*Disclaimer: results are not guaranteed, may not be permanent, and can vary per individual. Some images are of models, not actual patients.
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When you think about it, our feet are pretty amazing. For most, they're an unfaltering foundation - two shock absorbers we rely on daily to hold our weight and propel us through life. Comprised of dozens of bones and hundreds of ligaments, muscles, and tendons, the average person's feet take a fair beating every day - on average, people stand for about four hours every day and take around 5K steps as well. Because your feet are smaller than most other parts of your body, they endure an enormous impact with each step, adding up to hundreds of tons of weight daily.
Strangely, when our feet, ankles, or toes begin to hurt, we do our best to ignore the pain and push through the day. We even give up sports and outdoor activities that we love. Unfortunately, ignoring pain and delaying treatment will further damage your feet and, by proxy, your whole body.
If you're living with foot and ankle pain or have given up on fun activities like hiking and jogging, it's time to change. Why sacrifice a life full of outdoor activities in our beautiful part of the world when you can visit an expert podiatrist in Del Mar, CA?
Welcome to North County Foot and Ankle - where men and women just like you get new leases on life through some of the most advanced podiatric treatments available in California. With more than 50 years of combined experience treating a wide range of foot and ankle problems, our pioneering doctors have helped hundreds of people reclaim their love of walking, jogging, and life in general.
What makes North County Foot and Ankle stand out from other foot and ankle doctors in Del Mar? Unlike some foot doctors, our podiatrists work with a client-first mentality. When you walk through our front doors, the time you spend in our office is all about you. We believe in a strong physician-patient relationship fortified by one-on-one attention and honest communication.
Before offering foot pain treatment options, we perform a thorough evaluation, taking into account your individual needs, goals, and preferences. Once that's done, we'll discuss your treatment options in detail and come to a mutual decision regarding the best treatment plan for you.
Whether you have a minor hangnail or need complex surgery, you will receive the same level of compassionate care from our medical team. As board-certified podiatrists in Del Mar, our doctors are proud to treat you. You can rest easy knowing they will take the time to explain what's causing your foot pain, what treatments are best suited to your problem, and what steps you should take after treatment.
And while our podiatrists are uniquely qualified to perform surgery, we often recommend non-surgical options, using treatments like orthotics to relieve foot, arch, and heel pain. From sports injuries and bunions to gout and blisters, we're here to help you live life to the fullest without nagging, debilitating foot pain.
Patients visit our foot clinic in Del Mar, CA, for many podiatric problems, including:
If you're dealing with chronic foot pain or are concerned about a long-lasting symptom that affects your daily life, we're here to help. Unsure if you need to call to make an appointment? These symptoms are often signs that you might need to visit our foot and ankle doctors:
Most people over 40 know that strange body aches and pains become more common with age. The same can be said with our feet. As we get older, our feet usually spread out and lose the fatty pads that help cushion our feet. If you're overweight, the ligaments and bones in your feet also take an extra beating. Also, with age, foot abnormalities that you were born with become more pronounced, as the joints in your feet lose flexibility and become rigid. To make matters worse, the skin covering your feet dries out, resulting in more cuts, scrapes, and infections.
It's clear that we endure more foot pain as we get older, but what kind of foot pain should we be most concerned about? It can be hard to tell - pain from what looks like normal bruising may actually be a sign that something more serious is occurring. That's why we're listing some of the most common symptoms of serious foot problems. That way, you're better educated and have a better shot at figuring out whether you need a simple bag of ice or a visit to your podiatrist in Del Mar, CA.
When you sprain your foot or ankle or suffer an acute injury, it's normal for your foot to swell up. This type of swelling typically goes down after 48 hours have passed. However, if you hurt your foot and the swelling is severe and doesn't go away after a couple of days, it's cause for concern. Persistent swelling often indicates an ankle or foot injury that needs podiatric care.
