The weather forecast was for a severe Winter storm, with up to 3 feet of snow overnight. What better time to head from the San Francisco Bay Area to Sugar Bowl, with winds up to 100 mph and white out conditions?The weather forecast was for a severe Winter storm, with up to 3 feet of snow overnight. What better time to head from the San Francisco Bay Area to Sugar Bowl, with winds up to 100 mph and white out conditions?
When we got to Applegate on I-80, the Highway Patrol had closed to road. Not to be deterred, we headed back down I-80 to Grass Valley, then drove up 49 to Downieville and down 89 to Truckee. The last 30 miles or so were on unplowed roads inthe dark with no visibility, but we made it to Truckee with only one slow motion spin-out.
We shared the hotel with all the people stranded by the road closure, enjoyed some Guiness and good food in the hotel bar, and settled into bed with the wind howling outside. The morning brought us partly cloudy skies, no wind, and lots of fresh snow. As a bonus, it was a Monday, so we hoped to be sharing the slopes only with locals with the powder flu.
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