Drama on the Grapevine

This morning we got into the car and headed for Sherman Oaks, CA where son Matt, Daughter-in-Law Amy and granddaughters Claire and Julia live. They are on the other side of the Tehachipi Mountains which are the great barrier between Northern and Southern California. 

After a long and very boring drive Down Interstate 5 which runs through California's Central Valley, We arrived at 'The Grapevine' which crosses the Tehachipis to see clouds of smoke and helicopters dropping water and fire retardant on a brushfire right next to the eight lanes of traffic running over the mountains.

When I was a child, we frequently drove to my grandparent's house in Northern California. The old Grapevine was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the strongest motorist. It was steep and scary. It is notoriously hot in the Central Valley and old cars would carry water hanging in burlap bags from the bumper with which to cool off overheated engines. My parents would always weigh the advantages of driving through the night when it was cooler, or getting a good night's sleep and taking the shorter, hotter route through the valley. It all seemed very dramatic.

Today, the road is better, the cars have air conditioning and more powerful engines and there is very little drama despite temperatures hovering close to 100 degrees. The drama today was provided by the fire which we could see for miles as we approached the gradient from the flat valley. Cars were still coming through the other way, and there didn't seem to be much concern about stopping the traffic going right past the massed firefighters waiting for the call to head out.

I assume all was under control, but at least it gave us something to look at on an otherwise long, hot and boring drive.