White Week Before Christmas

UPDATE: The highway patrol has closed the highway from the bottom of one grade (my side) to the top of the other in the next city up the hill due to extreme snow conditions. In the nearby mountains, many feet are being expected, not just a few inches of snow, and it's not due to let up until perhaps late tomorrow. Glad I decided to turn around and drive back home!

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It's raining steadily, but no cause for alarm as the desert always needs more rain. I'm a bit irritated that I cleaned the carpet yesterday and today it rains, but whatever. After preparing to leave for class this morning, I looked toward the grade I travel from low to high desert -- and saw nothing but thick clouds.

Hm, says I, and sent an email to a colleague at the school. Nothing but rain, she replied. I checked the weather service and rain, rain, and more rain. Good to go.

I made it to the top of the first grade before turning around as the snow was falling at quite a clip. Of course, traffic neither slowed nor made allowances for the white stuff falling from the sky, but I pulled over and waited about 10 minutes to see what was going to happen weatherwise. As the snow continued to fall and the thick clouds coming down from the mountains continued to hover, I said forget this and called in to cancel today's class.

I remember clearly several times both grades were closed to all traffic due to hazardous driving conditions! I didn't want to get stuck in my truck on the road, which is a real possibility if the snow continues to fall. Basically, there is snow from the top of one grade to the top of the next and beyond, as well as all along the foothills surrounding the high desert communities.

The weather service says the snow could be around for a couple of days, so I'll have to take a test drive again tomorrow to see how the roads are before commiting myself to driving all the way to class.