<p>@socalmom23 - I suggested that to her; the problem is, the roads were fine when he went up on Sunday, so he has no chains for his car! I also suggested he possibly borrow someone’s car from up there who has chains and meet her somewhere near the checkpoint, or even find a place in San Bernardino where she can leave her car and have him meet her there and drive her up the rest of the way, but she didn’t think that would work out. </p>
<p>I’m guessing they’re both hoping the roads will be OK when he has to leave, or he might end up having to stay longer than planned (I think he was planning on coming home this weekend).</p>
<p>When I drove out to LA this past August, and made my way through the last two hours, I remember going through the mountains on I-15 just before San Bernardino. I had been driving six hours already that day, on my third day, and remember thinking, “Gosh, I was making such good time today, and here I have more mountains to go through.” The traffic was flying all around me, and by the time I got through (and it’s not like it takes you that long to get through that stretch), I was exhausted! But I knew I was less than two hours from her apartment, so I was motivated by that. Now that I’m looking at all these satellite maps, etc. to figure out exactly where she’s heading, etc., I realize I passed very, very close to some absolutely gorgeous terrain, which is much more treacherous than I’d driven through. I’d always heard about living in SoCal, being able to snow ski in the morning, then head back to the coast and surf in the afternoon… people aren’t kidding when they say that!</p>
<p>Can you bribe her with hand-delivered champagne, expensive take-out, expensive on-demand movies and convince her stay home, snuggled into bed? It is COLD out there tonight and the road to Lake Arrowhead is going to be miserable tomorrow. i hate that road under normal conditions but fresh snow at low altitudes and an extra-cold cold snap on New Year’s Eve is a recipe for stress and snarled traffic. </p>
<p>@nottelling - hmmmm… it’s a possibility. Everyone has their price, don’t they? If she’s wavering tomorrow, I might put an offer on the table. </p>
<p>I’m also reading that they’re expecting the Rose Parade to possibly set a new record for the coldest they’ve ever seen. So yea, I get that it’s unusually cold out there. Add some elevation and it doesn’t help. </p>
<p>All kidding aside - I do remember what it’s like to be her age and want nothing but to spend New Year’s Eve with a SO. I remember one year when I was in college, and home in Houston for the holidays. I was supposed to go out with my boyfriend on NYE and then we ended up getting a mixture of ice and snow, so I was stuck at home, with my parents. I was SO disappointed; at least I knew everyone else was stuck at home, too. </p>
<p>I was up there once after a bit more snow and the road were plowed- but one can still need the traction. And then there’s the issue of coming back down.<br>
Should be beautiful. </p>
<p>Hugs to your daughter. I totally remember those wonderful NYEves in my 20s, and how disappointing it was to feel left out. But seriously, even if they open, the roads they will be a mess. We don’t do well with icy roads out here, and Lake Arrowhead is an extremely popular 5-day weekend destination, so there’s be yucky traffic even without the ice.</p>
<p>This thread brings back a lot of memories. I lived in Lake Arrowhead for a year when we first married over 30 years ago, while H did a graduate internship for his profession. I got very good at putting chains on the car. For those who lived there, we dreaded when it snowed on weekends while the “flatlanders” were visiting, since most didn’t know how to drive in snow. The roads were very curvy with lots of hairpin turns. I was going down the mountain once and a chain snapped and wrapped around the axle. I had to climb under the car (in the snow/slush) and unwrap it manually.</p>
<p>I hope either your D can make it safely, or things are shut down so the decision is made for her. Lake Arrowhead is beautiful!</p>
<p>Oh my goodness! Just saw an article on CNN’s website - they had to rescue 139 motorists near Lake Arrowhead last night. A wreck blocked the road.</p>
<p>Just turning on The Weather Channel this morning and checking in here.</p>
<p>No snow tires on her car, which apparently still may not be enough by looking at pictures on TV.</p>
<p>Saw lots of pictures of stranded motorists on their way up the mountains from San Bernardino. But the radar is showing snow has not fallen in several hours. Rescued motorists were taken to local churches, etc., by people in Snocats. </p>
<p>It is her decision now… what to do, based on what she and SO are hearing locally. I’m sure her SO’s opinion will have more weight than mine. </p>
<p>Weighing in on this late, but you can also buy chains at any Pep Boys and can return them if they are not used (they take a small restocking fee). In my experience the staff at Pep Boys are good and will make sure she has the correct chains for her car.</p>
Just wanted to thank everyone for help and support last night and provide an update. While I don’t know a lot of details as to when she left, etc., D did make it up to Lake Arrowhead by 4PM or so this afternoon. We had asked her to text us when she arrived and she did. We also got a short text saying, yes, she did indeed have to stop part way up and put snow chains on. But we don’t know who did it, etc. Hoping to find out more by the weekend when we talk to her. We’ve been out all night, and once we knew she got there, didn’t make a point of calling her (not that checking in with her parents on New Year’s Eve was a priority for her… or us!).
Google maps showed the traffic had improved much this afternoon over yesterday. It was just mostly yellow today, with short stints of some red and some green.
Thanks for the update, Teri! So glad she made it there safely. The mountains looked very snowy when we flew over them this morning, and the cloud cover was pretty thick. It is pretty cold here in SoCal - there’s snow in the ground near San Diego! Happy New Year to your family!
So SOOO happy your daughter made it OK to Lake Arrowhead and her BF!! I knew she would! Happy, happy New Year! Awesome! Happy New Year to you, teriwtt and BunsenBurner (we knew she’d be fine and she was!).
S1 and FDIL will be drving cross-country in 9 days (I had a thread on this awhile ago) and we’re still trying to convince him he needs to have chains, just in case. I read him things people were saying on this thread and hope to convince him. He’ll certainly be driving through states with chain laws, so we’re hoping he’s prepared. We’ll work on FDIL if he remains stubborn.
i hate that road under normal conditions but fresh snow at low altitudes and an extra-cold cold snap on New Year’s Eve is a recipe for stress and snarled traffic. </p>
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