North County Foot and Ankle Pro Tip: If you notice persistent swelling of any kind on your body, it's wise to see a doctor. Ankle swelling, in particular, could be a warning sign that a blood clot or heart issue is present.
It's normal for your foot or ankle to "smart" after you stub your toe or twist your ankle. However, if you're experiencing ongoing ankle and foot pain, it's probably not normal. The pain doesn't have to be sharp, either - if you have dull pain, tenderness, or weakness that lasts more than two days, a trip to the foot doctor may be in order.
Minor ankle and foot injuries, like sprains, are quite common. When a sprain happens, it's normal to experience some instability or weakness afterward. Chronic instability, however, is a more serious problem. Long-term instability or weakness may signify torn ligaments or something worse. If you've had trouble standing or walking for a long time, it's best to make an appointment at a foot clinic in Del Mar.
North County Foot and Ankle Pro Tip: Podiatric experts like those at North County Foot and Ankle may have a long-term solution to help reclaim your mobility without surgery. Give our office call today to learn more!
Stiffness is a normal symptom that should be expected with sprains, plantar fasciitis, and arthritis. Often, you can alleviate such stiffness with rest, weight loss, stretching, or even new shoes. With that said, if you're experiencing ongoing stiffness, it could be a red flag that something more serious is going on.
When you've been sitting for a long time, you may have noticed a popping sound from your feet when you stand. That sound is perfectly normal. So long as it's painless, you've got nothing to worry about. However, if you feel pain when you hear a popping noise, it could indicate a subluxation or dislocation, which are conditions that require a podiatrist's attention.
If you're not sure whether you should be concerned about a painful foot or ankle symptom, give our clinic in Del Mar a call ASAP. Our helpful technicians can help answer your questions and set up a time for you to speak with one of our friendly podiatrists.
Here are just a few of the typical foot problems we treat daily.
Do you have intense heel pain that appears when you first stand up, only for it to disappear after a few steps? If so, you could be one of the millions of people in the U.S. suffering from plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is most often caused by an inflamed ligament covering bones on the bottom of your feet. Also called "Policeman's Heel," this painful condition is a common reason for heel pain, but it won't go away on its own.
Almost all cases of plantar fasciitis will get better with easy, non-surgical treatments and lifestyle changes. A good place to start is by refraining from activities or sports that cause pain, like jogging, hiking, running, or aerobic exercises.
Common treatment options at North County Foot and Ankle include:
Orthotic shoe inserts provide you with the arch support that your feet need, especially with shoes like women's flats that don't have much foot support. We also recommend wearing shoes that are appropriate for the activity you're enjoying, like hiking boots on your favorite trail and running shoes on the street or track.
Stretching regularly with gentle exercises can help prevent plantar fasciitis and stop flare-ups. Stretching your calves, specifically, reduces heel pain effectively. After you schedule an appointment at our foot clinic in Del Mar, one of our doctors can explain the proper exercises in more detail.
Wearing a brace or splint while you sleep will keep your plantar fascia stretched. That way, when you wake up and take your first steps of the day, you shouldn't have as much pain because your plantar fascia won't have a chance to tighten up overnight.
North County Foot and Ankle Pro Tip: If you're still struggling with plantar fasciitis after using orthotics, treatments like orthobiologics, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment, or extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) may be more effective.
Ingrown toenails are among the most common foot maladies in the United States. Though common, ingrown toenails can be painful, resulting in swelling, bleeding, pus, and more. Various factors cause ingrown toenails, such as heredity, trauma, hygiene, nail conditions, and improper trimming. Thankfully, with the help of an expert, most ingrown toenails can be treated at home or in a podiatrist's office.
Ingrown toenails happen when the corners and sides of your toenails grow and eventually dig into the flesh around your nail. Most often occurring on the big toe, ingrown toenails become a serious concern when they are left untreated or when an infection is involved. To determine whether your ingrown toenail needs an evaluation by a foot doctor in Del Mar, CA, keep an eye out for initial symptoms and infection symptoms:
To help prevent infection, try cutting your nails in a straight line, and don't cut them too short. Do not cut your nails to match the shape of your toe.
