April 20, 2005
The Hills Are Alive with Music
Maybe the hills really are alive with music, but oh those mountains.
In case any of you pholks haven‘t noticed, the Sierra Nevada has been ultra majestic this year.
Hills can have music but real mountains need snow, lots of it, to show off all their glory.
With more clean air than normal, Valley residents have been treated to more great viewing days than normal this year.
That fact is impressed upon me almost daily as I drive to and from my home in Woodlake.
Some days the drive is truly awesome. Even rude and careless drivers yakking on their cell phones on Highway 198 can be somewhat tolerated by drivers like me who are driven nuts by careless phone freaks.
Even so I was taken aback last week when I encountered a driver who pulled alongside of my eastbound car. It was a warm day and my windows were down, the mountains were at their best. But when this guy in the other lane began frantically waving his arms and pumping his fist I was puzzled. He was smiling so I didn't think I was in trouble but still it was a little unsettling. Fearing I might have a low tire or had a flat cat attached to my bumper, I slowed down.
It was an older car with somebody or something sitting high in the rear seat. It was nobody I recognized. I didn't recall seeing that car.
I slowed to make sure everything was okay and to give the rabid driver some space. He pulled away but I was intrigued. A minute later I decided to try and catch the guy to check things out—cautiously.
I said to myself, "Self, maybe this guy knows me and hasn't seen me for a while. Maybe he thinks I need to talk to him."
I hit the gas while keeping an eye out for a CHP since I was doing about 75 mph and eventually caught up with the car at the four-way red-light stop at the intersection of 198 and Highway 65 (Exeter turn off).
I pulled closer without making myself too obvious while I checked this guy out. Indeed the guy was a stranger to me. Seconds later he looked back, got my attention and yelled out "Those mountains are totally awesome aren't they?
Not wanting to get into a discussion with this exuberant driver whose passenger turned out to be a large black long-haired dog, I gave him a hand signal indicating I was taking a make believe photograph.
But then the guy really caught me off guard when he yelled over to me. You can see Yosemite over there if you look to your left. That's Yosemite!"
Instead of yelling back to the thrilled driver that Yosemite was about a hundred miles north and that he was looking toward Mineral King, Sawtooth and other major peaks, I said nothing. He sped away happy as a lark, heading, no doubt for the snow capped peaks, just south of Yosemite.
On a clear day you can see forever, but no way can you see Yosemite from Highway 198.
But I got to admit, it's worth trying, especially this year.
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