Thursday, December 24, 2015

A Change of Holiday Plans: Misadventures at Snoqualmie Pass


The scheme was to head down to Seattle and spend the night and then head over the pass this morning. But the shift in weather forecasts was not looking good. The pass reopened yesterday afternoon so we made a run for it. Traffic was light. It looked like the change of scheme was a good one. A half mile short of Denny Creek, where the road steepens, we came to a stop. The pass was closed again. A couple of hours later we began to move as we along with our fellow travelers were routed into a U turn and headed back. Contrary to simply clearing slid cars and trucks off the road, the snow accumulations on the slopes above the pass had reached the avalanche threshold.

The turn around drove home the economic impact of I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass. Miles of trucks lined the road side - blocked from their schemes of goods delivered to wherever they were headed. The cost and practicality of other routes are simply too high. 

From near our stopping point last night
 

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