It's safe to say that we won't soon forget December 2021. Snow totals officially hit 193.7" yesterday and there's even more falling from the white sky in slow motion. #DEEPcember is in full effect. Guests who planned to be here were mixed with travelers who were totally bewildered to end up in Downieville. It was straight chaos mixed with family adventures.

On Christmas day cars were buried and lost, we ran out of rooms so couches became beds and floors became snuggle piles. Groups of five or six ended up sleeping in rooms with one king or queen. One family is still here, 12 people in a cottage that sleeps five comfortably.

Several people were stranded with cars in various states of disrepair or lost in the deep. A sweet couple in their Tesla came to the Riverside Mountain Lodge just to charge up at the hotel. They were on their way to Reno. The young lady was very pregnant, and vocally concerned about road conditions. However, even with their awareness of the harm they could face, they chose to head back out into the storm. They saw Caltrans say "All roads to and from Tahoe area are either closed, or too treacherous to pass. Stay where you are, do not attempt to travel at this time.

And in thier mind was "Google maps says we can take a 6 hour route through the mountains over to Nevada. Let’s give it a go. Let's cross the pass even though the sign said 'road closed ahead'." The innkeepers in town became a source for all information, counselors for issues far outside the scope of renting rooms. They shoveled out cars covered in white fluffy powder and crawled on their bellies to apply snow chains for guests who looked on in awe.

The hotels in town have piles of laundry that have accumulated as tall as the snowdrifts while the housecleaners are snowed-in, unable to get out. Tens of thousands of people in Northern California are without power, and it continues to go on and off in Downieville.

Closed highways became a winter playground for cross country skiers, and kids who were sledding and making snow angels. Dogs bounded and trounced in fluffy powder, chaising tails, falling snowflakes, and blazing powdery trails that caved in on them as they ran. 

St. Charles Place Bar was bustling, mostly with locals who came out of their homes to enjoy camaraderie and excape the cabin fever. Visitors, treated like locals, set up on the bar stools and ran the pool table and the juke box. They kept commenting on how "amazing" Downieville is, and how "awesome" it was that they "got stuck here" as they threw back shots and played pool.

One guest mentioned the similarities of a late November of 2021 storm in Britain's highest pub that turned into a weekend-long lock-in when snow carpeted the Yorkshire Dales.  Over the course of three very strange days, Downievillians, the guests who planned to be here, and the stranded travelers at the lodges and inns found themselves strangely connected.

Families were huddled together walking along Main Street, soaking in the winter wonderland. Smiles and laughter mixed with fear and uncertainty of getting home.

Restaurants were closed because owners were snowed in or they closed for Christmas. One local, a well known baker, brought treats and snacks for the guests. These items and others from generous townsfolk, were delivered to the front doors of traveler's accomodations.

This same local baker, helped arrange a warming shelter for guests who couldn't arrange accomodations. Visitors could warm up and use the water, bathrooms, and even sleep on wrestling mats in the Downieville School's gymnasium. It's safe to say small-town kindness is alive and well in Downieville.

And through it all, Two Rivers Cafe remained strong! They ran out of pizza dough early on, but recoverd. As of this writing they are out of buns for burgers. The most important thing is through it all, they stayed open even during blips in the power. A warm and welcome place for parents and kids to gather.

It's been one for the history books!

We hope everyone has been safe in these storms. Enjoy the stillness and beauty of all of this incredible December snowfall!



Please stay safe and be patient as resorts, the town and local businesses wait to regain power, unbury from the snow, and rest after we helped hundreds of stranded travelers - hopefully everyone will get where they want to be in time for New Years!  We're happy to be right here in Downieville!!