Three People, Two Tires, and One God (Part 1 of 2)

If life was simply a collision of random coincidences and happenings, then I would consider myself the luckiest guy ever. With the forecasters calling for the "storm of the century", Cameron and I had this wild idea of driving seven hours to Mammoth to catch the freshest powder session of the early snowboarding season. We figured we'd pack the car with plenty of blankets and camp in the car thus saving money. Yet when Sunday came, never could we prepare enough for the trip that was already planned for us.

Cam and I went to work Sunday evening at the hotel, packed and ready to take off the minute we got out of work. While at work, we kept the stoke alive by talking about powder stashes, tree rides, and even joking about not wanting to host a yard sale(when all the gear you wear flies off in a wreck). An eight hour shift at work passes by fast when getting ready for an epic trip. As soon as we got out of work and on the road, the rain began to fall and before long began to pour. Within minutes of driving, I began to calculate the risks involved in our trip and considered that the trip was not the brightest idea but knew neither we the many others I had taken on before.

Being from the east coast and having driven in hurricanes, pouring rain isn't that big of a deal. However, in SoCal where people are not used to driving in such conditions, the greatest hazard is the guy driving next to you. We saw wrecks EVERYWHERE and immediately took the time to pray to God. However, after reading several books on how to pray, I felt compelled to pray for God to bless the trip with the opportunity to be glorified rather than simply safety. I knew full on at the time that praying for a chance to bring Him glory wasn't exactly guaranteeing safety and in fact probably would mean the opposite. However, I never in my life could have foreseen the events that would take place over the next 48 hours.

At the beginning of our drive, Cameron asked me how hard the directions were to follow to get to Mammoth, in which I responded that it was no big deal seeing as we only needed to take three major highways to get there. So easy a caveman could do it and we both laughed. Once on the 15 headed north, the rain intensified till it blanketed the scene and we were driving blind. Naturally, I slowed down and decided that maybe the storm would be less of a hazard by taking the 215 through Riverside rather than the busiest highway. At first, the ride seemed to be going easy, in fact easy enough that Cameron fell asleep. This was until the car took a sudden dive on the right side and I heard POP! Instantly I pulled over slowing down the car and trying desperately to avoid careening into the guard walls. Cameron looked at me wild eyed as I assessed the situation from inside of the car fearing that others might also hit whatever we hit. The rain was constant, the first drops on my face made me twinge in an aggravated annoyed way that usually is followed by a long bellow of the F word. Yet this time, I found myself staring at the sky, as if hoping to see a shooting star(kinda hard through all the clouds) so I could wish it all away. Cameron asked me what we'd do and it seemed simple enough at that moment; change the tire, put air on the spare, and deal with it further up the road in the morning. POP! POP! POP! Three more cars smashed the same hole which sounded like gun shots. Two of them pulled over in front of us and one kept going followed by a WHUMP, WHUMP, WHUMP sound indicating that they too had suffered a flat tire. I think somewhere in between breathing and trying to lift the spare tire out of the trunk that I realized I needed to be praying, feverishly. As I put the spare on the car, I had Cameron keep a watchful eye on the hole which was now being tended to by the highway patrol. With the spare set in place, we made our way to a gas station off the next exit in search for an air pump.

My hope was that the spare if properly inflated would get us at least as far as Bishop which was only an hour from Mammoth. Never mind the fact that when I starting inflating the spare, Cameron made note of the back tire which sounded as if it was losing air. Within ten minutes of us pulling into the Shell gas station not one but two tires on the right side was flat. Given the fact that we only had one spare having two flats presents a huge problem at 2am on a Monday. To sum up the situation in the best light, I told Cameron that at least we had blankets. With that, we grabbed the pillows and fell asleep bummed about the light of recent events.

The next morning came rather soon considering we only slept till 6:30am in hopes to find a tire shop. It wasn't till an hour later that we trekked in the rain to the only open tire shop about a mile down the road. At Integrity Tire, we met Steve, who explained my options in getting the car fixed. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a much more expensive endeavor than I assumed, which led to me calling Progressive to file an insurance claim. Steve was amazingly helpful and hooked us up with a really good rate on a rental car. At the rental shop, the girl in the midst of explaining the contract uttered the words, "unlimited miles", which sent alarms off in my head. Mammoth was not that much further of a drive but in a rental car in the given weather was extremely risky. Cameron and I ventured on from the rental car shop in search of a coffee shop to collect our thoughts on the trip thus far. Did God want us to make it to Mammoth or were we treading the waters of ignorance in pursuit of a white dream? We prayed and ultimately asked what would we do. At that moment, I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline overcome me and I knew we were going to Mammoth. Upon telling Cameron, I think he smiled so big he could have kissed his own ears.

As far as the eye could see, storm clouds wrapped the valley like a glove. Monsoon rains drenched the roads and flooded the highways. Our trip was far from over and Mammoth seemed a lot further than a five hour drive. On the way up the pass and over into Victorville, CA, we must've counted at least five accidents within two miles including an overturned car and a smashed truck. The only thing keeping my head at peace was the constant drone of "dear Lord, please" in my head. I kept thinking about all the times I had driven in weather that bad and could not remember one that compared. The last time I went through Victorville, it was with Karilyn on a warm sunny day, which is pretty much everyday life in the Mojave desert. The picture this time was completely opposite, flooding everywhere, easily knee deep in some places, and the desert in lots of places had newly formed rivers and lakes. I joked with Cameron that we should stop and go swimming. All joking aside, I was reminded constantly that the need to pray without ceasing was absolute.

