Have You Ever? John Cromshow M-P January 10, 2015
“Just Enough Snow”
Rain turns to snow in mysterious ways. Entering Wrightwood on Lone Pine Canyon a vertical downpour shape-shifted to fierce diagonal streams of white. Near Wright's Lake big wet flakes floated softly in the gray night sky. It drifted into slushy piles, half snow, half water. By morning the transformation was complete. Wrightwood had changed into a magical snow-covered world. It's a secret of nature people living in the village know, but masses of people down the hill only suspect.
For snow-deprived but well-heeled visitors, “the happiest place on earth” keeps snow blowers busy during the Christmas season. Last year a family of four could enjoy the day for less than five hundred dollars. Disneyland's investment is money well spent. The Magic Kingdom Theme Parks brought in about one billion dollars last year. This year a price increase boosts the price of admission to just under one hundred dollars. Asked about the cost in a radio interview, one mother said, “It's a once in a lifetime experience. And the kids love it.”
As a child growing up in New York, snow was a fact of life. I did not have the opportunity to drive in it, shovel it, or slog through it on the way to work. It was simply the stuff that snowballs and snowmen were made of. Snow also offered magic. If it snowed hard enough, school was canceled. It only happened occasionally, as I recall
When snow caps the mountains, weekend recreation seekers make the long drive from the big city. They enjoy the winter world of wonder once they arrive. The Cunard Lines motto notwithstanding, getting there is not half the fun. That journey made the front page of the Mountaineer-Progress a short time ago. Long lines winding along Highway 2 created a mountain road bottleneck. Pull off the side of the road anywhere. No parking meters spoil the day. No litter baskets mar the landscape. Such freedom! At any rate, no one I've talked to wants a huge amount of snow in town. Let it fall on the ski slopes. Wouldn't it be nice if Caltrans could make a solid investment in outdoor recreation so that everyone could enjoy the beauty of nature? Visitors and residents alike.
Do you remember the big snowfall about a decade ago? It was as if a six-foot igloo wall practically surrounded the village. Pity those people back east who were recently deluged with snowfall after snowfall. It must be comforting to them to know that all that snow was not caused by Climate Change. On the other hand, since the weather disaster was not man-made, there is nothing anybody can do about it. That's another story.
Have you ever been happy that there was just enough snow? Please e-mail me .