Yes, I Said It's Snowing up the Hill

It was cold this morning and a bit misty, but no big thing. Aboard the base, it began sprinkling about an hour prior to class ending and, by the time I walked out the door, it was actually raining. Out by the college, water began running in rivers across the highway, not, however, slowing traffic one whit. By the time I drove through JT, I was in weather, or what passes for weather in the desert.

Yucca was another world: the snow was falling steadily and strongly to the point that I actually considered pulling off the road. However, I knew that if I stopped, I'd be stuck, but if I continued on behind a REALLY BIG truck, I could probably keep on trucking. At a steady 30 mph, I kept following the truck all the way down the grade as the snow began to stick to the ground, as well as the highway. At the foot of that grade, however, the snow suddenly thinned out and the rain began again, so I kept on keeping on.

When I made it safely to the bottom of the Morongo grade, I had only had to deal with 2 accidents, but I'm sure there will be a whole lot more as fair weather drivers keep the pedal to the metal and hydroplane and slide their way home tonight.

Where I live? It's a nice, steady drizzly rain, just right for soaking into the sand and percolating into the water table. The good news: I don't have to go back up the hill until Wednesday. The bad news: one of my 29 friends is heading to my house to spend the night so I can take her to the airport tomorrow. When I told her it's snowing in Yucca, she told me that it's sunny where she is, well, maybe a bit rainy. Yeah, I knew that because that's where I had been two hours ago, but ... .

She may have to drive down the hill in the morning because yes, I said it's snowing in Yucca, regardless of the weather at her house.

UPDATING: I must have just made it down the Yucca grade: according to the 5 o'clock news, the grade was closed at 4:30 due to heavy snow and flooding on the highway. I arrived home at 4:30, so I was on the grade about 4:15, in the thick of things, so to speak. I called my friend and gave her the update, but they are driving down in a big 4-wheel drive truck, so I think they'll be able to get through just fine.