The drive seemed to bore on forever but unlike the previous times, this one was different, with a constant fear of a semi colliding head on and flash floods causing us to hydroplane into the desert always being a concern. Soon came the little town of Ridgecrest where we stopped for some food at a place where we were literally the only customers they had all day. While stopped, I called Mammoth mountain to find out if the roads were even passable knowing that we would have to buy chains when the time came. The guy on the other end of the line told me that we'd be crazy to venture up the mountain in the biggest storm since 1969. I asked him about hitchhiking and he said it was a huge risk considering if we didn't find a ride, we'd find ourselves freezing cold and getting buried in snow. Despite the fair warnings, I told Cameron that I knew we'd be alright and to rest assure that there was a purpose for us being there. We thanked the people at the restaurant and made our way to Bishop.

The rain continued to drill the car with relentless amounts and furious splatters. Rain would soon begin to change to snow and the excitement began to build while at the same time so did the anxiety knowing we still didn't have chains and snow was falling harder than the rain had. Upon our arrival to Bishop, we made way to Von's grocery to grab chains. At that point, my neck was so stiff from the stress of driving I was ready to down a bottle of Jack Daniels too. Instead, I focused my thoughts on finding a place to sleep and chains for the tires. While in the grocery store we would check Cameron's bank account to see if his paycheck went through(my money tied up in the tire deal). It was now 10:00pm and we were still no closer to finding a place to rest and we realized we forgot to bring blankets for the car. With only $30 on us and very little gas in the car, we were likely to spend the night freezing shivering in the car while getting buried under snow. We had a very serious dilemma.

In a bit of a calm panic(whatever that is) I managed to call Karilyn in hopes to find a solution. I remembered her telling me a friend had parents in the area. Once Karilyn heard about our problem, she immediately made the call. While waiting in Von's for a return call with hopefully good news, Cameron and I joked about whether to grab a bottle of Jacks or party with the Captain seeing as we were in for a long night. Minutes later, Karilyn called back with good news, we would not have to sleep in the car but would instead follow directions to Pam's house. I have never just stayed at a random persons house like that but wasn't going to give it a second thought. So off we went into the snow storm looking for a house in the middle of no where.

Our arrival at Pam's house was marked by a series of whooping when Cameron and I realized the gravity of our situation was no longer dire. We had a sanctuary and in the meantime, a LOT to be thankful for. We couldn't stop smiling and the nervousness of meeting random strangers was set aside by the peace felt knowing we made it. The greeting at the door and Pam's contagious smile made us both feel at home right away. Not to mention her amazing hospitality coupled with our stories made the night seem like a dream come true. All we could do was talk about God and all thoughts of powdery goodness at Mammoth would wait, we were at home.

In the morning, I woke to an intense desire to get up and get pictures. Heaven, as the Bible writes it, is not just a place but an inescapable magnitude of the revelation of Gods glory. While that morning was not going to be spent in fullness in Heaven, I was determined to capture Gods glory revealed in His creation covered in snow. Had Cameron and I spent the night in the car, we could have very well found ourselves standing in the true fullness of His glory. After capturing some of the beauty of the valley, eating some pancakes, and having amazing conversation with Pam and her husband Paul, it was time to finish our journey to Mammoth. We thanked Pam as she rushed around to see us off with plenty to eat and drink. There are not enough words to elaborate the gratitude we felt towards them. As we were leaving, Pam pulled us aside, prayed for us, and somehow I knew that prayer would be much needed.

On the road, we found little difficulty driving in the new snow despite not having chains on the car yet. Once we reached the pass, signs we everywhere demanding that all passerby's have chains or 4WD. We pulled off at the appropriate place and began to try to put the chains on the car. With little luck due to the enormous size of the chains(even though they say they are for that size tire), we gave up on putting on chains. At that moment, we both vented frustration and sadness for the whole trip. Yet somewhere deep within, I could feel a burning desire to give praise to all the things that went wrong but somehow right. I looked at Cameron and told him that I knew now what I didn't know before but thought I knew. God had planned this trip, not us, whether we were ready to submit to that or not did not matter. At that moment, we needed to step back and recognize that the sovereign God of the universe had intricately squared away every detail and breath of not just the trip but our entire lives. In awe of His majesty, I felt the push onward to Mammoth as if receiving an OK from a father to his son. It would take a miracle to make it unnoticed to Mammoth I told Cameron. Yet there we were, passing by highway patrolmen unnoticed and safely. Mammoth was close, real close, and we could not wait to feel the wet snow on our faces.

The first glimpse of huge fir trees ladened with snow was like a hug from a long missed friend. More cries of joy echoed through the confines of the car as we found a parking spot to get suited up and join the many others boarding the shuttle buses to the lifts. In the village of Mammoth, people from every culture flocked to the ticketing counter with smiles of what laid before them. Mammoth had a record of 190 inches of snow, most of which was laid in the past storm. A gentle breeze greeted us as we headed for the gondola and everywhere we looked looked as if milk had spilled all over the mountains. The ride up the mountain in the gondola was already proving that God had planned for us to make it, we spent the entire ride telling a random lady sharing the ride about the craziness of our trip. God was being glorified.

Part 2 To Come Soon...