ok, so we're gonna take Alex's advice and just shut up and go.



Despite that there's apparently a bewildering variety of tire sizes to which snow chains or cables must be fitted, we're going to trust to our assumption that towns and villages closer to the mountains will have some variety of the stuff, even in MID-FREAKING-APRIL ... otherwheres known as idyllic Springtime.


If we don't find any and they don't let us in the Park, will someone come down to El Portal and get us?? :D

I'm starting to get concerned as well. I need to find chains for my Mini before we leave.

Like it's been said, even if it is snowing, they probably won't require chains. It doesn't usually snow that much. We've just said we have the chains in the back and they never look. BUT I would hate to be in the situation where I needed them. I mean, would you have time to wait out needing them?

Anyways, I agree, do not cancel your plans! You lucky sonofabitch! We had to cancel plans we'd made last year and now we don't have any idea when we'll be able to get back. And we'll probably be stuck getting housekeeping camp at this point.

Hey, if you do get there and it is snowing, just park for a while and wait until it stops. It should be okay once they plow the roads, eh? I'm just saying.

Oh, and, while it was the truth, we said we had the chains buried in all of our junk and they just waved us on. :0)

Hey, you could call a place along your route...maybe they might have them?

Where are Manny Moe and Jack when you need them?

I can't imagine chains helping a mini much. How do those cars handle snow, or are the chains to tie up the mini to a parking meter?

If we manage to get chains (or sneak in without them) we'll be glad to transport- could be fun! Our car does great in the snow, and they'd have to get hit with a hell of a storm to beat what we just went through up here. The only time the car couldn't go was when we got four feet overnight and it was higher than the wheel base. Even a Hummer got stuck on our hill- that was great!

Weird timing: A Pep Boys commercial came on as I was reading this post.

Freaky

What's the issue with the chains? You used to be able to walk into any automotive store and get some for something around $25. Are they not in stock? Have the price of chains risen so much? Or is this just fear of driving in snow and ice?

Something tells me that this is not a high-volume item in April in Southern California.

No kidding.

Seriously, if it hadn't been for Kevy's post above, I might have waited till I was heading out of town on Saturday. Oi, I guess I'm an old man mourning the steam train, but that's how it used to be done ... and it was better that way.


I think Pep Boys might still do that, but of course my local returned their entire stock of snow chains a few days ago ... because Winter's OVER!

AutoZone orders them for you, instead of carrying a zillion different sizes ... but couldn't have them before Monday. Oh, and they wouldn't honor that bit about refunding unopened packages ... the entire reason I went there in the first place.

Similarly, the earliest I could get them received from any number of on-line sites was Monday. I love shopping online, but I hate that so little can be purchased in-person nowadays when you happen to need something fast or immediately.


Hehehe, Keith found a Wal*Mart in Manteca that reportedly stocks a large supply of snow chains. Since, as it turns out, portions of Highway 120 are still closed for the winter, we will be making a southern dip through a fair number of small-to-midsize Central Northern Cali Towns, looking for snow chains in every one.


Chances are, of course, we won't need them. But the only way to guarantee we won't ever need them ... is, of course, to have them. ;)