My quick speaking tour through California last Wednesday through today was memorable. It began with twelve hours of driving from home in Victor, Idaho to Nevada City, California. The first five hours was over ice, snow, snowdrifts, fog and was pure utter hell. If that wasn’t tiring enough, I was still jetlagged from returning from South Africa only a couple days earlier.
Though tired, Granny and I enjoyed a few drinks and a nice dinner in Nevada City Wednesday evening. Nevada City is a cool little California town that will likely be included on our cross country trip every year.
Thursday morning the **** hit the fan. We left Nevada City for Fresno where I was speaking for the 11th year in a row. Two miles down the road we needed four wheel drive for the fresh snow and traffic and when I went to it the drive shaft of Granny’s Jeep Liberty seized up and as we pulled off Highway 49 this heap of metal fell off. Disaster!
Our car was full to the brim with my coffee mugs and beer steins. My Fresno speaking streak was in jeopardy. Even getting to the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show in time on Friday seemed bleak. But thanks to quick reacting we had an Enterprise Car Rental agent come to us about the same time the tow truck arrived. Long story short, we left our car with a mechanic in Nevada City and drove straight to Fresno and I made my speaking gig with 15 minutes to spare.
After I spoke in Fresno Thursday night, we drove up to Pleasanton and checked into the show hotel at 1 AM Friday morning. Exhausted is an understatement, yet we found ourselves setting up my booth at 8 am for the Fly Fishing show later that morning. In addition to an early booth set up, through the day I gave a casting demo, a streamer fishing clinic and did a book signing. After an early dinner with my fellow Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures crew, Granny and I were asleep before 10 pm.
Honestly, the tour went incredibly well. My speaking gigs went great and its always terrific to see my California friends. But man, I still haven’t recovered from my exhaustion.
Perhaps tiredness was due to the fact that some serious stress was involved beyond our car. A massive storm was approaching CA on Sunday. There was talk of Donner Pass on I 80 closing (this is how we drive home). A big deal because I fly to Cameroon Wednesday morning and I have to pack! Bottom line is I had to get home and we were faced with another snowy dangerous drive.
My answer to the threat was to hop in the rental and drive to Nevada City immediately after the show and get our somewhat repaired Jeep Liberty and drive all night. What I mean is, our car was drivable but only in 2-wheel drive. Our 4 x 4 capability would have taken a few more days to get parts. No time for that so we went over Donner Pass without 4 wheel drive. We made it but the snow was there and it was hectic.
Its not like us, be we couldn’t stay awake enough to drive into the night. We pulled over in Fernley, Nevada at 10 pm and slept till 4 am then hit the road again this morning. Eleven hours later we are now home and honestly, we just made it. The storm is closing roads behind us and its dumping snow here in Victor with a winter storm warning till 5 pm tomorrow.
Now I’m packing for Cameroon while stressing about my flight out of Idaho being delayed Wednesday. We’ll see. It’s out of my hands. But damn to I want to be casting to Nile Perch on the Faro River in Cameroon on Monday!
Stay tuned for more on Cameroon soon. And I also intend to write up about the two days of competition from the Worlds last week in South Africa. I’m sorry to have fallen behind but the Jeep turned our life upside down. And I must admit, my life might be moving even too fast for me! Ok, now its pack and rest!
Be sure to keep track of my upcoming travels around the world!
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