East County becomes winter wonderland
Bad weather can mean good business for Deborah McNamer, owner of Majors Coffee Shop, everyone’s favorite hang out in Pine Valley.
On the rare occasions when snow blankets the town and nearby Mount Laguna, tourists show up to enjoy the spectacle. So do the locals.
Wednesday was one of those days. By 6 a.m., an overnight storm had dropped about 3’’ of snow at Pine Valley and Potrero, 6’’ at Ranchita, 7’’ at Mount Laguna, 9’’ in Julian, and 1-foot at Palomar Mountain. Snow fell all the way down to the 1,500-foot level.
“When it snows like this people often have to line up to get a table,” said McNamer, as customers filed into her 50s-style restaurant off Old Highway 80. “It’ll be good through New Years. And we are open on New Year Day.”
Tovah Agler drove all the way from San Diego to get a look at the snow, and grab breakfast at Majors.
“You really feel like you’re in a totally different place,” Agler said, making a snow ball. “This is unique. It’s wonderful.”
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A snowplow rumbled by, headed for Sunrise Highway, where motorists pulled to the side of the road to put chains on their tires for the trek to higher elevations. It turned out to be a memorable moment for Jeremy Watkin, who arrived from Allied Garden with two of his children. He watched them go sledding down a small bank covered with bright white snow. His 6-year-old son Zackary led the way, grinning about as wide as a person can grin.
“That was great,” Zackary said as his sled came to a stop at the edge of the road.
The winter splendor tugs at David Wright, an oncology nurse who lives in Pine Valley.
“We didn’t really have snow last winter. Maybe a few flakes that spit through the rain,” said Wright, savoring a cup of coffee at Majors as customers trooped in. “I like to see it like this. I grew up on the coastal plains, where you have the tyranny of good weather. I want to see something different. I especially like it during the first hour of snow, when there are no footprints in the snow. It looks like a picture post card from New England.
“My old football injury told me weather was coming.”
One man’s pleasure was another man’s stress.
About the time McNamer was opening Majors, truck driver Keith Sorenson was sitting in his big rig off the side of I-8, at Pine Valley, figuring out whether to continue heading east to Calexico. The snow was still falling and the interstate was iced over.
“I don’t have snow chains,” Sorenson said. “It’s not so bad just on the road. But when you get to the bridges, you get hit by the winds. It’s dangerous.”
Moments later, Anders Callanco of San Diego pulled up next to Sorsenson and looked at the road ahead. “It’s pretty,” he said, watching the snow flutter down. “But we’re going to Phoenix, and this is scary. I’m not sure if we should go.”
Tammy DeWitt, who also lives in Pine Valley, was content to linger at Majors and look out the window.
“I love this. I wish we’d get another foot,” DeWitt said. “The only thing I don’t like are the ‘low landers’ who come out to see it. They park in your yard to play in the snow, then leave trash behind.