When your toenail becomes ingrown, you need doctors with real expertise in diagnosing and treating foot problems. At North County Foot and Ankle, our doctors are highly qualified to treat the underlying conditions causing your ingrown toenail. That way, you can enjoy long-term relief and also learn the ways to prevent ingrown toenails in the future.
If you have a bony bump near the bottom joint of your big toe, chances are it's a bunion. Bunions are deformities on your feet that are formed when your front foot bones become misaligned. When this happens, the misaligned bones cause the top half of your big toe to point inward toward your second toe. From there, your tendons will tighten, which pulls your toe even further inward. Once your toe is pulled more inward, the bottom joint of your big toe will bulge outward. The bulge you see is actually what we refer to as a bunion.
Without treatment, your toe pain can worsen, and the bunion can grow. Painful swelling in the balls of your feet can also cause hammertoe. Hammertoe happens your second toe is bent out of shape by your misaligned big toe.
Luckily, North County Foot and Ankle is California's go-to clinic for bunion treatment in Del Mar, CA. Our highly-trained doctors can stop these uncomfortable conditions from happening and help prevent worse conditions from developing.
Jason Morris, a board-certified podiatric foot surgeon in Del Mar, CA, is one of the top podiatrists in the greater San Diego area and has successfully treated patients with bunions for over ten years. He offers advanced treatments for bunion pain, such as:
Our hand-made orthotics, which are worn in your shoes, are molded to fit your foot exactly, correcting bone misalignments and relieving pain much better than cookie-cutter, store-bought options.
Drs. Morris and Redkar performs state-of-the-art triplanar correction surgery using 3-D digital imaging and a minimal incision approach. This procedure is very effective and works by rotating misaligned big toe bones back to the proper position. Once your toe bones are back in position, a metal plate is attached to your bones so that they remain aligned over long-term use.
Drs. Morris and Redkar may recommend both surgery and custom orthotics to keep your foot pain-free and your bunion from growing back.
Request ConsultationIf you’ve been enduring foot or ankle pain that affects your mobility and quality of life, why not make a change for the better? At North County Foot & Ankle Specialists, our podiatrists in Escondido help patients of all ages. Drs. Morris and Redkar take a patient-first approach with all of our podiatry services. Both are highly qualified and recipients of prestigious awards.
Featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s prestigious Top Doctors list of 2021, Dr. Avanti Redkar is a board-certified podiatrist that specializes in foot and ankle pathology. Dr. Redkar earned her undergrad degree in biology at the University of Scranton and her master’s degree in nutrition at SUNY Buffalo. She attended podiatry school at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine. Her three-year surgical residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, New York, included foot and rearfoot surgery, wound care, and hyperbaric medicine training. Dr. Redkar also completed a one-year fellowship in sports medicine and ankle reconstruction.
After a rigorous three-year residency at the University of Pittsburgh, Jason Morris, DPM, moved to sunny California to practice podiatric medicine. Once there, Dr. Morris worked as an attending physician at UCLA Medical Center and Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Since relocating to the Escondido area, he has been a staff physician at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido and Poway. Dr. Morris is a podiatric foot and ankle specialist with board certification in rearfoot and forefoot reconstructive surgery. Dr. Morris has undergone extensive training in sports medicine, ankle trauma, diabetic limb salvage, and reconstructive surgery.
If you've been enduring foot or ankle pain that affects your mobility and quality of life, why not make a change for the better? At North County Foot & Ankle Specialists, our podiatrists in Del Mar help patients of all ages. Drs. Morris and Redkar take a patient-first approach with all of our podiatry services. From minor bunion treatments to complex issues like foot fractures, every treatment option we consider is chosen with your best interest in mind.
