Ideas desperately needed

[morgaina]

I have decided to avoid the Christmas Rush and get started on my worrying now:

Oldest son & DIL are flying into Seattle just before Christmas. Then they will pick up dancing_guru, rent a car, and drive to Moscow. This will be just a few days before Christmas.
When dancing_guru contacted the rental car companies they told her they do not allow chains to be put on their cars and do not have snow tires available for their rentals either. The company said All-weathers should be fine, FOR OVER THE PASSES, ARE THEY INSANE? ARE THEY STUPID?

Does anyone have any ideas how to solve this dilemma?

Comments

[freewaydiva.livejournal.com]

Rent an SUV or other 4WD. And chain up anyway - it's likely to be *required* over the passes.

She might also want to escalate to a manager-type to explain the situation.

[the-thread-lady.livejournal.com]

The only thing I can think of is to have them all fly into Spokane and rent .a car from there.

I would not want to risk the passes with all-weathers that time of year.

I hope it all works out.

Hmmm...

[dancing-guru.livejournal.com]

Is it possible, though, that putting on chains could tear up the car as they are so afraid of? I don't want to have to end up paying for the damage....
I think the talking to a manager type is an excellent idea...

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

erm, I've driven those passes in the winter for years and never needed to chain up. Snoqualimie is rarely chains required. as you know, if the road is bare and wet or packed snow, all weathers are just fine (especially in a nimble front wheeled drive car with people who know how to drive in it)

I'd say go for it, and if the weather is so bad that chains are required, wait a day or two for it to melt (its snoqualimie, after all) or plan on using Greyhound....

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

You are the first person who has said it was possible and since I know your common sense, I am greatly eased by this.

I don't think they will Grayhound under any circumstances, remember how last year dancing_guru's bus caught fire and burned up on Snowqualamie? They would look at taking the train I think.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks I hope it does too.
I am a very cautious person when it comes to safety, then when it comes to the safety of my kids I'm even more rabidly cautious.

Re: Hmmm...

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree.
I hope you will do it right away, before the most reliable cars have been reserved.
(immediately, :-) I hope.)

[hroar.livejournal.com]

Helicopter?

[asa-asa-asa.livejournal.com]

I've never used chains either. One of the most important things is to make sure they get a front wheel drive car - I'm from Massachusetts, where you can't get a non-front wheel drive car, and when I moved here I ended up with a rear wheel drive because I didn't ask, not thinking I needed too. That is the last thing you want in snow! Front wheel drive and good tires should be ok, as long as the weather is decent.

[mrq-laurellen.livejournal.com]

My first thought was the same as FreewayDiva - reserve a good SUV and buy chains anyway... or rather, buy those cables that are available. They are good (they get my car over the pass just fine) and paired with an SUV, they will work even better.

I think that telling the manager is just going to get the same response. None of those car rental places are going to be enchanted with anybody even driving one of their cars in such conditions, let alone with cables on.

In this case, I personally would swallow my normally law abiding nature and just not say anything about where I was going with the car and what I was doing with it. And I'd get that extra insurance that they provide which takes care of damage... and I'd drive slow if I had to use the cables.

[taisiia.livejournal.com]

My experience w/ front wheel drive and all-weather tires have NOT been foolproof. I wiped out on Snoqualmie last year with that combo.

It will depend on the passes. I noticed that yesterday Snoqualmie was chains-only unless your vehicle had all-wheel drive. For all we know, the roads will be bare and dry for the Hexmas season.

If flying into Spokane wasn't a possibility, I'd rent an SUV or some vehicle that had all-wheel drive and watch the pass reports like a hawk.

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

the train would be lovely!!!

plan C could always be to head south and go through the gorge. I remember I did that a couple times when the pass really sucked and looked like it would be sucky for a long time. yes, it adds hours and hours on the trip, but if you have a timeline that you have to meet :) it can be worth it, and its a pretty drive in the winter too :) (oo! a stop at marymoore! stone henge! watching crazy windsurfers! (yes, even in the dead of winter)

[gattagrigia.livejournal.com]

Well, Thanksgiving 2006 chains were *required*, even tho conditions didn't warrent it. We think the StatePatrol decided to slow down the holiday traffic. What a cold wet messy job! Then to avoid the pass on the way home, we went thru the gorge - it was sloppy and slow, but really beautiful as the gorge always is.

Chains were required yesterday, all day. Just as well I'm staying in Yakima, because I'd never have made it home!

[dancing-guru.livejournal.com]

Front wheel not 4 wheel drive? or is it about the same?

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

AWD ir 4WD us better if you can get it.
You have to learn to brake differently with the front wheel drive.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

The gorge is my choice.

But I don't get a vote :-(
All I can do is lobby.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Yes, putting on chains is a pain.
Stay warm & dry!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

I sent dancing_guru the road report website you had on your post yesterday. I'm going to send it to Deva too, I am in hopes this will help them make their decisions about travel.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Transporter.

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

it will be fine, mom :)

really, if its snowing hard enough/icky enough to make it hard going, you're going so slow that wiping out consists of a slow and "oh my gosh, we're sliding and there's nothing we can do" kind of slide into a ditch. and then they whip out their cells, call 911 and wait for the cavalry.

be sure there's blankets, water and food in the car (hand warmers, etc are good too) so that if the cavalry is poky they arent too uncomfortable and they'll be fine :). they'll be on a MAJOR highway, in daylight hours.

personally? I think the pass is safer in the snow than it is some other times (like in a big rainstorm, after dark, with people coming home from the applecup or some such)

but then I might be a crazy WSU grad who learned to drive in the stuff early, never had front wheel drive and while she had chains, didnt want to bother with them, so just dealt with it :). only ended up in the ditch twice, and both times was quickly rescued and got a good story out of it!

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

really? I've driven a rear wheel drive pickup, a front wheel drive stationwagon and now have an AWD/4WD SUV and havent noticed anything different except that the SUV is so friggin' big I feel like I'm manuvering a tank (OK, its not that big, but compared to my corolla it sure seems it!)

the big difference between the truck and the front wheel drive is that I would test the roads by doing little skids with the truck (tap the brakes, see what happens) but with the corolla? I could never get it to skid.

in the big ice storm last year, the SUV slid around good, but I think anything with wheels ws pretty much doomed in that :)

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

And it's not like they were driving over the Donner Pass on their way to Estrella ;-)

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

exaaaaaactly :)

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

exaaaaaactly :)