Monterey Trip Part I

Posted Mon Mar 1, 2010 in Travel

It should have been a relatively easy trip over the hill from Carson City to Monterey, California. The distance is about 300 miles. But, that wasn’t to be.

Wife took sick early in the week. What we thought was just a cold dropped into her chest. Of course, it took a couple of days to see a doctor. So, her condition and her ability to prepare for the trip suffered. Saturday rolled around and she was a little better, but without much strength. So, readying herself for the trip was just not happening.

Sunday morning came and we weren’t quite ready yet. Young Son and I took the cats to the kennel, then returned and began staging things in the foyer to load into the car. The weather was dicey, as it sometimes is this time of year. But, the chain requirement lifted about 1000. We finally got the car loaded and headed out about noon.

The road was clear and traffic wasn’t bad. We turned off on Patriot Trail and ran into traffic about three miles from the intersection with U.S. 50. Because it was about 1300, I asked Sue-Sue to redirect us to the McD’s. We took the back streets and got there in five minutes. Traffic was backed up on U.S. 50 all the way north to the light at the boundary road. That was weird.

We got a little food, took a short break, then forced our way into the line. What followed was six hours of stop and go until we got about 10 miles outside of Placerville. I was never able to determine the cause of the hold-up. But, after a few miles, folks started getting out of their vehicles during the long stoppages. They ran along the shoulder, or looked at the sights along the way.

Near Meyers, California, we passed the old stump of a tree someone carved into a sculpture. I don’t know what it means, but it is interesting and the flat light made the texture pop. I love finding things like this along the way.

We stopped in Placerville at the Carrow’s Restaurant for a bite and a break. The stress from the traffic and knowing that we started late and the ruined plans for a nice drive to the coast were telling on me. I was beat, but still had over 200 miles to make.

Break over, we headed out again, just to motor on. I knew it was time to press and just get there, because the week would break and I had things I had to do. Once we dropped into the valley the road was a lot better. However, traffic on I-80 was surprisingly heavy for a Sunday evening. When we turned south on I-680, traffic thinned (and sped up), so I fell in and made some miles.

We pulled into the hotel about midnight. I used the outside phone and woke the manager, Miss Barbara. I was sorry, but she handled it well. We unloaded quickly and I fell into bed. I was done.