Our podiatrists are members of several professional organizations, including:
If more conservative treatments are better for your condition, non-surgical solutions like custom orthotics may be the best route. If you need ankle or foot surgery, our podiatrists will complete your procedure with time-tested skill and precision. Because, at the end of the day, our goal is to provide you with the most effective foot and ankle pain solutions with the quickest recovery options available.
Contact us online or via phone today to schedule an appointment at our Del Mar office. By tomorrow, you'll be one step closer to loving life without foot or ankle pain.
A San Diego restaurant received the highest culinary honor on Monday, earning three Michelin Stars for its "exceptional cuisine."...
A San Diego restaurant received the highest culinary honor on Monday, earning three Michelin Stars for its "exceptional cuisine."
Addison joins the likes of the Bay Area's French Laundry and Manresa, becoming one of seven California restaurants with three Michelin stars.
A total of 18 California restaurants earned Michelin Stars on Monday, with the majority located in Southern California.
Addison, located in San Diego's Fairmont Grand Del Mar, has received many honors over the years, including five diamonds from AAA and five stars from Forbes Travel.
"Chef William Bradley has helmed the stoves at Addison since 2006, transforming this Southern Californian oasis into a world-class dining destination," the Michelin inspector said.
Addison is now only one of 142 three-star restaurants in the world.
The Michelin inspector's comments highlight the chef’s “Californian sentimentality,” especially in his sesame-seasoned Koshihikari rice with applewood-smoked sabayon and Regiis Ova reserve caviar.
The restaurant's full tasting experience is by reservation only, though customers can walk in to enjoy drinks in the lounge.
San Diego's Addison is now a "world-class dining destination," thanks to the Michelin honor.
"From chicken liver churros to a riff on chips and dip, dishes are playful yet polished," the Michelin inspector noted. "Opening bites such as Kumamoto oysters with pickled green strawberry or Iberian ham folded over a gloriously golden potato display finely tuned flavor."
Addison's nine-course tasting menu is priced at $298 per person, according to the restaurant's website.
The price point isn't uncommon among three-starred restaurants. The tasting menu at Napa Valley's famed French Laundry tops $300, with gift experiences starting at $950. The tasting menu at Manresa in Los Gatos is $595 per guest in December, the restaurant's website says.
California restaurants awarded one Michelin star this week include:
Music and visual arts at Del Mar Pines School are part of a curriculum focused on giving students the academic, social, and critical thinking skills they need to be successful adults. What is unique are the many opportunities offered for students to create and respond to music and art, as well as to share their expressions and interpretations with each other.Art and music are not just about learning notes and colors, but also discovering, analyzing, and interpreting what a song or a painting is communicating. Every student in every gr...
Music and visual arts at Del Mar Pines School are part of a curriculum focused on giving students the academic, social, and critical thinking skills they need to be successful adults. What is unique are the many opportunities offered for students to create and respond to music and art, as well as to share their expressions and interpretations with each other.
Art and music are not just about learning notes and colors, but also discovering, analyzing, and interpreting what a song or a painting is communicating. Every student in every grade has an hour of art and an hour of music each week, and during those times the chances for exploration mean all students can find an instrument or musical genre, or visual medium, that suits them.
Students at Del Mar Pines start with the fundamentals, including music theory, how beats and rhythm support the melody, and the various music genres. They immediately put what they learn to work through musical instruments, starting with the xylophones and various types of percussion from kindergarten through second grade.
From third through sixth grade, students have the chance to try the recorder, electric guitar, piano, drums, chime bells, and the ukulele. And there is the chance to practice playing in front of others at school events, small and large.
Del Mar Pines has what might be the only elementary school piano orchestra in the world, a group of about a dozen that provides the live accompaniment for the annual musical. Voices are heard as well at the Spring Sing, an end-of-school festivity featuring all students.
Visual arts also provide a wide range of experiences, including painting, drawing, sculpture, weaving, collage, and digital photography, all built on the basics, including color theory, and incorporating the history of different eras of art.
