UPDATE: FRAZIER PARK, CA (Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 at1:30 p.m.)—Mt. Pinos Road, which leads to the Chula Vista parking lot at the snowplay area, is open. From Interstate 5, take the Frazier Mountain Park Road exit and go west for 12 miles. At the split with Mil Potrero Highway on the right, stay to the left and go up Mt. Pinos Road 9 miles to the parking lot at the top. Snowplay areas are adjacent to the parking lot.

UPDATE: PINE MOUNTAIN, CA (Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 at11:05 a.m.)—The Mil Potrero ‘Y’ is passable again. There is a report about a big rig food supply truck having trouble on the grade going east on Mil Potrero Highway. Drive slowly and with caution. Cinders have finally been spread through the slippery portions of county roads, we’re told.

The skies are clear and the sun is out, but it is very cold. Temperatures in Lake of the Woods dipped down to 19 degrees this morning. A reading in Neenach (on Highway 138) was down to 11 degrees early this morning. The temperature in Pine Mountain this morning is at 23 degrees.

UPDATE: PINE MOUNTAIN, CA (Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 at 10:30 a.m.) Rick Throckmorton is one of those who stayed at Motel 6 last night, because of the ice on Cuddy Valley Road (no cinders spread by Kern County Roads, and inadequate plowing, according to motorists) and the snarls at the Mil Potrero Y. Throckmorton writes that after 8:30 this morning the “road was very well cindered when I was there. I used chains on my 4X4 pickup but saw most traffic did not. I saw about 20 cars from the Y to PMC still off the road.”

It has been a few years since mountain residents —plus Kern County Roads and PMCPOA managers—have had to deal with significant snow conditions. We may be out of practice in taking the dangers seriously. Drive slowly, watch for black ice.

Happy New Year to all.
[UPDATE: An unverified report has been received that PMCPOA employees who were reporting to plow association roads were not allowed by CHP to enter the access roads (Cuddy Valley and Mil Potrero) to report to work.  Allegedly, one employee entered through Highway 33. We will seek more information about this report.]

UPDATE: PINE MOUNTAIN, CA (Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 at 9:30 a.m.)—Pine Mountain community resident Anne Duhm reports: “We came through the Mil Potrero ‘Y’ about 10:50 p.m. [Tuesday night, Dec. 30]. The road is well graveled and we counted about 20+ cars pulled off the road and left between the Y and the village.  When we turned onto Freeman it was very apparent that PMCPOA had not graveled the road.”

Frazier Park reports that there was only very slight snowfall. Jerry Ferris, a weather spotter, wrote this morning: “Not much to report for precipitation at the weather station in FP – no recorded rainfall or snowfall for that matter, just a small dusting here and there – looks like areas of PMC and some of Lockwood and Cuddy Valleys had the most – Lake Arrowhead and Crestline areas were hit the hardest so things went just south of us a bit.”

UPDATE: LEBEC, CA, the Grapevine (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 7:17 p.m.)—A CHP road conditions bulletin says there is a high wind advisory over the Grapevine. The Interstate 5 is open, but from Lebec into the San Joaquin Valley, wind gusts make it risky to drive high profile vehicles such as campers, the advisory warns.

UPDATE: CUDDY VALLEY, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 7:17 p.m.)—Pine Mountain resident Rebecca Catterall writes: Breaking news. We are driving down Frazier Mountain Park Road from the ‘Y’ at about 2 miles an hour due to sheer ice and not a sign of a cinder. Cars are everywhere on the side of the road. Mil Potrero is completely closed and we watched two cars hauled out upside down on trailer trucks. Why no cinders on the road? Will let you know later if we get out okay or have to spend the night on the side of the road.

UPDATE: Pine Mountain Club, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 6:47 p.m.)—CHP has closed Cuddy Valley Road at the intersection with Lockwood Valley Road. No traffic is being allowed westbound beyond Lockwood Valley Road.

UPDATE: Pine Mountain Club, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 6:45 p.m.)—A CHP officer at the Mil Potrero “Y” has confirmed that Mil Potrero Highway will be closed until 10 a.m. Wednesday (tomorrow) morning due to multiple accidents on the roadway which have not been cleared.

UPDATE: Pine Mountain Club, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 6:15 p.m.)—Forty to 50 vehicles are blocking the roadway at the Mil Potrero “Y” according to Mountain Enterprise reporter Anne Duhm. “There is a large tow truck in the middle of the road and dozens of cars are standing still in the roadway. People are getting out of their cars and walking around,” Duhm said. Conflicting information has been given out about access to Mil Potrero Highway, she said. A sheriff’s deputy told Duhm that Mil Potrero Highway would be “closed for the night,” while a CHP officer said residents would be allowed in.

UPDATE: LEBEC and GORMAN, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 5:50 p.m.)—Traffic is running smoothly on the Interstate 5 along the Grapevine as snow begins to fall at the 4,000 foot elevation near Lebec and Frazier Park (just north of Gorman), writes Neenach photographer Jeff Zimmerman.  He predicts CHP escorts may occur as temperatures fall this evening.

“Cal Trans has several units in place ready to start sanding and scraping the ice with snow plows, they are ready to hit the freeway from Gorman,northward,” Zimmerman writes. “Cars need to slow down as visibility starts to diminish,” Zimmerman said. He added that “the storm is starting to move southward and I can see some cells moving off the Tehachapi ridgeline and moving into the Antelope Valley.”

UPDATE: Pine Mountain Club, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.)—Multiple accidents are reported along Mil Potrero highway due to the snow. At 3:50 p.m. CHP reported 10 vehicles were involved in one  snarl at Yellowstone Drive. At 3:43 p.m. a vehicle rollover accident was reported at the  Mil Potrero ‘Y.’ So far no injuries have been reported. CHP is on the scene, as is a tow truck.

Pine Mountain Club Property Owners Association (PMCPOA) personnel said that “the snow plow equipment is dispatched as soon as snow is sticking to the roads.”

The priority for plowing is first main roads, then access roads and then cul de sacs, the employee said, adding, “the policy is that cinders will be applied after the snow has stopped. They will do it as soon as they feel [the cinders] will not be plowed up again.” Attempts to clear snow berms from driveways take place after roads and cul de sacs are cleared.

Pine Mountain Club, CA (Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at 3:50 p.m.)—Cars sliding on snowy roads have caused at least two pile-ups in the Pine Mountain area, at Mil Potrero ‘Y’ and at Yellowstone, according to CHP reports. More detail will be added in a moment.

Weather: The National Weather Service has updated their predictions as temperatures in Frazier Park have fallen to 28 degrees F. Snow is falling throughout the Mountain Communities region.

• Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a steady temperature around 31. Northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
• Tuesday night: A 40 percent chance of snow showers before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
• Wednesday Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 32. North wind around 5 mph.
• Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 24. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
• New Year’s Day Sunny, with a high near 39. East wind around 5 mph.
• Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 32. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
• Friday Sunny, with a high near 45. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph in the morning.
• Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 35. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the evening.
• Saturday Sunny, with a high near 50. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning.
• Saturday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 37. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
• Sunday Sunny, with a high near 54. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
• Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 39. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
• Monday Sunny, with a high near 56. East southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
• Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 42. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
• Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 57. East wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

This is part of the December 26, 2014 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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