How I Spent My Summer Vacation (in Cabin 13)

This year, Daveen and I postponed our summer vacation because of concerns about COVID-19. Finally, in late October, we treated ourselves to a log cabin near Yosemite for three nights.  Our trip didn’t work out quite as planned.

After a four-hour drive we arrived at Sierra Meadows, Cabin 13, around five pm on Sunday.  When Daveen parked her car I noticed fluid leaking from the radiator onto the asphalt.

A message on the dashboard warned that there was no coolant and the car couldn’t be driven for more than another two minutes.

As it turned out, there was a crack in the radiator.

The silver lining is that we were able to have the car towed to the dealership in Fresno, about an hour away.  Fortunately, one of our daughters had driven up to join us, so we could all use her car for the next few days, and the dealership said Daveen’s car would be ready for pick-up early Wednesday morning, just in time for our return to Los Angeles.

As Daveen was calling for the tow truck we received the following email from Sierra Meadows.

“Pacific Gas and Electric is concerned about the prediction of high winds in the area, and needs to check out its power lines.  Electricity will be shut off for forty hours, beginning at 7:00 pm.”

“Forty hours?” I thought.  Must be a typo.  I laughed.

At 7:09 pm I stopped laughing when our cabin lights blinked out and it was suddenly midnight.  Fortunately, we’d already finished dinner in our daughter’s cabin next door, so it was a quick bedtime for everyone.

Thoughtfully, Sierra Meadows had provided a flashlight.  I wondered how often they had a problem with the power going out.

The silver lining is that the cabin was still warm and the bedroom was small.  Daveen and I were reasonably cozy that first night.

Of course, since there was no electricity for thirty miles around, the only way to charge electronic devices was to plug them into the outlet in our daughter’s car.  Three people, six devices, and slow charging.  Thank you, PG&E.

On Monday we huddled together in bed until mid-morning, then ate a cold breakfast and charged our electronics.  When I put on my hiking boots, which I hadn’t touched in more than ten years, both soles immediately split wide open.  (See photo.)  So much for hiking.

Did I mention that the cabin heater was electric? On Monday night the cabin was ice cold.

The silver lining was . . . I’m really good at finding silver linings, but I’m having trouble here.  If we wanted to camp out we wouldn’t have rented a heated cabin.  The best I can do is report that the electricity was finally restored on Tuesday morning, after only thirty-nine hours.

Our next several vacations will be at home where heat and light are more reliable.

And while I’m not superstitious, and I’m sure that Sierra Meadows is a very nice place when it actually has electricity, in the future I will avoid Cabin 13.

Cheers.

Alan