Our art teacher lets our students’ creativity shine through, and there is always art on display throughout the school. This not only gives the students the chance to see their own work on display but also the work of their peers.
Students can also share the creativity and skills they’ve developed during two talent shows per year. The dozens of acts include magic, art displays, singing, dancing, jokes, and even karate. Even kindergarteners step on stage with short songs, because it’s never too early to learn confidence and how to be in front of an audience.
Del Mar Pines School is a secular, private elementary school (grades K-6) in the Carmel Valley area of San Diego California. Founded in 1978, Del Mar Pines School continually provides students with excellent academic programs which promote children’s curiosity for learning, confidence and determination, while also developing well-rounded children of strong character.
For more information visit www.DelMarPines.com.
Del Mar and the North County Transit District are at odds over the best way to spend $300 million the state has allocated for work needed to reroute the rails around a trouble spot on the fragile coastal bluffs.The transit district recently sent a letter to the San Diego Association of Governments asking for some of the grant money to be used to finish the long-planned San Dieguito to Sorrento Valley double-track project just north of the bluffs."The rail realignment off the Del Mar bluffs can only be successful if this ti...
Del Mar and the North County Transit District are at odds over the best way to spend $300 million the state has allocated for work needed to reroute the rails around a trouble spot on the fragile coastal bluffs.
The transit district recently sent a letter to the San Diego Association of Governments asking for some of the grant money to be used to finish the long-planned San Dieguito to Sorrento Valley double-track project just north of the bluffs.
"The rail realignment off the Del Mar bluffs can only be successful if this time-sensitive project is completed first," states the Dec. 16 letter from the NCTD board to SANDAG.
Del Mar officials disagree. They want SANDAG to use the entire $300 million to pursue construction of the tunnel and to look elsewhere for the San Dieguito double-track money.
"The city of Del Mar expresses strong opposition to the board's request that SANDAG pursue alternative uses of the $300 million," Del Mar Councilmember Terry Gaasterland said on a Zoom call at the transit district's recent board meeting.
The grant money was designated for design, engineering and environmental work needed to prepare the tunnel project for construction, she said.
"This funding is a major step towards achieving the environmental, financial, feasibility, and design objectives for the rail realignment project," said Del Mar City Councilmember Dwight Worden, then serving as mayor, in a letter to NCTD in October.
"As you well know, the railroad tracks pose a significant threat to the bluffs, structures, commuters, and the public, and this crucial funding will advance the project's timeline for being shovel ready and competitive for more critically needed funding," Worden said.
The San Dieguito realignment project is already "shovel ready," transit officials said. It would add a second set of rails for about one mile and replace the century-old bridge with a wider, double-tracked bridge just north of the proposed tunnel, which also would be double-tracked.
An optional piece of the San Dieguito segment is a proposed platform at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, so people could ride the train to events there such as the annual horse races and the San Diego County Fair.
About three-quarters of the 60-mile train corridor between downtown San Diego and the Orange County border has been double-tracked so far. The second set of tracks allows more frequent, faster trains and makes it easier for people to use mass transit.
Environmental work was completed in 2015 for the San Dieguito double-track project, which is ready for construction when money becomes available. Construction costs are estimated at $152 million for the tracks and the bridge, and an additional $82 million for the fairgrounds platform.
The new railroad bridge will be eight feet higher than the existing bridge and wide enough to allow two sets of tracks. Most of the engineering and design work has been done, and the bridge is scheduled for completion in 2025.
The higher bridge is essential to prevent the tracks from being overwhelmed by floodwaters, especially with the expected rising sea levels, and to stop floodwater from entering the tunnel, said NCTD Executive Director Matt Tucker.
"You can't do the realignment until the San Dieguito project has been done," Tucker said. "That's all this item is. This is not a big grab or a steal away from anyone."
Construction of the tunnel could cost more than $4 billion and will take until at least 2035 to complete, SANDAG has said.
