Guess what? Our plans didn’t work.

From the beginning, Stephanie told us that she loves snowy sceneries and really wanted to take pictures in such scenes. However, the places we planned earlier, including the snowy ski resort was closed. Other places didn’t allow us to take pictures.

Boly, Stephanie, and I were surprised but we kept it cool. Then, we improvised. Every time I see an amazing scenery, we stopped and take pictures. Anyway, the pictures turned out to be so good that they made way into our team’s all-time favorite pictures. We were very happy!

The day after the photoshoot, out of the blue, Boly woke me up.

I was really sleepy, but when Boly told me the news, I was wide awake. A snowstorm was brewing. Most of the highways were closed. They left one highway open. That’s our only way home. What if they close it? We were very chill the day before, but, that time, Boly, Stephanie, and I scrambled to pack. We were really panic. We all had to go home to SF. I had another client’s photo shoot the day after.

When we got out of the hotel, our cars were covered with snow so thick that we had to shove all of it. Then, we had to find snow chains for our tires. After our cars were set, we immediately hit the road.

After a while, our stomachs made funny sounds. That’s when we realized that we forgot to eat. We stopped at the last mini-market before the highway. The foods, even the snacks, were almost sold out, exactly like zombie apocalypse movies I watched. So, we grabbed everything we could and got back to the road.

Before that trip, I thought I knew the worst of traffic. I lived in Jakarta before I moved to Bali. So, traffic was a part of my daily routine. Here’s the thing: this snowstorm traffic was a whole another level.

After not moving for 30 minutes, the cars moved 10 meters before stopping again. At one point, we turned off the engine, then came to each other’s cars, stretched, and talked about everything.

The traffic was crazy. It was supposed to be a 4-hour trip, however, we were trapped in 14-hour traffic.

I remember my friend, who helped me with the photoshoot, played a Bruno Mars album the entire journey. I’ve lost count at how much time we heard the album. Maybe more than 30 times. Nearing the end of the journey, my friend said, “The next time I heard Bruno Mars, I will remember this trip.”

I laughed. I won’t forget this trip too! This trip brought us fun, friendship, and, of course, great pictures! Well, things didn’t go as planned, but we made the best of it. We left Lake Tahoe with a great story to tell.

Cheers,

Will.