Trip Across America

Let’s get something out of the way up front, I’m an idiot. Not all the time, but sometimes. I’m usually pretty good with the book smarts, but every once in a while I have a lapse in common sense. Case in point, I drove my Porsche into a snow bank today. Why? Well, like the proverbial chicken, I was trying to get to the other side. Just on the other side, was the sole parking for the Donner Summit Train Tunnels, and I was not going to be deterred by a small snow bank. In fairness, it really didn’t look that high. I was confident I could drive right through it, famous last words.

I’ll return to the comedy of errors shortly, but first some background. Donner Summit is located high in the Sierra Nevada mountains, along I-80 between Sacramento and Reno. Most people know it as the location where in 1846 the Donner Party became trapped in the snow, ultimately resorting to cannibalism. My visit though, was motivated by the Donner Summit Train Tunnels, one of the engineering marvels of the original Transcontinental Railroad. I’ll skip over all the historical background, as I’m planning on spending a full day exploring the tunnels during the Summer. You can all look forward to a future post on why the tunnels are awesome, and why the Transcontinental Railroad is such a fascinating topic. I originally wasn’t going to stop here on my way to Reno, as I knew there would still be snow in April. But I just couldn’t help myself.

Now that we’ve established my motivation for being there, we can return to my snow adventure. Determined to see the tunnels, I decided a little snow was nothing to worry about. Wishful thinking. Ignoring the fact that my car has maybe six inches of ground clearance, I drive forward into the snow, the last hurdle between me and that glorious parking spot. Initially there’s no problems, the snow parting as I inch forward. But as I got three quarters of the way through, I was stopped in my tracks. The shifting snow had concentrated towards the middle of my car, eventually amassing to the point where I was stuck. That horrifying sound of engine revving and no forward momentum. Then the inevitable moment of clarity, that was a really dumb decision.

Getting out of my car to assess the situation, a second realization, that snow bank was bigger than it looked. I’ve got some work to do. Embracing my pioneer spirit (they also liked German sports cars), I prepare to dig myself out. Luckily I have two things working in my favor. First, it’s early in the day, only 2:00. Second, I’m blessed with nature’s snow shovel, the tree branch. I scour the area looking for a suitable branch, sturdy, but also with the right dimensions. Finally I settle on one and get to work. As you can imagine, trying to clear snow from underneath a car using a tree branch isn’t exactly efficient. If there was ever a situation where the phrase “Winging It” was appropriate, this is it.

Slowly but surely I begin to make progress. Despite the snow on the ground, it’s almost 80 degrees, and at over 7,000 feet this is feeling like a workout. Not being in a rush, I stopped to take regular breaks, soaking in the views of Donner Lake and the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. With it being Spring Time, snow still blanketing the peaks, but runoff starting to form mountain streams, I feel like I’m living in a Coors Light commercial. While I didn’t have any Coors Light available, I did have my stash of Gatorade. To placate my mother’s constant fears that I’m going to be quote “stranded in a ditch somewhere”, I’ve made it a habit of stashing drinks in my trunk whenever I’m road tripping. Not so much because I’m worried about being stranded, but rather I’d prefer to never hear the phrase “I told you so”. In this case it worked out, as I must have gone through half a dozen before I finally got my car free.

After about an hour, I’d cleared enough snow to where it looked like I should be good. In a moment of fortuitous timing, a couple of guys drove up just as I was finishing. They kindly offered to give me a push, in case my snow clearing job wasn’t totally sufficient. Sure enough, the car was still reluctant to budge, but with the extra push I was finally free. Turns out they were visiting Donner Summit for the same reason I was, so we stopped and chatted for a bit. While chatting, one of them noticed the reflection of my “bookshelf” in the window. This was actually pretty funny, because the few people already privy to my traveling reading list find it quite hysterical. I’m not sure I fully grasp the humor of it, but if it makes other people laugh, I’m all for it. I’ve included a picture so you can judge for yourself. Practical organization system or crazy eccentric?

Either way, after the snow debacle, I got to see the tunnels, and I’m already looking forward to coming back in the Summer. Unlike the Donner Party, I didn’t have to resort to cannibalism to survive, and I’m writing this from a casino on the other side of the mountain in Reno. I’ll have to replenish my Gatorade supply, exhausted after a strenuous afternoon of wielding a tree branch, but that’s the cost of doing business.