Expect the unexpected for spring

As far as I'm concerned, spring rains are welcome this time of year, especially in a drought situation.

It's unfortunate they often choose to arrive when an event is planned. I've seen Kool April Nites wiped out by gully washers, hail and wind. But the show always went on, rain or shine.

I don't know how many rodeo parades in which I've participated when I had to wear rain gear to stay dry.

It happens. The year ESPN covered the Redding Rodeo was a prime example of rain over rodeo. The cameramen had their equipment covered with tarps. The arena was a mud pool, but it all added to the drama of cowboys, horses and bulls in wild bucking frenzy.

Rain at events is for the tough, the diehards and those who share a passion for what they do.

I remember the Shasta District Fair enduring many wet weeks, but not every day. One or two days, visitors may have seen heavy, wind-blown rains, but then the clouds would part and the rest of the week was beautiful.

One thing we in the north state have learned or should have learned is that spring weather is totally unpredictable.

Ideally, it should rain at night or on weekdays when there isn't an event. That is the perfect scenario. Ha! Not around here. This is Northern California and we have endured everything from cloud-bursts dumping quarter-size hailstones to heat waves of more than 100 degrees and everything in-between.

I've seen races in the Whiskeytown Regatta called off for too much wind and rain.

What? Too much wind you say?

Well, if you are skippering a 13-foot cat-rigged sailboat in a fierce squall, you have your hands full, believe me. I've done just that kind of sailing on San Francisco Bay and it's no picnic. The boat went over seven times and I brought it up seven times to the point of exhaustion. I finally quit on the eighth time it went over.

I remember crawling up on the dagger board and waiting for the rescue barge to pick me up. All the while, I was hoping a shark wouldn't pass nearby. I wasn't wearing a wet suit and the bay water was cold enough to turn me blue.

Then there was the time my friends and I were riding the Gomez trail just this side of Susanville. We weren't aware that the thunderheads floating overhead was a bad omen. About two miles down the trail, it all cut loose on the three of us, hammering the backs of our horses with huge hailstones. We gathered beneath a cluster of fir trees to wait it out. About 20 or 30 minutes later, the clouds parted and the rain subsided. We rode back to camp where our gear was soaking wet, packed everything up and headed home. So much for a weekend adventure we looked forward to for many months.

I've chased cows in the rain and in the heat of the day and neither is much fun. So these days, I consider myself a fair weather rider for the most part. I just don't like being too cold or too hot. That does limit the number of trips, however.

One July, my family and I went camping at Medicine Lake near Mt. Shasta. It was pretty warm, probably in the 80s, when we got there and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. But over night, the picture changed drastically as the temperature plummeted to the 30s. I remember waking up to a scene that was unbelievable. There was a skiff of snow about an inch or two deep on the ground, on our tents, chairs and vehicles. Who would have guessed?

We stuck it out and the weather flip-flopped back to warm and sunny skies the rest of the week for a great vacation.

One thing for sure, you don't want to be unprepared for weather changes. It's a good idea to try to figure on anything happening. I usually have a rain suit in my saddlebags during those iffy times of year. Then, you can always layer the clothing so you can be comfortable come rain or shine. Some people pack blanket in their vehicles expecting the unexpected. This isn't such a bad idea, especially in the North State.

I never hope to see a July 4 holiday ruined like the year we went to Lake Shasta, rented a houseboat and ended up towing it in when the motor conked out. It wasn't so bad towing the houseboat, but the weather changed to a small craft warning scene of gigantic proportions with the ski boats slamming against the houseboat as we battled white caps all the way back to the harbor.