This is not the first time Del Mar has fought with the transit district. The city and the transit district have been battling for several years over a safety fence NCTD wants to build along the tracks atop the bluffs.
Del Mar residents say the proposed fence would restrict their access to the beach, obstruct their views of the ocean and lower coastal property values. The transit district says the fence would prevent trespassing on the railroad right-of-way and save lives. Most of the rail corridor already is fenced.
Negotiations have essentially reached a standstill pending the outcome of a petition the transit district has filed with the federal Surface Transportation Board. If approved, the petition would give the district the authority to build the fence without any permits or other approvals from the city or the state.
SANDAG and NCTD have been working more than 20 years on a series of Del Mar bluff stabilization projects including seawalls, pilings and drainage structures to protect the tracks on the eroding bluffs until an alternate route can be built.
The $300 million grant from the state's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program was announced July 1 as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom's $308 billion state budget.
Officials said at the time that the money would allow SANDAG to complete the preliminary engineering and environmental documents for the realignment project and to start the partially funded final design phase.
Money from the grant also was to be used to form an executive task force to help find funds for construction.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
©2022 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Idina Menzel, the Tony-winning star of “Wicked” and vocal powerhouse behind Elsa in Disney’s animated “Frozen,” will star in “Redwood,” a world premiere musical that will close La Jolla Playhouse’s 2023-24 season in February of next year.“Redwood” will feature a book, lyrics and direction by Tina Landau and score and lyrics by Kate Diaz.The musical will tell the story of Jesse, a successful businesswoman, mother and wife who is hiding a broken heart. Finding herself at...
Idina Menzel, the Tony-winning star of “Wicked” and vocal powerhouse behind Elsa in Disney’s animated “Frozen,” will star in “Redwood,” a world premiere musical that will close La Jolla Playhouse’s 2023-24 season in February of next year.
“Redwood” will feature a book, lyrics and direction by Tina Landau and score and lyrics by Kate Diaz.
The musical will tell the story of Jesse, a successful businesswoman, mother and wife who is hiding a broken heart. Finding herself at a turning point, she leaves everything behind and drives to the West Coast, where she ends up in California’s redwood forest and finds community and healing. Christopher Ashley, the Playhouse’s artistic director, said in a statement that the musical “overflows with invention, inspiration and empathy.”
“The Playhouse has been developing this piece since we reopened our doors, working with the dynamo team of Tina Landau, Kate Diaz and Idina Menzel — each a visionary artist in her own right — to create an extraordinary work that reaches for the sky and touches the soul,” Ashley said.
Menzel has been a star since making her Broadway debut in 1996 as performance artist Maureen in “Rent.” Then in 2003 she become a superstar as the high-flying green-skinned witch Elphaba in “Wicked.” Besides her Broadway work, Menzel has worked on television and in film and she is a songwriter.
Last year, Menzel and Diaz co-wrote the the title song for the HBO documentary “A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting.” Menzel has said in interviews that she considers Diaz “brilliant” and she enjoys collaborating with Diaz because she understands Menzel’s voice and vulnerabilities.
Diaz is a prolific Los Angeles composer, songwriter and producer who writes music for film, television, trailers and commercials.
Landau is a writer and director who conceived and directed the 2018 Broadway musical “SpongBob SquarePants.” She also co-wrote with composer Adam Guettel the off Broadway musical “Floyd Collins,” which had a production at San Diego’s Old Globe in 1999. La Jolla Playhouse also premiered Landau’s fairy tale-inspired play “Beauty” in 2003.
