Tuesday is Thanksgiving travel paradise
On a nightmare Thanksgiving eve, it took brother Rambob & Co. five hours to drive from home near Pillar Point Harbor at Half Moon Bay through San Francisco to Vacaville, where the traffic picked up a bit. That’s 75 miles with an average speed of 15 mph. Yep, five hours.
For those planning to venture around or out of the Bay Area for Thanksgiving, everything is set up for a repeat of that Wednesday, with people heading out and a storm moving in.
Our trip started with visions of Thanksgiving Day far afield. If the weather cleared, we’d be off to fish a mountain lake. If it snowed — an exciting prospect — we’d use the “Indiana Jones” method. That is, “We’ll figure it out as we go,” depending on the snow.
At Tahoe this week, snow and rain is forecast to start Wednesday and continue into the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The storm will start light with high snow levels, with the snow level dropping to lake level by Thursday morning. From Wednesday evening through Friday, total snowfall is projected to be about 10 to 30 inches, depending on location.
This is a typical light, earlyseason storm for Tahoe. But for traffic from the Bay Area and Sacramento, the results can be anything but typical.
Only 7 percent of Californians live in rural areas. In turn, few who live in cities have vehicles ready to drive in the snow. Most accelerate too fast, then brake too hard. Many seem reluctant to put on chains.
Make sure your vehicle is ready for your trip, and you are too. Call Caltrans at 800427-7623 to get updates on road conditions. Have your passengers use their phones to check live views from Caltrans highway cams at http://video.dot.ca.gov. Top off your gas tank before entering remote areas. Keep a small box with a flashlight, water and snacks. Carry a sleeping bag.
Head out Tuesday: Clear sailing on the roads — and an outdoors paradise for Thanksgiving — awaits.
Don’t try to bail from work Wednesday afternoon and head to the hinterlands right as the storm moves in and Bay Area traffic moves out. Just ask Rambob how well that worked.