How to Prepare for A Snowy Mountain Day Trip
It was the first rain of the season here in Los Angeles, and we soaked it all in. All day long we stayed cozy inside, as we watched the rain fall. All night long, we had lightning and thunder so loud, I was praying that it wouldn't wake and scare my babies.
But what this really meant was, snow in the mountains!
My father lives in Frazier Park, CA. It is only about an hour away from us, but when we have rain, he has snow. So all day long, the kids and I were FaceTiming dad to get first hand weather reports and visuals of the falling snowflakes. The excitement was building and real around here.
So, as soon as the storm passed, the boys and I got ready and drove up to Frazier Park for a visit with my papa and a snow day.
The Drive
We got on the road around 11am. But what should have been an hour drive, turned into a two hour adventure into the unknown. Our usual Frazier Park freeway exit was closed and we were forced to reroute. This would not have been a problem, except, out of nowhere, the fog rolled in to the point that I had to drive less than 5 miles an hour just to make sure I stayed on the road. Zero visibility.
A few wrong turns, and a 3 mile drive that took over 45 minutes, later, we were able to get back on the freeway.
But our adventure was not over.
We had to sit through 3 police check points. Each one had us explaining that we were there to visit my father. Road conditions were apparently bad up in the mountains, so only residents and family were allowed up. We made it through two of the check points before the third made us turn around.
Lesson learned... check road conditions before making the drive to the mountains.
The Snow
While it was a huge bummer to not be able to visit my father at home, we were fortunate enough to play in the snow that fell near the mountains. There was plenty.
We were definitely able to enjoy the snow. My father was also able to drive down to meet us for a bit of fun with the boys.
How to Prepare for a Snowy Mountain Day Trip
- As we learned today, weather conditions can change drastically very fast. Do prepare enough food, snacks and drinks for the conditions, and keep them within reach. For our little day trip, I prepared a cooler with the following:
- PB & J Sandwiches
- Lunchables
- Fruit
- Apple Sauce pouches
- String Cheese
- GoGurts
- Candy
- Plenty of Water and a few apple juice boxes
- An El Pollo Loco Family Meal (we were bringing lunch to my dad)
Having so much to eat and drink really put me at ease. The kids are constantly grazing, so it made for a much nicer drive, especially when I needed to concentrate on the unknown road.
- Bring several changes and layers of clothing. I always pack about two full changes of clothing for the boys. Down to socks and undies. One never knows what can happen. This trip, I also brought a few extra layers for myself.
- Before getting on the road, check for road conditions.
A great place to start is National Traffic and Road Closure Info at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/
Just remember, road closures can happen very fast, as they did in our case. We were en route when our GPS told us of the road closure.
Most of all, be flexible and have a good time regardless of the journey.
For more fun in the snow, head to our Reel HERE.