“Redwood” will conclude a Playhouse season that begins in June and includes: Anna Deavere Smith’s tennis-themed play “Love All”;” Jenn Freeman, Sonya Tayeh and Holland Andrews’ dance-infused piece about neurodiversity “Is It Thursday Yet?”; Joe Iconis and Gregory S. Moss’s “The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical”: Lisa Sanaye Dring’s wrrestling-themed play “Sumo”; and “Babbitt,” Joe DiPietro’s adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel, featuring film and Broadway star Matthew Broderick. For more on the season, visit lajollaplayhouse.org.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has never disappointed me, presenting an incredible variety of the newest, state-of-the-art products and technology. This year’s show was no exception — even including some auto racing: a follow-up round of the Indy Autonomous Challenge at Las Vegas Motor Speedway!I returned home a little past midnight last night, with suitcases full of material to share with you in the weeks and months ahead but, since today’s column is due shortly after noon, in today’s column ...
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has never disappointed me, presenting an incredible variety of the newest, state-of-the-art products and technology. This year’s show was no exception — even including some auto racing: a follow-up round of the Indy Autonomous Challenge at Las Vegas Motor Speedway!
I returned home a little past midnight last night, with suitcases full of material to share with you in the weeks and months ahead but, since today’s column is due shortly after noon, in today’s column I’ll share with you a story from the road — about my harrowing drive to and from Las Vegas.
I always drive to Las Vegas. It is very helpful to have a car there, to drive back and forth to the various CES venues. I have stayed at the Excalibur Resort for several years. It is comfortable, convenient and even has free EV charging for my RAV4 Prime! I did all of my driving in Las Vegas on that free electricity.
I left for Las Vegas a week ago yesterday (Monday). I’d planned to leave early in the day but, as is usually the case, I was busy working on my column and ended up leaving very late — about 7 p.m. That was very unfortunate.
By the time that I left San Diego it had begun to rain, which fell intermittently throughout my drive to where I stopped to take a short nap at a rest stop on the California side of the I-15 highway, a few miles from the Nevada border. It turned out that my having done so was very fortunate.
When I returned to the highway, to complete my drive to Las Vegas, almost immediately I encountered a terrifying, white-out blizzard. It was very late at night, and the rain that I had been driving through earlier had turned to a very wet, very heavy snowfall. It quickly turned into whiteout conditions, falling so heavily that the highway markings (the reflective Bots dots included) were completely covered-over with fresh-fallen, deep snow, and visibility ahead was almost non-existent.
Decades ago, I grew up in Alberta, Canada, so I was no stranger to driving in snow — albeit of the much colder, drier variety. Little did I know when I left balmy San Diego on Monday evening that I would need to draw upon that experience on my drive to Las Vegas, but that I did. My life, and the lives of the drivers around me, depended upon that.
First, I slowed way down to about 30 mph. Like the other drivers, I turned on my vehicle’s four-way flashers, so that I could be seen — in case someone was foolish enough to come barreling along too fast and not see that I was there.
Since I could not see the road, I decided to follow another vehicle’s taillights. I slotted in behind a tall vehicle (a motorhome, I think), with lots of rear lights. As I followed him, I began to feel vibrations, as if I were driving on a progressively rougher road. Fearful that the motorhome may have been heading off of the road, I pulled in behind a Target semitrailer truck. He (or she) had even brighter taillights, and seemed to know where he was going. Eventually we emerged safely from the snow.
Unfortunately, my return trip a week and a day later was not much better. I had checked out of my hotel at 1 p.m., but I chose to use the afternoon and early evening to shop and take photos on the Las Vegas Strip. By the time I’d had something to eat and was ready to drive home to San Diego, it was again after 7 p.m. Once again it was raining. Unfortunately it progressed from a light rain to one so heavy that again I could barely see. At least in the rain I was still sort of able to see the lane markings in the road. Once again I, like most of the other drivers, turned on the four-way flashers and managed to make it safely through the deluge, returning home after midnight last night.
To explore a wide variety of content dating back to 2002, with the most photos and the latest text, visit “AutoMatters & More” at https://automatters.net. Search by title or topic in the Search Bar in the middle of the Home Page, or click on the blue ‘years’ boxes and browse.
Copyright © 2023 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #774
*Disclaimer: results are not guaranteed, may not be permanent, and can vary per individual. Some images are of models, not actual patients.
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