.nixle.com/alert/5817611/
If you’re on Facebook, ask to join Truckee/Tahoe People. I’ve gotten faster, more up to date eye witness info on road conditions, power outages and other hazards in the area than with any news outlet. Having issues come up on my news feed has saved me a world of frustration and wasted time, especially on any possible jaunt to Reno or venturing any further than a mile. www.facebook.com/groups/410275252360759/
There are also a bunch of apps you can download to your phone to help you navigate your way around too, although I haven’t tried any of them personally.
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But enough about that, it’s on to the fun stuff…
To kick off our new year, visit our updated events calendar for what’s happening in our area.
yourfriendinhighplaces.net/events-calendar
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AND THINK OF ME, LYNN RICHARDSON, FOR ALL OF YOUR LAKE TAHOE AND TRUCKEE REAL ESTATE NEEDS!
YOUR FRIEND IN HIGH PLACES 
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